"Eliza Stonor, what in the world are you doing? Are youpletely out of your mind?!" Sophie''s voice rang out, filled with fury.
She had hoped there might still be a way to fix things, was now both fiarious and sumned. Her voice trembled with emotion, as if Eliza had just torn apart her own clothes.
Eliza kept the scissors in her hand, waving them around with a carefree smile. "What does it look like I''m doing? I''m cutting the gown. Didn''t Dn and you are it with their own eyes? Why all the drama?"
Dn''s eyes nearly shot fire. "You''re seriously asking me that? That gown was custom-made for youring-of-age ceremony, by me and Benedict! And you''re just chopping in up like it''s nothing?!"
Because no one
no one wants it anymore," Eliza said coldly, snipping again. "I don''t want it, Sophie doesn''t want it, so if no one wants it, it''s gotta go"
Her icy demeanor made Dn feel like he was looking at aplete stranger,
"Who says I don''t warn it?" Sophie nearly screamed, rage bubbling over.
Shrid only turned the gown down to keep Dn from suspecting anything, but she never expected Eliza to go this far.
she''d nned to wear the gown for hering-of-age ceremony, but now, it was ruined-all because of Eliza,
This was the most expensive, most exquisite gown in all of Hasen City-there wasn''t a second one like it.
Sophie felt a sharp pang of regret, as though her heart had been ripped out.
"When did you ever say you
you ever say you didn''t want it?" Dn demanded, his anger growing "Didn''t you say you loved it? Didn''t you treasure this gown!"
Liza didn''t even flinch. "I don''t like li
She said it slowly, emphasizing each word "Maybe I liked it once, but not anymore. I don''t want anything that''s not mine."
With one final snip, the gowns was ruinedpletely shredded. Just like her rtionship with Dn and the others-broken beyond repair.
She had tried to salvage it, but if she''d cut ties earlier, maybe it wouldn''t havee to this point.
This time, she wasn''t going to make the same mistakes she did in her past life. "Well, theing-of-age ceremony''s about to start. Since Dn doesn''t want me there, I''ll just take my leave," she said, dropping the scissors and turning away Her tone was full of impatience as she ushered them out of her way Dn stood there, rooted in the spot, staring at the shredded pieces of fabric. His mind felt like it had been hit by a sledgehammer, leaving him dazed and confused. ''N this can''t be happening Why is Eliza acting like this
"Why is e doing this Is it because I made her give the gown to Sophie!
"But didn''t 1 misunderstand her! Isn''t all of this her fault in the first ce! Why is she being so reckless!T
Dn''s anger grew with every word, his voice sharp as he snapped, "This is all Benedict''s fault He spolled you roisen, and now look at you Trampling all over your brothers'' feelings.
"What''s next, huh? Are you nning to turn everything upside down!"
He thought his words would hit horse with Eliza, but she didn''t even react.
Sitting there, her back to him, she didn''t spare him a single nce, her posture radiating cold indifference.
"Fine" Dn gritted his teeth, practically seething. "So now you think you can throw a tantrum with me, huh!
"Just wan. I''ll go get Benedict and the others, and they''ll see just how out of lime you''re acting""
With that, he snatched the crown Sophie Stonor had just picked up from the floor, along with the torn fabric and scattered debris, and shoved
Sore Dn
"Hey, Dn!" Saphir barely had time to react before
turned on his heel and stormed out, the ragged crown and gown in tow.
Sophie shot Eliza a final, frustrated look, hesitated for a moment, and then decided to follow him.
4:40 PM
The room fell silent as they left, so quiet that you could almost hear the hushed whispers of the maids just outside the door.
"Was that Lord Dn and Lady Sophie running out of Lady Eliza''s room!" "Yeah, I think so
"Can''t believe I saw Lord Dn. If I''d known. I would''ve waited in Lady Eliza''s room."
"Forget it. I heard Lord Dn yelling at Lady Eliza again. She must''ve done something to Lady Sophie. That girl''s got some wicked tricks.
You
u really want to get close to her after hearing that? What if one day she turns on you?
"God, that''s terrifying! If that''s the case, who''d want to serve her!"
Inside, Eliza listened without a flicker of emotion, her expression unreadable. One voice in particr stood out—it was Lillian Reed, her maid, speaking louder than the others.
Lillian, the same maid who had once kicked Eliza hard in the secret chamber to please Sophie, and who had helped Sophie betray her, was now Sophie''s trusted
ally.
She''d even been secretly stirring up trouble among the servants, turning them against Eliza."
A cold spark shed in Eliza''s eyes. She''d never forget what S betrayed her walk away scot-free
Sophie and the Stonor family had done to her,
er, and she wasn''t about to let those who''d
"You" Eliza''s voice broke the silence, sharp andmanding.
The maids turned to see her standing by the window, her gaze icy and calcting.
Still shaken by Lillian''s earlier words, they scrambled to their feet in a panic
Eliza''s tone was casual, almost like she was giving a simplemand. "Everyone except Lillian can pack up and leave. No need to suck around. I''ll have someonee pick you up soon."
The other maids froze, confused. "Pack our things? Where are we going? Who''sing to get us"
Eliza shed them a smile that didn''t quite reach her eyes. "Oh, don''t worry. Your household servants wille to get you. Who else could it be?"
The maids turned pale as the realization hit them
"What do you mean, mydy? What did we do wrong? Why are you treating us like this? Lillian, still clueless about the gravity of the situation, stepped forward to defend the others, her voice full of righteous indignation.
"They haven''t done anything wrong. Eliza said with a calm smile. They''re just... not the sharpest. Can''t even tell who their real mistress is.
"People who don''t even know who their master is don''t belong in my house. Better pack up and leave while you can, before I lose my patience."
Her wordsnded like a punch, and the maids, including Lillian, turned pale with fear.
Then, as if remembering something. Eliza added with a wicked grin, "Of course, you could always try asking my sweet, innocent sister to intercede for you. Maybe she''ll pay a good price to buy you off me?"
Eliza figured that if she was going to leave the Stonor family, she''d at least make sure to walk away with a little extra cash in her pocket
As she closed the window and turned around, she jumped in shock when she
saw a man standing silently at the door, his presence nearly ghostly.
When she recognized him, a wave of pure hatred surged through her. She slowly
spoke, her voice at cold as ice. "Hey, Benedict"
色