Chapter 2
[Oh, right. In the end, it was you, my kind, big brother, who stepped in and settled the matter with 40 grand. What a close-knit sibling bond.]
My innermost thoughts exploded in Zeffrey's ears like a bombshell.
His whole body tensed up, and the anger on his face gave way to shock and horror.
'How on earth did she know?' Zeffrey thought in disbelief.
His family spent a fortune to cover it up, and everyone who knew about it was silenced.
'How could Chiara, who had just returned from the boonies, possibly know?' he thought as he stared at me like I was some sort of freak.
The atmosphere at the table had shifted from eerie to downright terrifying.
Garibald, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up.
His voice was deep and carried an air of unquestionable authority. "Everyone, sit down and eat."
He didn't look at anyone. He simply picked up his cutlery and ate at a steady pace.
But his gaze, which was sharp as a hawk's, swept over me fleetingly at intermittent intervals. He seemed to be probing and scrutinizing me surreptitiously.
Now that the most authoritative man in the house had spoken, Zeffrey, however unwilling, had no choice but to sit back down, albeit resentfully.
Lana was still breathing heavily, but she didn't dare to lose her temper again.
Meanwhile, Yolanda's tears were welling up and teetering on the brink of falling. She looked utterly pitiable.
No one said a word after this.
Only the occasional clinking of cutlery could be heard, and it sounded particularly jarring.
I ate my food silently, totally oblivious to its taste.
My mind was racing. This home, as I suspected, was anything but a haven.
Everyone was wearing a mask, and everyone had secrets.
And my ability to hear people's inner thoughts, or rather, my ability to make them hear mine, seemed to be my only weapon here.
It looked like the days ahead would be anything but dull.
The meal ended in an atmosphere so oppressive it felt suffocating.
After this, the butler, Sebastian, walked over to me and bowed respectfully. "Miss Chiara, I'll show you to your room."
His attitude was impeccable, but there was a subtle hint of contempt in his eyes.
I nodded and followed him up the spiral staircase with its ornate banister.
The Lubitz family's villa was massive, and the hallways seemed to stretch on forever.
Sebastian led me further and further away from the main building until we finally stopped in front of the smallest door at the end of the hallway.
He pushed it open, and a faint musty smell wafted out.
The room was tiny. It contained nothing but a single bed, a peeling wardrobe, and a window facing a gray wall.
This was the room they had prepared for me.
It was a servant's room.
Yolanda had followed us at some point and was now standing at the doorway with an apologetic look.
"Chiara, I hope you don't mind. "I've been used to sleeping in a big room since I was a kid. If I had to move to a smaller one, I wouldn't be able to sleep."
Her tone was sincere, and she seemed genuinely troubled by the idea.
I looked at her, completely unbothered. "I don't mind.'
Of course, I didn't mind.
[After all, when your mother found you by the dumpster at the back entrance of the hospital all those years ago, you didn't even have a cardboard box to shelter you from the wind and rain, Chiara.]
[Now that you get to live in an exclusive private servant's quarters, that's a massive leap in social status for you, Chiara. You should be grateful.]
My innermost thoughts, which seemed to be chiding me maliciously, reached the ears of everyone present loud and clear.
At the stairway, Lana was on her way upstairs when she suddenly flinched violently as if she had been struck by lightning.
She gripped the handrail so tightly that her knuckles turned white, her bloodshot eyes fixed intently on me.
That was the biggest secret between her and her husband, Garibald.
It was her deepest fear in her dreams in the dead of night.
Years ago, she was weak after childbirth, and the doctor took her baby away. When she saw the baby again, she didn't know it had been switched.
Yolanda's real mother, the mistress who wrecked her marriage, died during childbirth. Before she passed, she left the baby by the dumpster behind the hospital.
Garibald, for the sake of the Lubitz family's reputation and to get back at that woman, turned a blind eye to the mix-up. He brought Yolanda home and told everyone she was just born premature.
Not a soul in the world knew about this except Garibald and Lana.
'How on earth did Chiara know about this?' Lana thought furiously.
Garibald came up from behind and grabbed his wife, who was on the verge of losing control.
He shook his head discreetly at her with a chillingly piercing gaze.
He signalled to her to calm down. Now wasn't the time to kick up a fuss.
This daughter, who had just returned, emanated an eerie, sinister aura.
Yolanda stood in the doorway, but gone was her apologetic look.
Her face was displaying a grotesque mix of humiliation, anger, and a hint of panic.
She didn't understand what I meant by "dumpster," but she could sense the vindictiveness in my words. More worryingly, she noticed the sudden shift in the attitudes of those people around her.
Yolanda took a deep breath and managed a strained smile. Then she took a few shopping bags from the servant standing behind her.