Selene asked carefully. "Are they… are they alright?"
Bianca hummed. "Of course! Just a little… skittish. But still adorable. You should hurry, though. You know how fragile little things are."
The call ended.
Selene was already grabbing her coat, which was a difficult task because, while trying to spend as much as possible in as little time as possible, the wardrobe Selene had created had become way too shiny!
Most of the things were either too sparkly.
Or too formal.
Or way too stylish to be worn daily!
Selene borrowed Andre's coat and rushed out of her penthouse.
As her beautiful car pulled into the driveway of Sinclair Mansion, all the guards and the staff were stunned.
So was Selene.
Before, thanks to Bianca, the staff would always stop her near the gate. They would refuse her entry because of her worn-out clothes.
"What do you mean you're our master's daughter? There's no way Selene Sinclair would be wearing rags!"
"Shoo! I have never seen someone as broke as you even look at the Sinclair mansion!"
And every time, Selene's response would be the same.
"I know you're doing this to please Bianca. But just stop. It's pathetic."
They would huff.
Selene would be forced to call the mansion number, and the house butler would always have to come and pick her up.
Now… no one even dared to speak to her.
They looked at Selene as if seeing a ghost.
Her clothes no longer looked like they had been worn daily for the last five years. She looked strangely, suspiciously beautiful.
At least once, every staff member thought they were looking at someone who looked like Selene. But was definitely NOT Selene.
Though her clothes seemed simple, her shoes alone seemed worth more than their salaries. And her car?
It was the most beautiful car they had ever seen!
The staff broke into whispers as Selene walked through the grand front doors.
"Has she been accepted into the family again?"
"No way! We would lose our jobs!"
"Hush! Maybe she doesn't remember! Act like you don't know her!"
Selene sighed inwardly.
Her heart was racing.
But she walked forward with all the confidence of a girl who definitely knew she was walking into a trap.
The house butler, Alfred, soon arrived to escort Selene inside the building. His expression instantly turned worried when he noticed Selene's expensive shoes.
'Poor girl… she must have had to steal to afford these shoes.'
'Maybe I should give her half my savings.'
'But if Madame Sinclair finds out… then I would surely lose my job…'
Alfred let out a sad sigh.
Selene frowned at him, "Why do I feel like you're overthinking again?"
"It's nothing, Miss Sinclair."
Selene stared at him suspiciously. Then, asked, "Have you seen any kittens here? Black, light grey, and dark grey kittens?"
The butler thought for a moment.
"I don't think so... and well, the mansion is big. How could I possibly know for sure?"
They walked through the grand atrium, and for a moment, it felt like nothing had changed.
The flower mosaic on the marble floor still shimmered beneath the light like an ancient emblem—delicate petals unfurling in spirals of rose gold and ivory tiles.
Above it, there was a shimmery chandelier.
Selene paused.
That was the same floor. The same exact mosaic where she had fallen from the stairs.
And then, she saw them.
The police officers—two by the piano, one by the stairs. The third had a bandaged hand. All three looked like they were have been forced to eat a dozen lemons.
Then Selene saw Mariah.
Seated on the couch like an injured pirate queen. One arm in a sling, the other being wrapped by a nervous male nurse who looked like he'd rather be kidnapped.
But there was no sign of the kittens.
Selene's stomach sank.
"Where are the kittens?" She demanded.
Mariah glared in response, "You're asking about THEM, when I'm like THIS?!!!"
Selene pouted.
Bianca strolled in, coffee in hand, wearing a tight black dress like a villainess seductress from soap operas. Her glossy lips curled into a smile. "Oh, you're here," she said, voice all honey and knives as she looked at Selene.
"Perfect timing. I was just telling the officer—What's your name again, darling?"
"Inspector Doyle," the man muttered.
"Right. Him." Bianca's eyes shifted back to Selene. "So, we had a robbery. Super sad. Super weird. I could not understand who managed to breach the world-class Sinclair security—"
Selene was losing her patience. "And what? You're poor now?"
Bianca smirked coldly, "Guess whose hairpin I found at the scene?"
She gestured at Mariah. Her eyes filled with pity.
Selene frowned.
'Is this bitch really going to slander an old woman for her petty reasons?'
Bianca sighed dramatically as she sat in an armchair. She crossed her legs and said sympathetically. "I would have let it slide. Why would Mariah ever steal from us? It's not like Victor hasn't already been paying her too much—"
She stopped when Mariah glared at her.
