In the early morning, the butler, Thomas, knocked on the master bedroom door but received no response. He was aware that Mr. Barrett had left for some business the previous night.
“Madam, are you awake?” Thomas inquired again.
He pushed his gold-rimmed eyeglasses up the bridge of his nose, appreciating how they made him look quite distinguished. Opening his handheld smart notebook, it displayed the daily timeline of when Maggie typically woke up, ranging from 7:30 am to 8:00 am. However, the current time was 8:15 am!
This was beyond the normal schedule for the mistress!
A sense of unease began creeping up Thomas’s elderly heart, and he quickly summoned Elizabeth. “We must ensure the mistress’s safety. Go fetch the spare key!”
“I’m on it!” Elizabeth replied anxiously and hurried downstairs.
The room next door suddenly opened, and Alisa poked her head out. “What’s all the commotion so early in the morning?”
Elizabeth turned around, ignoring the presence of Marvin right behind her. Fortunately, Marvin politely held her arm, preventing her from falling. “Are you okay?” he asked.
The softness of his voice caused Elizabeth to blush, and she shook her head repeatedly. “I’m fine.”
Alisa chimed in, “Another person treating me differently, or should I say, another wolf.”
Elizabeth’s ears twitched, but she paid no attention to Alisa. She pointed to the scarf on Elizabeth’s head and asked, “What’s going on?”
“The mistress hasn’t woken up yet, and we’re concerned.”
Alisa reassured, “Don’t worry. Maggie is in the guest bedroom next door.”
Hearing Alisa’s words, Thomas slowly opened the door to the guest room, went in to check, and then emerged with a relieved expression on his face. “The mistress is still resting. Please have breakfast in the dining room.”
Alisa playfully bumped into Marvin and headed downstairs. “I’m really looking forward to breakfast!”
Marvin gazed blankly at Alisa’s retreating figure, then followed her upstairs.
In the dining room, Alisa and Marvin sat on opposite sides of the long table, observing the servants as they brought in breakfast. Alisa was delighted. “This looks amazing! Thank you for your hospitality!”
Thomas smiled in response, “As long as you’re satisfied.”
Marvin put down his cutlery after slicing his bread and sneered at Alisa. “You really are noisy. You and a lady couldn’t be further apart.”
“I’m not a lady, and you’re just a fake gentleman.”
“I can’t be bothered to argue with you. You’ve shown me the depths of human depravity.”
Aldrich’s disdain was one thing, but what was the matter with this Marvin, whom she’d only met once before? Alisa was fuming.
“On our first meeting, you spat words of malice and almost came to blows with a lady, and now you’re pretending to be so different.”
Marvin had nothing to say. He had indeed provoked her the night before due to her admiration for Aldrich. However, what about this morning? He couldn’t find an answer.
“You despise me because I’m not genuine like you!”
He wanted to be Aldrich, she wanted to replace Maggie. The difference was that he was too ashamed to have his inadequacy pointed out. He didn’t want to expose the reality that he was inferior to Aldrich. But she readily accepted Aldrich’s disdain and was prepared to give up some things to do so.
He had no right to look down on her!
“Choosing to sit at the same dining table as you this morning was the worst decision I’ve made!”
Alisa grabbed a piece of bread from the table, shoved it into her mouth haphazardly, and downed her glass of milk in one gulp, leaving Marvin bewildered.
She even stuck her tongue out at Marvin without a trace of girlish decorum before storming out of the dining room. The servants outside heard them leaving, and soon after, Alisa left to go to work at the hospital, driving off in her car.
It wasn’t until half an hour later that Maggie came downstairs. She had a simple breakfast while casting a glance at Marvin, who sat at a not-too-close distance. “Were you waiting for me?”
Marvin nodded, “There isn’t anyone else here who needs me to wait for them.”
“I’m sorry.” Maggie slowly set down her cutlery.
