The air in the foyer curdled.
The warmth that had filled the dining room only moments ago evaporated as Emii descended the stairs for the second time. But this was not the girl who had glided down in silk and smiles. This was a storm wrapped in a shroud of arrogance. Her chin was tilted at an impossible angle, her eyes sharpened into flint, and her voice carried the jagged edge of a shattered glass.
"Brother," she said, her tone dripping with icy disdain as her gaze raked over Dravin. "What is he doing in my house?"
Krish blinked, the shock visible in the slackness of his jaw. "Sister, what are you saying? You practically begged him to come and sample your cooking."
"I—what?" She recoiled as if slapped, her arms folding tightly across her chest. "I would never do something so beneath my station! Stop making excuses for your friends, Krish. And you—" She turned to Dravin, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "You would do well to keep your distance. I am fully aware of your petty, social-climbing schemes."
Dravin's jaw tightened. He remained silent, but the air around him seemed to chill. It wasn't just anger in his eyes; it was profound bewilderment.
Without waiting for a rebuttal, Emii spun on her heel. The rhythmic, furious click-clack of her stilettos against the marble sounded like a firing squad. She marched toward the massive front doors.
"Emii!" Krish called out, his voice vibrating with a mix of authority and desperation. "Where are you going at this hour?"
She froze, pivoting back with an expression of pure, unadulterated indignation. "Just because I call you brother does not give you a lease on my life. I've told you a thousand times—stay out of my business with Ren!"
Krish turned ashen. "Ren? That leech is still in the picture?"
"Yes, Ren!" she hissed, her voice rising to a fever pitch. "Do you think blocking his number or cursing his name will change anything? He is waiting for me, and I won't waste another second in this stifling mausoleum!"
The heavy door slammed behind her, the sound echoing through the mansion like a gunshot.
Silence settled over the room, thick and suffocating. Krish rubbed his temples, his hands trembling slightly. "Dravin… she's fractured. She was talking about me deleting numbers, blocking people… I haven't even touched her phone. None of this makes sense."
Dravin nodded grimly, his analytical mind already spinning. "It's more than just a mood swing, Krish. She had no memory of the dinner. It's as if she's suffering from a fugue state—or total amnesia of the last three hours."
Krish looked toward the door, a new, cold resolve entering his eyes. "I'm installing CCTV. Every room, every corridor. I need to know exactly what is living in this house with us."