The next day dawned hazy, with heavy clouds hanging low over Pravi. The mansion seemed even more claustrophobic, as if it wanted to keep its secrets within its walls. And swallow anyone who tried to unravel them!
The group had agreed not to say anything about the letter until they found something more tangible. But the sense of the weight of this secret made everyone behave more cautiously.
Felicia, on the other hand, seemed to move with unexpected ease. She had abandoned the black clothes of mourning and was wearing a bright red dress that caught the eye. "Red is the color of life," she said, when Lily asked her discreetly. "I will not let death swallow me." "Where did you even find the dress? You were locked in here with us all night." "I had it with me. I always carry an extra, just in case."
Dorella watched her silently. Her posture seemed too… theatrical. As if she wanted to show us something. But what? What does it have to do with the letter?
Later, when everyone was in the dining room, Felicia leaned over to Gabriel. Her voice was low, almost tender, but there was something sharp in her tone:
"Your Leo was more secretive than you think. Don't try to saint him. Men hide more than they let on. All of them, even you."
Gabriel felt his blood boil. What does he know? Is he talking in generalities or trying to tell me that he knows about the letter? He looked at her sharply, but she smiled, as if he had said something completely innocent.
That same day, Peter saw her whispering to August, the butler. When he approached, they stopped abruptly, and Felicia changed the subject with a false naturalness. It's not just suspicions, Peter thought. She's hiding deals. She's trying to set something up behind our backs. And she's trying to implicate August, too.
Lily, quieter, noticed Felicia's look when she fell on Dorella. It was a look full of envy, but also something like fear. She doesn't want Dorella here, Lily thought. Maybe because she feels that the truth will come closer because of her.
That night, when everyone had retired to different corners of the living room, Gabriel couldn't sleep. He got up and went down to the living room. There, in the semi-darkness, he saw a shadow. Felicia was standing in front of the fireplace, holding something in her hands.
"What are you doing here?" he asked her abruptly.
She turned slowly, and a small metal box appeared in her hands. "I couldn't sleep. I found this box in Leo's office. I thought I'd open it."
Gabriel approached. "And why didn't you show us first?"
Felicia smiled. "I don't always trust… dealings with you. Sometimes, some things have to be seen for yourself."
Gabriel's eyes darkened. He's playing with our nerves. Or he knows more than he lets on.
Dorella, who had been silently following Gabriel, was now visible in Felicia's vision. "If you're going to open something that belonged to Leo, you're going to do it in front of all of us. Not alone."
For a moment, Felicia looked ready to refuse. But then, with a theatrical gesture, she set the box down on the table. "As you wish. I have nothing to hide."
Her phrase echoed in the room, but her irony was louder than the words.