As Annette stepped into her room, she slammed the door, resting against it as she finally felt her lungs working again. The suffocation in the air had almost caused her to faint.
Letting out a shaky breath, she walked towards the bed, sitting on the edge with her fingers buried in her hair. She was going to need to act fast, as the Viscount's patience was slowly running thin. And the gods damn her for not knowing how to control her fucking tongue.
Submission was not her best fit. Unfortunately, she would have to learn to if she wanted to survive in the claws of the devil.
Annette sighed, looking down at her dress. What the hell was she doing, playing dress-up and attending a ball with the man she despised? She needed to get her priorities straight.
A yawn escaped her lips, but first, she needed to sleep—a good one too. By morning, she would begin her planning.
Annette rose from the bed, wiped off the makeup from her face, and slipped out of the dress—with much difficulty—letting it fall to the ground. She couldn't be bothered to pick it up.
She grabbed a robe, draped it over her body, and collapsed onto the bed, letting the weariness pull her into a deep sleep.
~~~
With his coat hanging on the back of his chair, Vincent toyed with his cigar between his fingers, slowly bringing it to his lips before taking a drag and letting the smoke dissipate into the air.
He rarely smoked, but tonight he was pissed—so close to snapping the woman's neck in two. Gods, she got on his very thin nerves. He could not, for the life of him, understand why he still kept her around. He could easily kill her and no one would bat an eye, but for whatever reason, the idea didn't excite him.
He placed the cigar on the tray; the smoke was beginning to irritate him.
Just then, the door to his study creaked open, and Gabriel stepped in wearing a white shirt and brown trousers. He appeared to have just woken from sleep. He moved further into the room, his heavy footsteps the only sound echoing in the silence.
He dragged a chair and sat in front of the Viscount's desk, arms crossed over his chest. "You don't look pleased. I assume the smart mouth is the cause of that," he said with a small smirk.
"What have you found about her?" Vincent asked instead.
"Nothing. I had two of my best men on it, and they haven't found anything substantial. It's as if she fell from the heavens…" He frowned. "Or rather, crept up from hell."
Vincent stared out the window for a moment. "She is very good at hiding. I'll give her that." He kicked his legs off the table. "But she can only pretend and hide for so long. It's only a matter of time before she slips."
"And what if she doesn't? I mean, she has been very thorough with her plans so far, careful, I must add."
He dragged his gaze to Gabe. "She will make a mistake," Vincent said with confidence.
"So what are we going to do before then?"
"Nothing new. We shall continue to live as we have. I don't see her as a threat, so I have little concern for her. As much as I don't like her, she does know how to be entertaining—and I plan on being entertained until her time is up." He rose from the chair, grabbing his coat. "I think you could do the same."
Gabriel scoffed. "If we spend too long together, one of us will end up with a knife to the heart—and it surely won't be me."
Vincent chuckled lightly. "You are too kind for that."
Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm going back to bed. I need to be up early tomorrow. Polly needs a warm-up; it's been a while." He stretched his arms as he rose.
"I could never understand why you chose the name Polly for such a wicked mare."
"Wicked? Polly is anything but wicked. She is a sweet horse—although the same can't be said for Reinford. That black devil is surely the reincarnation of a tyrant."
Vincent laughed. "Well… I won't argue about that. I prefer my things fierce and untouchable. She's perfect for me," he said proudly.
"She sure is. Good night."
Gabriel reached for the door before Vincent, throwing him a mocking smile before stepping out of the room. With a smile still on his lips, Vincent shook his head as he walked over and closed the door behind him.
~~~
Annette woke up earlier than usual, freshened up, and wore a yellow dress. Not her best choice, but she needed to appear soft—and what better color for that than yellow? She would have worn a pink dress, but there was none in the wardrobe.
Parting her hair into two braids, she made her way outside to watch the sunrise, as it was too early for breakfast. Settling on a lone bench in the garden, she faced the horizon, watching the magic unfold. She used to climb the roof of her uncle's house when she was younger just to watch the sunrise.
She missed those moments when she was truly carefree and happy. Now, she could barely recognize herself. She was filled with so much hatred, thirst for revenge, and rage. It consumed her whole being, yet somehow, beneath it all, there was an emptiness that threatened to drive her insane.
Annette knew she was self-destructing. The only thing keeping her going was her hunger for revenge, and when it was fulfilled, she would end it all. She was too broken and torn apart to dare hope for anything more.
This was all the world could offer, and she was content with it—that was a lie. Deep down, she wanted more. A life of freedom, and dare she say, happiness—but it was foolish of her to dream of something she could never have. People like her didn't get happy endings, and that was just how it was.
Letting out a shaky sigh, she blinked away the tears that welled up in her eyes, pushing it all to the back of her mind. This was not the time for weakness.
Instead, she took calming breaths and stared ahead. Thankfully, she hadn't missed the sunrise. As the sun came fully into view, Annette smiled. It was still as beautiful as she remembered.
She allowed her eyes to wander around, admiring the flowers in the garden, when she caught sight of something—or rather, someone dressed entirely in black.
Annette squinted to get a better look, but it was only when the person drew closer that she recognized him. It was that blue-eyed fool. She almost scoffed out loud but restrained herself.
She silently reminded herself of her plan, no rude remarks, no witty comebacks. If she managed to gain the man's trust, she could definitely get to the Viscount.
She stretched a sweet smile across her face and rose to her feet. "Good morning, Gabriel."
Gabriel halted and looked around, confusion etched on his face. "Are you speaking to me?"
Do you see any other fuckhead around? Annette bit her tongue.