She raised both hands and stretched. It was just past seven in the morning, but Alibata had already greeted her with a foul mood. She winced and slowly removed the clothes the man had torn.
With no emotion, she threw the damaged clothes onto the bed and walked silently to the closet. Opening it, she saw several hanging clothes, styles and colors Aurora often wore. Simmy smirked.
Alibata was right when he said this used to be Aurora’s room. He hadn’t thrown away Aurora’s belongings except for her clothes and the mattress. Although the mattress now on the bed was different, both she and Alibata knew it was Aurora’s bed.
She occupied the room after Aurora died. There was no issue with Azora and Alibata then, but gradually, their treatment of her changed, and she hadn’t noticed the change until the night Alibata killed Narciso’s son.
The relationship between Azora and Alibata became strained, and their change in behavior towards her became clearer. She grew nervous.
She hadn’t expected it would come to the point where she and Azora became enemies. But she couldn’t help but feel pleased by Azora’s angry face. She enjoyed seeing her annoyed, as if it was a way to get back at Aurora. In her eyes, Azora resembled her mother.
There was a knock at the door, so she stood up straight. She quietly approached the door and opened it. A maid stood there, bowing slightly. “The table is set, Madam.”
“Where is Ali?”
“The Don has left, Madam.”
“Alright. I’ll come down later,” she said, gesturing for the maid to leave.
The maid nodded and smiled politely at her before turning and walking towards the stairs. Simmy sighed. She adjusted her clothes before leaving the room. A few maids greeted her as she descended the stairs.
She couldn’t help but smile. A wide grin spread across her lips because, at last, she had achieved becoming the lady of the mansion. The maids respected her as if she were Alibata’s wife. She was happy. Very happy.
But she was still not content. She needed to possess the man. Whatever it took.
Because Azora’s suspicion that she had fully claimed her father was not true. No matter how much she tried to seduce him, he never reciprocated. It was as if he had turned to stone since Aurora’s death. And that was one of the reasons she hated Azora and wanted her completely out of their lives.
A maid caught up with her as she headed to the kitchen. “Ma’am Simmy, this was sent to you,” she said.
She stopped and turned to see the maid holding a small box. It was wrapped, with a ribbon. Simmy raised an eyebrow because she wasn’t expecting a gift. She took it casually and continued to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, she opened the gift and was surprised to see a shiny necklace under the light. She blinked and her mouth dropped open.
She quickly hid the necklace back in the small box and searched for a note that came with it. It was tucked inside the box.
“The plan has been achieved.”
Simmy’s brows furrowed. She swiftly put the note back in the box and slipped it into her pocket before sitting down. The maids made no comment. She breathed a sigh of relief.
She had told Narciso not to send her any more expensive items because Alibata might catch them. Since she entered his study, he had been suspicious of her. If Narciso continued sending gifts, it was only a matter of time before they were caught. She didn’t want that to happen.
So, Simmy’s day was ruined not by Alibata tearing her clothes but by the gift Narciso sent as a bribe. She sneered.
He didn’t know she had her own motives for collaborating with the father and daughter. She had no intention of harming Alibata, so she would do everything to prevent him from confessing to the police.
Azora could take all the blame for her father’s sins. She was content seeing Alibata miserable while watching his daughter imprisoned. That was her revenge for all the emotional pain he caused her.
If only he had loved her, she wouldn’t have needed to make his daughter, Azora, suffer.
She was fine with having been the one to sabotage the car Aurora and Azora were in. Aurora was her only target. But when Azora rebelled, she couldn’t hold back anymore.
She wouldn’t allow that mother and daughter to conspire against her. Alibata was hers. Only hers!
She laughed. Ah, life was sweet when you knew your enemy’s weaknesses. Now, she just had to ensure Azora would end up in prison.
She felt the maids’ gaze, so she quickly erased the smile from her lips and glared at them. “What are you staring at? Is it wrong for me to laugh by myself?”
“Ah…”
She sneered. “I just remembered a telenovela I watched, and you immediately judged me,” she said.
The maids looked ashamed and quickly bowed to her. “Sorry, Madam.”
She gave them a sweet smile and began eating. She had Azora by the throat, and soon Alibata would surrender to her too.
She was happy. Very happy. She couldn’t ask for more in life when fate was on her side.
“Madam! Madam!” called a maid, running towards her. She stopped beside her, gasping for breath and holding her knees. She looked up at Simmy. “Look at this, Madam!” She handed her a cellphone.
Frowning, Simmy took it and saw a live video on social media. She saw Alibata at the precinct, surrounded by the press.
She blinked and her mouth dropped open at what she heard. He said Azora was mentally ill!