The moment Shay and Sandro entered the dining room, the previously tense atmosphere instantly changed.

The space that had been heavy with silent hostility suddenly became warm and lively.

Shay ran inside first, her little face glowing with excitement while Sandro followed behind her at a calmer pace.

"Daddy! Uncle Liam!" Shay called happily as she climbed onto her chair. "Midnight got so big already!"

Her tiny arms stretched outward dramatically as she tried to describe the dog’s size.

"Soooo big!" she exclaimed, nearly losing her balance in the process. "And fluffy too! Like this! No—bigger than this!"

She widened her arms even further, puffing her cheeks seriously as though demonstrating the size properly was a matter of utmost importance.

The exaggerated gestures looked unbelievably adorable.

Even the servants nearby lowered their heads, hiding their smiles.

Sandro sighed beside her, clearly used to her theatrics.

"You’re exaggerating again," he muttered.

"I’m not!" Shay protested immediately. "Midnight almost tackled me because he missed me too much!"

As she continued animatedly recounting her adventures with the dog, the entire dining room gradually filled with laughter.

The tension that had lingered moments ago quietly dissolved.

Ares leaned back in his seat, the cold sharpness around him softening noticeably as he watched Shay chatter endlessly.

Meanwhile, Liam openly chuckled, a rare genuine smile spreading across his usually indifferent face.

For a brief moment, the mansion no longer felt like a battlefield filled with hidden emotions and silent rivalries.

It simply felt like home.

...

After breakfast, Ares and Liam excused themselves and returned to Ares’ study on the second floor.

They needed to secure the treasures as soon as possible before they attracted unwanted attention.

Lara rose from her chair and gently helped Shay down. Beside them, Sandro stood like a loyal little knight, keeping close to Shay as though guarding her safety.

"Larissa, wait."

Scarlet’s voice rang out just as Lara was about to leave with the two children.

Lara stopped walking.

Slowly, she turned around to look at Scarlet.

The soft warmth she had shown Shay moments ago had already disappeared, replaced by a calm indifference that made her seem unexpectedly distant.

"What do you need?" Lara asked plainly.

Scarlet pressed her lips together.

"Can we talk?" she asked after a brief hesitation. "In private."

Lara glanced down at the two children clinging possessively to her sides.

Shay was hugging her arm while Sandro stood close beside her, both clearly unwilling to let her go.

For a moment, Lara remained silent before finally looking toward the nanny nearby.

"Please take the children to the garden first," she said gently.

The nanny immediately nodded. "Yes, Miss Lara."

Shay looked reluctant.

"But Mommy—"

"I’ll follow later," Lara reassured softly, brushing Shay’s hair back affectionately.

Only then did the little girl finally release her grip.

Once the children were led away, the warmth in Lara’s expression gradually faded again.

Without another word, she turned and walked down the hallway.

Scarlet followed behind her.

The two women entered the same side room used earlier—a quiet, elegant space isolated from the noise of the mansion.

The moment the door closed behind them, the atmosphere instantly changed.

The air became strangely suffocating.

Lara walked toward the center of the room before finally stopping.

Then she turned around.

"Speak."

Her voice was calm. Clear and steady.

Yet somehow, it carried an invisible pressure that made Scarlet momentarily lose her composure.

For a split second, Scarlet was stunned.

The woman standing before her now felt completely different from the timid Larissa she remembered.

Gone was the awkward girl who used to lower her head and quietly endure humiliation.

The current Lara stood tall and composed, her beautiful face unreadable, her gaze sharp enough to make Scarlet feel strangely exposed.

Scarlet’s heartbeat faltered.

An inexplicable sense of pressure crept into her chest.

She secretly inhaled deeply once.

Then twice.

Only after the third breath did she finally manage to calm herself down.

"Larissa Reyes, stop throwing yourself to Ares. He would never love you. He is my man. And I am his first love."

"History," Lara said calmly, "is valuable. But it stays in books."

Scarlet’s face turned pale.

"The present," Lara continued, "is what shapes the future."

There was no raised voice. No hostility. Just quiet confidence.

Scarlet studied her more carefully now.

"Don’t talk in riddles," Scarlet said.

Lara cast her a pitiful look.

"I am certain of one thing," Lara replied. "I don’t take what isn’t mine."

Scarlet’s eyes narrowed subtly.

"And what do you believe is yours?"

For the first time, a flicker passed through Lara’s gaze.

Something ancient. Measured. Regal.

"I don’t need to claim anything," she said. "What belongs to me will choose to stay."

The air shifted.

Scarlet felt it.

This wasn’t the insecurity of a hired governess.

This was something else. Something grounded. Something dangerous.

And Scarlet felt threatened.

From outside the garden, Shay’s laughter rang out faintly.

Both women turned instinctively toward the sound.

Scarlet stepped back, restoring her smile.

"Moira is back," Scarlet said slowly, carefully observing Lara’s expression. "She’s Shay’s biological mother."

A brief pause followed before Scarlet continued with deliberate cruelty.

"So sooner or later, you’ll be kicked out of the Zuvel estate..."

Her lips curled faintly.

"And you’ll go back to being the invisible Larissa Reyes."

This was the true purpose of Scarlet’s visit.

It was not about Ares. Not jealousy. But power. Access. Influence.

Because once Lara lost her place in the Zuvel estate, she would lose everything connected to it—the protection, the status, the people surrounding Ares.

Scarlet wanted her to remember exactly where she belonged.

But instead of looking shaken, Lara suddenly smiled.

No.

A smirk.

Slow. Calm. Dangerous.

"Are you really sure I’ll be kicked out?"

Scarlet’s brows furrowed slightly.

For some reason, Lara’s confidence made her uneasy.

Meanwhile, Lara found herself secretly amused.

If Scarlet found out Ares had already proposed to her...

Would she faint on the spot from shock?

The thought nearly made Lara laugh.

Scarlet stared at her suspiciously.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked sharply.

Lara tilted her head slightly, her beautiful eyes carrying a trace of mockery.

"And why," she replied lazily, "should I explain myself to you?"

Scarlet’s face instantly darkened.