“Is it as I requested, Willow?”
Willow froze at Mireya’s cold question. She felt the air around her thin, making it hard to breathe. “Yes, Mireya,” she answered, swallowing hard. She gathered the courage to answer when Mireya fixed her with a sharp look. “As you requested. You wanted the dosage increased and that’s what you got.”
Mireya narrowed her eyes and began to move slowly. She closed the distance between them with an unblinking, piercing stare. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“Of course not.” Willow tried to remain calm, glancing at Mireya’s right hand as it lifted, revealing a bottle in its grip. “I’m not lying to you. You’ll see the results soon.”
“Good. It seems you still have a functioning brain, Willow,” Mireya said with a cold smile. “I’m sure you remember very well the consequences you’ll face if you disobey my orders.”
Willow blinked, her lips quivering. “Mireya.”
“Torin will not hesitate to kill your precious daughter, Willow. So don’t ever think about disobeying me.”
This time, Willow was truly frozen, her face instantly pale. She was like a lifeless corpse, paralyzed by Mireya’s deadly threat. She stood there, trembling with fear, unable to utter a word even as Mireya walked away. In the end, all she could do was close her eyes as her body slumped to the cold floor, utterly powerless.
On the other hand, Mireya hadn’t really imagined the death of Willow’s daughter when she made her threat. Instead, what kept replaying in her mind was her own death. She knew that Torin could easily end her life if this plan failed again.
Mireya didn’t have much time. She had to finish everything before it was too late. She took a deep breath, then tightened her grip on the steering wheel and pressed harder on the gas pedal. The car sped through the dark night, speeding up.
Arriving at Frostholm Palace just in time, Mireya decided not to rest at all. She ignored the fatigue of driving for more than seven hours. She hurriedly began to prepare Usher’s breakfast herself. And when Usher arrived, she greeted him with a sweet, friendly smile.
“Good morning, Usher. How are you today?”
Mireya’s warm greeting was met with a cold response from Usher. Not only did Usher ignore her greeting, he acted as if she wasn’t even there. He treated her as if she were invisible.
Usher sat down at the dining table, ready to enjoy his breakfast, and Mireya quickly stepped in to help him without a second thought.
Mireya calmly served Usher’s breakfast onto his plate. She seemed unperturbed even though Usher was openly showing his displeasure. Her demeanor was completely controlled, filled with calmness.
“You’ll probably be very busy today,” Mireya said, glancing at the suit Usher was wearing. The suit was slightly oversized, considering he had lost a lot of weight, but his stature was as imposing as ever. “So, I hope you enjoy your breakfast, Usher. And please don’t push yourself too hard. Be sure to rest if you feel tired.”
Usher remained silent, ignoring Mireya’s words as he focused on the cup of tea in front of him. His hand was outstretched, his fingers wrapped around the cup.
Mireya held her breath, her eyes unblinking. In her heart she whispered. Yes, Usher. Drink this tea until it’s gone. Let everything return to the way it was.
The few seconds of waiting were tense. Mireya tried to stay calm as her heart began to race as the cup moved closer to Usher’s lips.
Usher’s mouth opened. He took a sip of the tea and Mireya’s smile widened.
But, Mireya’s smile disappeared a second later. Just as Usher suddenly stood up and grabbed her by the neck.
Mireya was still trying to process what had just happened when Usher kissed her. He pressed his lips hard against hers. Then she felt it, the liquid being forced into her mouth-the tea.
Mireya’s eyes widened in shock. She struggled, her hands instinctively pressing against Usher’s chest, but it was in vain. Usher held her tight, leaving her powerless. In the end, all she could do was close her eyes as the tea slid down her throat. Then, just as quickly, Usher pushed her away.
Mireya gasped for air, her hand clutching her chest as her face reflected a whirlwind of emotions. “U-Usher. W-what are you doing?”
“What am I doing?” Usher repeated, his voice full of menace. He grabbed the teapot and moved closer to Mireya. “What do you think I’m doing?”