Bianca cleared her throat, "Anyway. I'm not heartless. But then… Mariah turned up at a veterinary hospital… spending thousands of dollars like she's Melon Husk's godmother."
Mariah snapped, "The kittens were dying, you psycho in heels—"
"Language, granny," Bianca said, tilting her cup.
Selene was at a loss for words.
She could not understand why Bianca was suddenly targeting Mariah.
Ding!
[The Intelligence buff from the Iron Widow Class is Active!]
Selene could understand what Bianca was scheming.
'She blackmailed me last time using Mariah, and now, she's trying to do the same thing!'
'But why is she so insistent?'
'Bianca already has a strong influence throughout Atlantis. Even if I do get my inheritance… I would never be able to throw her out of the Sinclair Family.'
The room held its breath as Selene and Bianca stared at each other.
Bianca was calm. Uncaring.
Selene's gaze was sharp.
She said coldly, "Just because you called some police officers doesn't mean Mariah is guilty, Bianca. You cannot force her to stay here. And how dare you hurt her—"
The officer sitting on the stairs interrupted.
"She hit me first!"
Selene continued firmly, "That doesn't mean you can hit her back—"
The officer looked offended, "I did not—"
"Anyway," Selene still continued firmly, her voice was as cold as the glaciers, "You can not charge my nanny with any crime without proof! How dare you assume she stole the money? Are you assuming she could never have that much just because she is old—?"
Bianca's lips twitched, "I am not racist to old people."
Selene scoffed. "Where's the CCTV footage?"
Bianca gave a small shrug, "It was down for maintenance. Tragic."
Of course it was.
"You're framing her," Selene said flatly.
"She hit an officer," Doyle cut in, raising his bandaged hand like a martyr. "It's assault."
Mariah scoffed. "He tried to cuff me while I was buttering a croissant. You're lucky I didn't stab you with the knife."
Selene rubbed her forehead. "What do you want, Bianca?"
Bianca smiled sweetly. "Justice," she said.
Then, she stepped closer to Selene and whispered with a wicked smile. "And maybe your signature on some small documents. But mostly just justice."
The air became heavier.
By this time, the nurse was already done bandaging Mariah. The officers exchanged a wary glance as they inched toward Mariah together.
Mariah's fingers casually drifted toward the gun tucked in her boot.
Selene's pulse quickened.
'No.'
Bianca took a sip of her black coffee.
The ticking of a grandfather clock suddenly became louder. The servants peeking at the hall from behind the curtains gasped.
The chandelier tilted just slightly.
And Selene?
She calmly held Bianca's gaze. There was no sign of fear on her face. She didn't blink. She did not fall to her stepmother's feet and ask for forgiveness.
Bianca stared back in amusement. "You know I'm not heartless. If you want my mercy… you just have to say so."
Selene smiled coldly.
'Yeah. Right.'
Instead of bothering to respond to Bianca, Selene spoke to Mariag. "Nanny," she murmured. "Don't be reckless. If you get arrested—who's going to care for the kittens?"
That made Mariah pause.
The old woman didn't look back, but her fingers stilled near her ankle. Her voice was dry as sandpaper and twice as judgmental when she responded.
"I am not their caretaker for fuck's sake, Selene!"
One officer took a step forward. Handcuffs glinted.
Selene's brain kicked into overdrive.
'System. Do something!'
'Can't we bribe these officers? Get some distractions? A fire alarm? Smoke???'
Selene's mind raced faster than a crazy horse. She was already considering a thousand ways of escaping the situation before the System could respond.
Outside, only four seconds have passed.
Inside Selene's mind, she had almost formed a plan!
Time was ticking. One wrong twitch from Mariah and someone was losing teeth.
She weighed the risk. She visualized the layout. One chandelier. Four exits. Three officers. One angry grandma. Zero patience.
Then—
Ding!
[Emergency Quest Activated!]
Quest: Rescue the Nanny!
Objective: Escape the Sinclair Mansion with Mariah before she's taken into custody.
Time Limit: 2 Minutes
System Suggestion: Kick First. Talk Later.
Penalty: Something terrible will happen!
Bonus Objective: Do a back flip.
Selene stiffened. The two-minute time limit crushed her half-baked plan in an instant! Taking a deep, frustrated breath, Selene muttered.
"Alright, nanny. Time to go full John Wick."