Chapter 3
A cold draft seeped through the window at the end of the corridor.
Draped in my black coat, I walked toward the nurses' station alone.
The wound in my throat flared with intense agony with every swallow, making me crave death.
I stopped before the marble counter of the nurses' station and tapped on the desktop.
Scrolling through short videos, the on-duty nurse glanced up at me with blatant dismissiveness.
I pulled out my phone, typed a line, and shoved it over.
[I need the special-grade nerve-blocking painkillers.]
Without even changing her posture, she just rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Miss, but this month's special quota is completely dried up."
Knitting my brows, I kept typing.
[My quota is the highest tier in the family. How's it dried up?]
The nurse smirked, her voice laced with mockery.
"Miss Joanna accidentally scratched the back of her hand in the garden yesterday, taking off a tiny piece of skin."
"Carl threw an absolute fit out of worry, ordering every miracle drug and healing serum sent to her room."
Tapping on her keyboard, she pulled out a box of the cheapest pills. "If it hurts that bad, I can give you some regular Ibuprofen.
"Everyone in the Syndicate knows Joanna is his favorite now. Quit acting like you're still the Luna."
I stared at her for a second.
I didn't take the box.
Snatching my phone back, I turned toward the restroom at the end of the hall.
Pushing the restroom door open, I twisted the faucet handle.
Freezing water washed the bloodstains off my hands.
Looking up at my pale, gaunt reflection in the mirror, my gaze sharpened.
My eyes accidentally drifted to the trash bin beside the sink.
A white plastic casing lay half-buried under lipstick-stained tissues.
Stepping over, I nudged the tissues aside with the tip of my shoe.
It was a pregnancy test.
Two glaring red lines were clearly visible on it.
Standing frozen, I stared at it silently for a moment.
Pulling out my phone, I brought up the live feed of Carl's study.
On screen, Joanna was wearing Carl's oversized shirt, sprawled brazenly across his lap.
Twisting her body flirtatiously, she toyed with a solid gold pen.
"Carl, I'm already carrying your baby. When are you gonna give me my title?
"I don't want our kid born branded as a bastard."
Wrapping his arm around her waist, Carl kissed her cheek with total adoration.
"Just a little longer, sweetheart.
"At tomorrow's meeting, I'll strip her of all authority and kick her straight out of the family.
"The throne of the Raven Isle Luna belongs solely to you."
I shut off the monitor.
Wiping my hands with a paper towel, I sealed the pregnancy test inside a ziplock bag.
At eight that evening, the routine family gala commenced.
Changing into a fitted black gown, I walked into the dining room expressionless.
Carl and Joanna sat at one end of the long table, laughing and chatting.
The surrounding extended relatives raised their glasses to them, showering them with flattery.
The moment I walked in, the laughter in the room died instantly.
Every eye locked onto me with pure mockery, treating me like a complete joke.
I took my seat directly opposite them and picked up the electronic writing tablet beside me.
Pulling out the stylus, I wrote down a line with heavy pressure.
Sliding it forcefully down the smooth center of the long table,
[Whose pregnancy test is in the restroom?]
The black words on the white screen glared blindingly under the crystal chandelier.
Clatter!
The wine glass slipped from Joanna's hand, dark red liquid staining the snowy tablecloth.
Her face turned pale instantly, and she looked at Carl in pure desperation.
Carl snapped to his feet.
His chair screeched loudly against the floor.
Stuttering with a shifty gaze, his panic quickly turned into a furious rage.
"What the hell are you writing? Some new maid was messing around and left her trash behind!"
I watched his panicked expression.
Snatching the tablet back, I calmly wrote out a second line and slid it across once more.
[A pregnant maid needs you to hold her on your lap to comfort her?]
[You even promised to give her the Luna throne?]
Carl's face went from white to purple, veins bulging across his neck.
He glared dead at the tablet, his chest heaving violently.
"Are you stalking me? You dare plant spies to watch me inside my own family?"
He suddenly whipped his hand up.
With a loud crash, he flipped the dinner plate right over.
The sound of shattering porcelain and falling food clashed as grease splattered everywhere.
The sound of shattering porcelain and falling food clashed as grease splattered everywhere. "You malicious piece of trash! You're a mute who can't birth a kid, so you wanna throw dirt on others!
"Let me tell you, even if Joanna is pregnant, that's the future heir of Raven Isle. A million times nobler than you!"
Seizing the opportunity, Joanna immediately clutched her head.
Letting out a weak whimper of pain, she slumped backward like a fragile doll. "Carl, I'm so dizzy... my stomach hurts bad..."
Carl instantly scooped her up in his arms, turning to glare at me with pure murderous intent. "If anything happens to Joanna, I'm gonna make you crave death!"
He took Joanna and strode away, leaving me alone in the wrecked dining room to face the hushed whispers of the entire family.
Watching their retreating figures, a bloodthirsty coldness flashed across my eyes.