"I unexpect to come to this mansion again," Maya whispered to herself as she stepped out of the car. The mansion was luxurious and beautiful on the outside, but it concealed darkness within.
"What are you doing? Stelio has been waiting for you. Hurry inside!" Samuel ordered with a cold expression."It's still early, and the little one is still asleep," Maya hesitated.Samuel lacked patience and forcefully pulled Maya's hand. "Samuel, can't you be less rough?""Maya Lin, I can do more than this! Keep resisting, and you'll find out what I can do.""Cruel man! Are you like this with Mathilda too? No wonder she's dead—""Should I kiss you to make you shut up? One word out of your mouth, and I will punish you.""Another threat," Maya could only complain silently as she followed him inside.The servants lined up to welcome them, their sleepy faces apparent. "Welcome, Young Master and Young Mistress.""You can return to your rooms and give my wife a formal greeting tomorrow morning.""Certainly, Young Master," the servants expressed satisfaction."Where's Stelio? Is he still in his room?""Young Master, there's an issue with the Little Master," the Head Servant said."What happened to him?" Samuel asked with a worried expression.***Samuel went straight to the second floor to his son's room. The nanny had just left and greeted her master."What happened to my son? I heard he caused a commotion," Samuel asked straight to the point."It seems Little Master Stelio had a nightmare, and after that, he screamed, cried in fear, and refused the presence of the Mistress."Samuel sighed. "What kind of nightmare could he have had to react like this? How is he now?""Little Master Stelio is asleep, but he still appears anxious in his sleep," the Nanny replied."Alright, you may leave. I'll be the one to accompany my son tonight," Samuel said."Young Master, isn't it better if you—?" The nanny hesitated when she saw Samuel Ren's sharp gaze. "I apologize." The young woman quickly lowered her head and hurriedly left.Samuel opened the door as quietly as possible not to wake his beloved son. His gaze was fixed on the little boy sleeping under the dim table lamp.Samuel approached and climbed onto the bed. His eyes focused on the child, easily seeing the distress in his sleep. "What are you thinking to be like this? Didn't you want to meet your mother so badly?"Samuel gently stroked his son's forehead, and the furrows on the small forehead gradually relaxed. Samuel was so focused on his son that he didn't notice the door was slightly ajar. A brown-haired woman clenched her fists."He can be so gentle, but only for that child," Maya Lin thought. She turned and left the room without closing the door.Maya descended the stairs with many thoughts in her mind. Samuel's tender gaze towards the child reminded her of how he looked at the sibling who had betrayed her and Mathilda."Young Madam, you've finally returned!" Maya was startled by the sudden approach of a servant."You?" Maya furrowed her brow in confusion."I used to serve you." Maya looked at the woman who had faint wrinkles on her face."Oh." Maya replied briefly. She had no impression of the servants in this house, given what they had done to her."Can you show me the empty room prepared for me? I'd like to rest.""Please follow me!" The servant guided Maya Lin, and once again, she had to climb the stairs. Maya felt familiar with the path to where they were headed. There were only a few rooms on the third floor, and the master bedroom was the main one."There might be another room here as a result of renovations. There's no way Samuel would allow me into the main bedroom."Maya Lin still remembered clearly that she could only sleep in the guest room during their wedding."Young Madam, you will sleep in the main bedroom. We have already prepared clothes inside," the servant said, stopping at a door."Are you sure you're not mistaken? Do you want to get me into trouble by taking me to the main bedroom? Aren't you an old servant? Don't you know what would happen if I entered Samuel's room? I'm sure the old servants haven't forgotten the incident at my wedding with Samuel."" I'm just following the instructions of the Head Servant," the servant said, her voice trembling."There are many rooms in this mansion. Why don't you prepare another room for me?""We can't have the Young Madam sleep in a guest room.""A few years ago, I also slept in a guest room. I don't mind as long as it's comfortable and clean. Why don't you reopen the room I