“You don’t have to accommodate me. In fact, you seem to be thoroughly enjoying your breakfast.”
Thomas and Elizabeth, who were standing nearby, sensed that the two masters needed to have a private conversation. They nodded politely and left the room.
Maggie brought up Alisa, “It seems there was some unpleasantness between you and Alisa.”
“It’s difficult to explain. It’s like how people just can’t get along sometimes. We might be enemies.”
“She’s actually very caring and gentle.”
Marvin raised an eyebrow, “I see none of those qualities in her.”
“Well, anyway, I hope you can get along.”
“That might be difficult. I don’t even want to discuss her anymore.”
“What about Grace?”
Maggie finished her meal and sat down beside Marvin. “You’re here, but where is she?”
Marvin’s expression became gloomy. “I don’t know.”
“I, Aldrich, and even Thomas, who has a rough idea of the situation, firmly believe that when Grace returns, you will find happiness.”
“I desperately wish to live in the world you describe.”
Maggie sighed and patted Marvin’s shoulder. “But you haven’t given up, have you?”
“Do you think I shouldn’t give up?”
“I just feel that if you give up too, the Grace who sacrificed everything and betrayed Selene for you will be very pitiable.”
“She thinks I’m not good enough, that I need to become stronger and more renowned.”
“She’s given you a goal to strive for, and believe me, she loves you.”
“Thank you, Maggie.”
Marvin looked at Maggie with excitement. “I always feel like Grace and I are not clear enough. All of this is because I’m not strong enough, not firm enough. If I were like Aldrich, maybe Selene would guide Grace to me!”
Maggie encouraged him, “It seems the fated mate bond between Aldrich and Grace has disappeared. Look at it this way; most of the obstacles between you two have been removed.”
“Maybe. But I suspect Selene is farsighted. She can’t see our feelings for each other from a distance!”
Maggie felt uneasy. Given the current situation, Selene’s decision to bind Aldrich and Grace together appeared to have been a mistake.
“She might have made the wrong choice in the past. But why hasn’t Selene realized our feelings for each other now? Why hasn’t she designated us as fated mates?”
Marvin looked at Maggie in accusation, and Maggie turned her face away for a long while before saying, “Perhaps it’s because neither of you is good enough. Marvin, you need to grow and become a leader capable of standing on your own. As for Grace, she has her own convictions. As long as you both firmly choose each other, Selene will definitely sense it.”
“No, I won’t believe in Selene anymore. I only believe in myself,” Marvin declared.
Maggie clenched her fingertips. She couldn’t help but wonder if Selene hadn’t disappeared and the Moon Goddess Temple was functioning normally, would it have prevented tragic love stories like that of Marvin and Grace?
She saw the major crises, rebellions, natural disasters, but she had overlooked the smaller influences that brought torment and suffering, which were not less than the physical hardships. As Selene’s daughter, the sense of duty made Maggie feel deeply guilty.
She couldn’t help but look up at the sky. It was clear and blue. How much longer could this sky last?
“What are you looking at?” Marvin interrupted her.
“The sky, the moon… and Aldrich.”
“It’s nice that someone cares,” Marvin stood up. “I need to go through some documents and prepare for my return to The Blue Moon Pack’s seat of power.”
At the door, Thomas respectfully escorted Marvin, and Maggie relaxed her body, resting her head against the sofa. Elizabeth, who was nearby, asked, “Maggie, would you like to visit Mrs. Jenkins again?”
Maggie shook her head. She still remembered Ethan’s malicious threat when he left the Moonlit Forest. Even though she had bodyguards with her, she didn’t want to take any risks while Aldrich was away.
She told Elizabeth, “I miss Aldrich.”
“Aldrich will be back after work,” Elizabeth said with a smile.
“I hope so.”
However, Aldrich had not returned until late at night.
Maggie prepared three Energy Beads and found Marvin, waking him up. “Marvin, I think something might have happened to Aldrich.”