Ivy’s eyes widened as Emelia’s concise whisper sent shockwaves to her core. Her heart was slowly racing in her chest, bringing her back to the same dreadful feeling she felt a few days ago.
“Who among them did it? Tell me…” she asked in a whisper, her inquiring gaze fixed on Emelia.
Emelia’s face scrunched up in discomfort, hesitant to answer. She slowly shook her head, her eyes scanning the whole place while her chest heaved. “I can’t say who… but don’t eat anything from the kitchen.”
Ivy couldn’t understand why Emelia was making the subject more sensitive than it should be. Why couldn’t she just point out the person? Or perhaps she was being threatened? Because Ivy couldn’t find a better reason why she looked so afraid. She was practically trembling!
“Emelia, who is it? Let me know so I can-”
“No, don’t…” Emelia hushed, waving her hand frantically. “Don’t retaliate now. It will only worsen the situation.”
Ivy’s brow furrowed, realizing Emelia might know more about the situation than was apparent… And she, on the other hand, would like insight into what’s going on. But Emelia wasn’t willing to tell the details.
Fear began creeping into Ivy like slow-moving chills, its icy tendrils wrapping around her heart. As of now, this safe haven, as Zack called it, wasn’t as safe as it seemed.
“I just escaped demise for the second time,” she muttered under her breath, her gaze lingering on the floor as the intensity of the situation dawned on her.
The terrifying realization that she had narrowly escaped a deadly poison tugged at her heart deeply. She exhaled to calm her nerves and lifted her face off the ground. But Emelia was nowhere to be found.
More like she escaped the next couple of questions Ivy was about to ask.
Ivy quickly hastened to inform Zack; the issue was getting out of hand and increasingly mysterious with each passing day.
When she returned to the living room, there was no sight of Zack. As she attempted to climb the stairs to check their room, she saw him coming downstairs in a rush. He was already decked in his suit, probably leaving for work.
But didn’t he say he wouldn’t be leaving early today?
“Zack, we need to talk now; it’s important,” Ivy said with urgency, her expression serious.
Zack continued walking to the entrance, fastening the cuff of his sleeve. “Ivy, I’m sorry, I need to go now,” he said apologetically. “Something urgent came up at the office…”
Ivy’s mouth quivered to speak, but Zack kissed her forehead and hurried out the exit, leaving her standing alone, surrounded by the eerie silence of the villa. The warmth of his kiss lingered on her skin, but his abrupt departure left a chill in its wake.
Ivy’s eyes narrowed, her mind racing with questions. What could be so urgent that Zack had to leave without explanation? What must have happened at the office? Her mind was clouded with many questions, with worry enveloping her in a tight grip, making it hard to breathe; her thoughts swirled in a jumble of fear, each tangling with the next like a knot tightening around her heart. Who was behind the poisoning? And why was Emelia so afraid to speak? Is there a mole in disguise?
As she stood there, trying to shake off the feeling of unease, a voice jolted her from her thoughts.
“Ma’am, breakfast is ready…”
Ivy’s gaze drifted to the maid who was standing before her with an unreadable expression.
The warning from Emelia reverberated in her mind. She forced a smile and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Oh… okay…”
The maid gave a slight bow and left her alone, drowning in dread. She glanced at the set table, and an idea popped into her head. “Hey, come back here.”
The maid turned around and walked up to her, avoiding eye contact. “Yes, ma’am.”
Ivy suddenly had nothing to say as she reflected on what she planned on doing and whether it was the best course of action. Emelia told her not to retaliate, that it would only worsen the situation.
But her determination to uncover the truth grew stronger. She took a deep breath, her gaze piercing into the girl in front of her. “Who prepared this meal?”
“Stella, ma’am,” the maid replied.
Ivy hesitated, torn between taking a cautious approach by asking the cook to take a bite first or going ahead and tasting the food herself.
The latter was quite risky; so was the first. There was a possibility the cook might be unaware, and if she tasted the food, she might end up as the victim in all of this.
The situation was becoming frightening by the second.
She decided not to eat at all; abstaining from food for a day was better than dying in the so-called safe haven.
“Should I call her, ma’am?” The maid’s question broke through her thoughts. She was just too anxious to focus at the moment. “No, don’t call her,” she replied and strode to her room, shutting the door behind her.
Her heart raced as she picked up her phone from the bedside table to call Zack. As the call went through, she heard a ringing tone playing nearby. She dialed the number again to try to locate the source of the sound. It seemed to be coming from the bathroom.
Did Zack forget his phone? she wondered. Such bad timing!
She exhaled in frustration and entered the bathroom. There on the sink was Zack’s phone.
“How am I meant to tell him now…” she murmured, leaning on the wall, her head thudding with a raging headache.
“Who the hell is trying to kill me? Could it be Irene? Will she stoop to the level of a criminal just because of a grudge?” She ran her fingers through her hair, her body sliding down the wall.
“Could it be Jake Black trying to get revenge on me? Or perhaps both of them are working hand in hand?” Her mind roamed with wild guesses, but the truth was there were only suspects, not proven to be the culprit. If both were really behind all of this, that meant she never knew the extent of what they could do. She had underestimated them, and it was telling on her as of now.
She massaged her temples, her hand grazing her face, trying to figure out how to get out of the situation before it escalated to the next level-one that might be inevitable if something wasn’t done quickly.
“I’m going with my plan; I can’t continue like this. I don’t mind the risk. I’ve had enough,” she muttered, with her eyes shut, her head resting against the wall.
Just then, she heard an indistinct sound coming from the room; her heart skipped a beat as she jumped to her feet. “Who’s there?”
Her voice bounced off the walls with no response or sound whatsoever.
She cautiously walked toward the door, her heart rate increasing by the second, pounding relentlessly.
She slowly opened the door and took a peek, her eyes wandering around her bed, but there was no sign of anyone. She fully opened the door, and that’s when she saw the horror staring back at her right in the face.