“U-Usher.” Mireya backed away, her steps shaking, her face pale. “I-I don’t know, Usher. Why are you being so hard on me? You’ve never acted like this before.”
Usher smiled, but it wasn’t a comforting smile. Instead, it sent a shiver down Mireya’s spine. She could sense something lurking behind Usher’s cold gaze, something she had never seen in him before.
“Something’s different, isn’t it?” Usher asked as he took another step closer, leaving Mireya with no choice but to keep backing away. “Not like before, when I was still under the spell of your tea.”
Mireya froze. Usher’s words hit her like an arrow, making her heart skip a beat. “U-Usher.”
“You’re not trying to defend yourself, are you, Mireya? Because if you are, then you shouldn’t mind finishing this tea, should you?”
Mireya’s face was no longer just pale-it was as if the life had drained out of it when she saw Usher raise the teapot. She shook her head and tried to refuse. “No, Usher. You-”
Her words were cut off as Usher’s left hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat. His fingers tightened around her throat with such force that she couldn’t breathe.
“U-Usher.” Mireya’s hands went up, trying to break his grip, but she couldn’t. “I-I can’t breathe. Please, let me go.”
But Usher was unmoved by Mireya’s pleas. He showed no mercy as she began to show her desperation.
Tears began to well up in Mireya’s eyes. She began to cry, overwhelmed by her helplessness.
“It is useless, Mireya. Your tears won’t fool me.”
Mireya didn’t give up. She continued to show her helplessness, acting like a weak woman who was truly powerless. But it wasn’t enough to fool Usher. On the contrary, her actions only fueled his anger. His grip on her throat tightened even more, and Usher poured the tea directly from the teapot into her open mouth.
When the teapot was empty, Usher threw it to the floor with a vengeance. The teapot shattered and the floor cracked. Then he pushed Mireya aside.
“Garth!”
Garth replied immediately, fully alert. “Yes, Alpha. What can I do for you?”
“Take her away,” Usher ordered, pointing at Mireya. His gaze was piercing as he looked at her. “Take her to the underground prison.”
Garth nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”
Mireya shook her head and slapped Garth’s hand away when he reached for her. “No, Usher. You can’t do this to me,” she said, shaking her head repeatedly. “I haven’t done anything wrong. I didn’t do what you’re accusing me of.”
“Do you still want to defend yourself, Mireya?” Usher scoffed meaningfully before turning to Garth. “Search her.”
Garth nodded and immediately carried out Usher’s orders. This time he made sure that Mireya wouldn’t be able to resist. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, and just then something fell out of Mireya’s pocket and rolled across the floor.
Usher turned his eyes. Garth quickly picked up the bottle while Mireya tried to snatch it back.
“Alpha.”
Mireya was too late. Garth had already handed Usher the bottle.
Usher looked at the bottle. There were remains of tea leaves inside. Then he spoke, “It seems you can no longer defend yourself, Mireya.”
Mireya was stunned, but she wasn’t ready to give up. “I swear, Usher. I meant you no harm. So please. Believe me. You can’t keep me in the underground prison.” She continued to plead. Without hesitation, she dropped to her knees at Usher’s feet. “You’ve always loved me, Usher. You’ve always loved me.”
Usher closed his eyes, his face hardening into a deep red of anger.
“We love each other, Usher,” Mireya whispered, her despair overwhelming her as tears streamed down her face. “You can’t be so cruel to me. Especially when you know that Phillip is still young, Usher. He needs me. No matter what, you can’t be heartless to your own child, Usher. Don’t separate me from Phillip.”
Usher’s eyes snapped open and he looked at Mireya with a piercing stare. “Are you sure Phillip is really my child?”
Mireya froze. Her breath caught in her chest and her tongue felt tied – she couldn’t utter a single word.
“It seems we both know the answer,” Usher murmured as he grabbed Mireya’s chin and squeezed it with suppressed anger. “Isn’t that right, Mireya?”
*