The Iyke Mansion grew quiet after dinner, the last of the servants retreating to their quarters. Isabella excused herself with elegance, Damian's watchful eyes following her as she disappeared upstairs.
Not long after, Adrian and Clarissa slipped out to the garden terrace. The night air was cool, scented with jasmine, the flicker of lanterns casting long shadows over their faces.
Clarissa crossed her arms, her painted smile fading the instant they were alone. "Did you notice it?" she hissed, her tone sharp. "She wasn't the same. Isabella… she's changed."
Adrian smirked, adjusting the cuff of his tailored suit. "Changed? Perhaps. But don't let that rattle you. She's still the same sheltered girl at her core. Easily managed."
Clarissa's eyes narrowed, suspicion lingering. "I don't know, Adrian. She wasn't clinging to every word you said. She barely even looked jealous when I teased her."
Adrian chuckled lowly, stepping closer to her. "Clarissa, don't overthink it. Isabella has always been a delicate flower. Maybe she's simply trying on a colder mask to impress us. But in the end, she'll bend."
Clarissa bit her lip, staring toward the mansion's glowing windows. "She better. Because if she doesn't…" Her voice dropped, venom lacing her words. "…she could ruin everything we've built."
Adrian's smile hardened into something sharper. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, though his eyes gleamed with selfish ambition. "Relax. Isabella Iyke is nothing more than a stepping stone. Once her father finalizes that deal with my family, she'll be irrelevant. By then, we will be untouchable."
Clarissa's lips curved into a sly grin, her earlier doubt slowly giving way to greed. "Untouchable," she repeated, savoring the word.
The pair exchanged a conspiratorial look, two serpents coiled in the dark, ready to strike.
What they didn't realize was that a shadow lingered just beyond the hedges. A servant girl, unnoticed in the gloom, caught fragments of their words. Her hands trembled as she pressed them to her apron.
Secrets had a way of slipping through cracks—and in this mansion, nothing would remain hidden forever.