Chapter 448: Chapter 448

Another week had passed since the news had plunged the island. It was always one thing or another, but always relating to the main powerful family, the Thornston family!

"Are you for real?" one maid asked, pretending to wipe down a large surface window,

"Shhh! Do you want to be the next?"

At these words, the first maid stopped her actions, then gingerly looked over her shoulder to check if there were any others around. Seeing that they were alone, she breathed a sigh of relief and then shut up.

It only took another few minutes before she remembered another thing but as she opened her mouth, she caught something from the corner of her eyes and then clamped up. It was none other than Suzie.

The grand estate bustled with movement like any other day. Workers moved swiftly, never standing in one area for long. No one slacked in their tasks at all and from all this organized chaos, none touched her. With a sharp eye and a mind sharper still, Suzie ensured that every corner gleamed, every worker moved with purpose, and every meal was prepared with precision.

The workers did not want to fall into Suzie’s wrath and that was why she held back whatever she was about to say. The sweet maid they had known was no more ... or at least, not entirely.

Gone was the jovial girl who once bounced with infectious laughter, talks and silly smiles. In her place stood a woman of quiet steel, her newfound domineering nature both astonishing and, given their circumstances, entirely acceptable.

Her pigtails were still there, though bouncing from time to time and this was the last sting that they had to the old Suzie.

Orders left Suzie’s lips with unwavering authority, and to their own surprise, the staff obeyed without question. There was no time for hesitation, not now. The estate needed someone to take charge, and she had stepped into the role without looking back.

They all missed their mistress, Shelby, but at the same time, they commended the fact that Suzie had taken over, making sure that the presence of the mistress was not felt, at least in the inner workings of the estate.

The weight of the transformation was the marvelous part in all this. But Suzie never let anything show. She always kept it hidden it. She kept all those sentiments to herself. There were, however, those rare unguarded moments, where one might wonder had she changed, or had this strength always been waiting to rise?

Either way Suzie had become that stone barrier between them and that woman whose name they dared not mention!

With her in the estate, everything changed. The workers had known that there will be changes and some power play with the mother of the three kids showing up from the dead, but nothing had prepared them for that bleak outlook they were experiencing.

There were no more family dinners. In fact, apart from a few select people, no one had access to the kids. They had stopped schooling. Many of the workers had not seen them for a long while since Shelby had gone missing and Ian had been hospitalized.

What was even more surprising was that the supposed mother, who had moved to the estate because of her kids, could care less even if they died. This further reinforced their knowledge and their faith in the fact that all allegations leveled against Shelby.

The shocking part for them was that even Geneva had remained quiet on this. It was the most unusual, but no one dared speculate or try to overthink. Because one thing for sure was that, many of them had gone missing out of the bloom.... Especially the males, even though they had been sent for field work.

On the other side, no more family meals meant that different meals were prepared and served to the various wings of the estate separately, had meals together, which meant more work for them, but none dared complain.

Despite the underlying tension seeping into the walls.... whispers of more change, of power shifting finally in that woman’s hands ..... Suzie remained a pillar of unwavering efficiency. The master was away, and though another woman lurked in the shadows, and in plain sight, eager to claim authority, Suzie did not falter.

"Fresh linens in the guest rooms before sundown. And you ... watch your posture when you walk .... Nothing should change! Keep up!" Suzie directed without pause, her tone clipped but never cruel.

A lesser woman might have cracked under the weight of uncertainty, but Suzie knew one thing: as long as she stood, the estate would not crumble. Not under her watch.

’I have to keep this up for the miss,’

Hurried footsteps approached, making Suzie pause,

"Miss Suzie, that woman wants to see you....."

Suzie nodded crisply, not pausing in her tasks at all. She took her glory time to complete all. It had become a habit for all of them, starting from the children. Aliya’s name was never mentioned.

After a while, Suzie finally left and headed for the dining room, where she knew that she would find Aliya.

No one ate at the family dining table anymore, no one but Aliya. The once-lively space, filled with laughter and conversation, had turned into a hollow echo of its past. The long, polished table stood like an altar of abandonment, its grand chairs empty, their rightful occupants scattered like leaves in the wind.

Except for that woman.

