Shay lunged straight back into Lara's arms, clinging to her with desperate strength, her small limbs wrapping around her like an octopus. She buried her face into Lara's chest, sobbing uncontrollably, her tiny body trembling as if she had just escaped something terrifying.
"Who the hell are you?!" Moira's voice cracked through the room, sharp and furious, though there was something unstable beneath it now.
"Shay is my daughter! How dare you trick her into calling you Mommy?!"
Lara didn't answer.
She simply held Shay closer, one hand cradling the back of her head, shielding her from the storm.
A soft, amused chuckle broke the tension.
"Well, my darling Moira," Beatrice's voice dripped with sarcasm as she elegantly crossed her legs, watching the scene unfold like theater, "she is Shay's governess, Larissa Reyes."
Moira let out a short, mocking laugh, her lips curling.
"A governess?" she repeated, eyes flicking over Lara with open disdain. "You mean—a maid?"