used before?""That room is locked, and only the Young Master has the key, and no one is allowed to enter.""What? Why did he lock it?" Maya Lin raised her voice."I-I don't know. The door has been locked since young madam left.""Samuel Ren, indeed. If he wanted to erase my presence, why did he bring me back?" Maya Lin said irritably. "Forget about that room. I don't mind another room, or just open one, I'll arrange it myself."The servant looked surprised. "I will ask the Head Servant and—""No need to beat around the bush. What's the difference if I meet him in person or he comes to me? I'll go down to ask for the key and open it myself. If you don't want to, I'll find it myself," Maya said firmly."Maya Lin, why are you causing a commotion as soon as you arrive?" Samuel Ren suddenly appeared."It's because you didn't give clear instructions to the servants, making them misunderstand. How could they ask me to sleep in this—""They're right; you will sleep in the main bedroom with me!""What?" Maya's eyes widened. "Do you know the implications of what you just said?""We're a married couple; it's not unusual to share a room. Haven't you always insisted on sharing a room with me, and—" Samuel hadn't finished his sentence when Maya cut him off."No need to continue. Besides, apart from that one night, you've always refused to share a room. Our relationship is still—""You go back to your place!" Samuel warned the servant. As the servant left, Samuel opened the bedroom door."If you want to discuss this, come inside!" Samuel ordered."No. If I come in, what's the point of this discussion?""Maya Lin, didn't you read our agreement properly? Do you want to expose it to everyone? Do you have the money to compensate for breaching the contract clause?""Now you mention it. You've already exposed it." A smirk appeared on the woman's lips."You're unbelievable!" Samuel immediately lifted the woman. His hands held her legs and shoulders. This sudden action surprised Maya."Hey, put me down! Do you think I'm something you can touch as you please?"Samuel thre
"It turns out this little boy is quite sensitive," Maya remarked. She was somewhat surprised that the young boy named Stelio would ask her this.Maya opened her mouth, but unfortunately, her lips seemed locked in expressing something she had buried deep inside. "Why can't I say that I hate him so much?" she whispered to herself.There was something weighing on her heart. She didn't know why she didn't want this child to be sad just because of harsh words that might hurt him."Didn't you hate me so much that you didn't want to see me at all? You didn't even open the door and let me stand there for so long."The door suddenly opened, and a young boy immediately hugged Maya Lin's legs. "Mom, I don't hate you. In fact, I really love you. Please don't hate me!"Stelio looked at Maya with teary eyes. "I miss you so much, and I always want to be with you. Usually, I can only see your picture that Dad keeps, and now I can finally find you.""Son, don't you think it's possible that you might h
"This is just a photo, and you look this broken. The little boy in the picture won't care about you either, whereas Stelio cares so much about him. But you choose to break his heart by being cold and yelling at him," Samuel sneered."Is this a form of revenge? Samuel, the kid in this picture is also your son, why do you only care about one son? Furthermore, you promised me to accept my son and embrace him, but what are you doing now? You're breaking all your commitments because of that.""In that case, I'll do the same. I'll be kind to your son only for formality's sake, so we're even."Samuel sighed. "Is it so hard for you to accept Stelio? He's so cute, isn't he, and so much like you."""He has a face more reminiscent of Mathilda, and you both share the same blood with that boy, not me.No matter how sweet he is, he's still the son of the person who ruined my life. If your partner cheated on you and had a child with their affair, would you accept them?"Samuel clenched his fists, his