She alone dined there, relishing every bite as if the lavish spread had been prepared solely for her. The clink of silverware against fine porcelain was the only sound in the vast, silent room. The air was thick with the scent of roasted meats and spiced wines, but there was no warmth to it .... only a desire to possess. Suzie arrived right then.

Aliya’s lips curled around her next bite as she lifted her eyes. She chewed slowly, deliberately, savoring both the food and the quiet disruption. A whole table of meals, and yet now ... finally ... someone had come to witness her feast.

She liked the power she had but Aliya could not help but feel like something was missing. She did not have to eat, but she only did it for the sheer nuance of it.

She swallowed, dabbing her lips with a clean napkin.

"You’re just in time," she murmured, the glint in her eyes betraying something far less hospitable than the words suggested.

Suzie’s heart pounded so loudly she thought Aliya might hear it. If Suzie had her way, she would never be in the same room as this disgusting witch, but they had to try to keep up some appearances in any way.

The room felt suffocating and Suzie fought the urge to step back, to run.... anything to put distance between herself and the thing in human form before her.

Suzie’s fingers curled into tight fists at her sides, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop them from trembling. Her knees felt weak; her breath shallow. Her skin, drained of color, betrayed the fear she desperately tried to suppress.

Aliya was asking for something, Suzie was not listening. She could not help but remember the pictures that Currey had shown them, whenever she saw this seeming beautiful being.

Still, Suzie forced herself to meet Aliya’s eyes, lifting her chin in defiance.

"I know what you are!" she spat, though the slight quiver in her voice nearly shattered her resolve.

Suzie had tolerated Aliya for weeks. Within which time, they could not find her mistress, but it was unclear why she had chosen this time to say these words to Aliya.

Aliya’s figure before her didn’t move for a moment. Then, slowly, she tilted her head, eyes gleaming with something unreadable ...amusement? Curiosity? Hunger?

"Oh really?" Her voice was smooth, almost lazy, but Suzie could swear the air around her thickened, pressing down on her like unseen hands.

"So, you do.... Hehehehe....And how do you plan to stop me?"

Suzie held Aliya’s gaze. Her stomach twisted painfully as she mentally chastised herself for speaking such nonsense. She didn’t have a plan. She wasn’t supposed to do anything but keep the façade as Currey worked in the background, so why did she say such useless words at that time?

Suzie didn’t even know how she was still standing. But the words left her lips before she could think.

"I don’t know," Suzie admitted, her nails digging into her palms as if the pain could anchor her. "But I won’t let you get away! I wil- I-"

’You sound like a child, Suzie.... Shut up! Why can’t you understand that this is not the time!’ Suzie closed her eyes and chastised herself.

A moment of silence stretched between them. Then, to her horror, Aliya laughed. The sound slithered over her skin like cold fingers.

"I never thought I’d say this one day," she mused, getting up from her seat and taking a slow step forward, her eyes drinking in Suzie’s trembling frame. "But I kinda like you."

Suzie’s stomach dropped. She had never been more terrified in her life.

But Aliya’s words were very true. The only person who had stood up to her had been this brave but silly maid. All of the others were useless fools and Aliya kind of liked that testing of boundaries once in a while.

In fact, she silently commended this foolish maid for holding the fort. Aliya was just not ready yet because she knew that her plan had worked and it was only a matter of time before she became the full owner of everything. In fact, she had wanted to get rid of any loyalists of that Shelby woman, but this foolish maid appeared to be worth the keep.

Aliya run a finger down Suzie’s cheeks but Suzie stood her ground,

"The fact that I like you does not mean that there will be no punishment. Since I like you, the punishment will go to someone else..."

Aliya turned to look at the only maid left in the room with them.

The maid scrambled forward and what ensued nearly let Suzie faint. Aliya sucked the life out of the maid right in front of Suzie, saying,

"You people are so foolish... the fact that I like the essence of men, does not mean that I don’t like women. Meat eaters also eat salads once in a while... even if we don’t like the taste much!!"

Aliya tossed the shrivelled lifeless body of the maid and Suzie stumbled back.

Thank you so much to all for your votes and comments! I hope we can keep it up ^_^

Support the author by reading only on NovelHub :) ~Uploaded only on NovelHub by Loctovia ~