Maya utilized an opportunity to break free from Samuel's grasp and embraced the man who had just called her. "I'm delighted to see you again. You look even more handsome." Samuel and Stelio glared sharply at the unfamiliar man. Samuel couldn't contain himself and forcibly separated the two. "Wife, there are plenty of people here. Why would you hug a stranger? Do you dare to cheat in front of me?" "Brother-in-law, don't misunderstand. Maya and I are like siblings." "Siblings? Many affairs happen in relationships that claim to be like siblings," Samuel retorted sarcastically. "Samuel, do you think all men are like you, with impure thoughts?" Maya countered with a sly tone. "Uncle, are you Mama's brother?" Stelio approached. The man looked at the young child who was staring at him. "Maya, is this little boy who tops the search results? He really does resemble you. I didn't know you had a son." "No, he's not—" "Now you know that Maya has a husband and child. Even though you pursued
"Samuel, please don't cause trouble. Can't I even have some privacy? Allen just wanted to tell me, why are you embarrassing him?" Maya commented on Samuel's actions. "Allen, come and tell me what you want to say." "It's okay, Maya, this isn't really a secret. I want to help you get into the drama team I'll be starring in. I know it's not an S or S+ drama, but it's decent enough for—" "Maya doesn't need your help," Samuel cut off Allen. "I can get Maya projects in dramas and even films with renowned directors. My connections are far superior to yours." "Mr. Samuel Ren, you haven't changed at all," Maya stared at Samuel. "Is it because you're wealthy that you can be arrogant and look down on others?" "I'm just stating that I can do more to help you get good drama roles than he can." "Maya, what your brother-in-law said has some truth to it. I know your brother-in-law is more reliable," Allen said wearily. "Allen, don't feel down. I appreciate your offer. I know the dramas you can o
"You've already gotten what you wanted to tie me down. Now, I demand justice. If you don't do it, I will keep pushing until you get tired," Maya pressed the man's promise.Samuel displayed a bored expression. "I already said I would announce it at the company party, but I want one promise from you," Samuel said, staring directly at Maya."Are you asking me to do something else again? Samuel Ren, how many demands do you want me to fulfill, even beyond our contract?""Maya Lin, this is the most important thing, and if you don't agree, I'll never be able to fulfill your wishes."Maya felt annoyed. She had encountered annoying directors and arrogant co-stars before, but facing a self-centered boss like this man was even more troublesome. She wondered if she had been blind in the past to be infatuated with him, sacrificing so much."If only I hadn't been trapped in the past with this man, scandals and all these misfortunes wouldn't have happened. This man has only brought me bad luck," May
"Maya Lin, whether you believe it or not, I didn't do it," Samuel stated firmly. They were both in the master bedroom to discuss their personal issues. "If it wasn't you, then who would spread this from a few years ago? I remember, in the past, you were the one accusing me of cheating," Maya insisted with her accusation. Samuel read the posts on his phone and saw the photos taken a few years ago. Then he looked back at Maya. "Did you really cheat on me back then?" Maya, who was already angry, became even more furious, the sparks fueling the fire. "Samuel, would I have struggled and started my career from scratch if I were like that? You wouldn't believe my reasons either, would you?" "You didn't even want to acknowledge our child back then, thinking like that, right? You accused me of cheating and looked disgusted at our child who passed away then." Samuel didn't say a word. Maya couldn't take it anymore. "So, was it really you who spread it?" Maya's suspicions grew more asserti
"Maya Lin! You!" Samuel groaned softly at Maya Lin's rough actions. She had kicked his precious belongings. "Feel it. It's a fitting punishment for you so you don't degrade someone just to satisfy your material desires," Maya quickly fled the room. Samuel had no strength to chase after her. He just sat there, recovering himself. "Beware, I'll make you addicted and unable to walk for a week," Samuel vowed to retaliate. *** "I'm not a teenager anymore, but why is my heart pounding like this just because he wants to kiss and touch me?" Maya sighed, trying to control her racing heartbeat. As an actress in romantic dramas, she was used to kissing scenes and hugs, but why did it feel different now? "There's no way I still like him? I've long discarded those feelings." This life wasn't a drama she starred in; there was no guarantee she'd have a happy ending like the main character returning to her husband. "I'm sure our relationship will only hurt me. He just treats me as a substitute