Chapter 61: I don’t want another lie
"Kira, is it true you kept that file in Madam’s room?" Mariam’s voice cut sharply, her eyes pinning her niece.
Kira gaped, then quickly shook her head, feigning innocence. "Aunt Mariam, how can you even think that? Madam is lying. I never touched that file. I was only following her orders to tidy her room!"
Anna snorted, the sound edged with mockery. "You’re unbelievable," she muttered with a sigh. "Fine. If it wasn’t you, then let’s settle this." Her gaze shifted to Daniel. "Why don’t you call your assistant and ask him who he handed the file to? I’m sure he can answer that."
At once, Kira’s face drained of color. Her teeth sank into her lower lip as panic surged through her. Her mind flashed back to the moment she’d taken the file from Uncle Ben, the guard. ’Damn it. How could I forget he could expose me?’
Her chest tightened, heart hammering with frantic desperation. She opened her mouth to spin another excuse when-
"Enough!" Daniel’s voice cracked like a whip through the silence.
Every head snapped toward him. His gaze was sharp, unyielding, first sweeping over Anna, then Mariam, and finally freezing on Kira.
"Mariam," he said, voice low but commanding, "I apologize for dragging you into this. You’ve been nothing but loyal. Any fault here is mine."
Mariam shook her head quickly. "Master, please—you don’t need to apologize. I only wish to serve you faithfully. Forgive me if I failed."
But Daniel’s focus had already shifted. His stare pinned Kira, stripping away the last shred of her false confidence.
"And you," his voice dropped, dangerously calm, "mind your tongue. No one—no one—speaks to my wife like that."
The weight of his words crushed Kira’s defiance. Her throat bobbed as she bowed her head, trembling. "I-I’m sorry, Master," she stammered, her fingers twisting together behind her back.
Anna stood frozen, wide-eyed. Her chest rose and fell unevenly as she stared at him.
’Did he... just take my side? Did Daniel Clafford, of all people, just scold her for me?’
Her mind reeled, disbelief tangling with something warm she refused to name.
"Get back to work. Both of you," Daniel dismissed them curtly. Mariam tugged Kira’s arm, and the two retreated, though Kira’s shoulders trembled with barely suppressed fury.
Anna turned to leave as well, but his voice stopped her cold.
"I didn’t ask you to leave." His tone was sharp, firm and commanding enough to freeze her mid-step.
She glanced back, nerves prickling her skin.
Daniel exhaled slowly, setting the file aside, though his hand lingered on it. His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her. He didn’t know how much she had seen inside—did she realize what he was plotting against Hugo Bennett? ’That file was dangerous in her hands.’
But when his gaze locked onto her, calculation faltered. Her lips, her eyes, her defiance—they pulled at him like gravity. Every instinct screamed to claim her mouth again, to break past her walls.
This time, he forced himself to resist.
"I haven’t finished talking with you," he said, his voice steady, but his eyes burned with an intensity that betrayed the storm inside.
Anna stood frozen, her thoughts scrambled, but his words forced her to snap back. "What is there to talk about? You didn’t even listen to me earlier—let alone question the girl who accused me of something I had no clue about."
’So, she didn’t read anything.’
Relief flickered across Daniel’s face, though it vanished as quickly as it came. His eyes remained locked on hers, sharp and unwavering, holding her in place.
Anna lifted her chin defiantly, but the moment he took a deliberate step closer, her composure wavered.
"I just scolded her—for you," he said, his voice low, closing the space between them inch by inch.
His piercing gaze softened, turning playful, dangerous in a way that made her pulse stutter.
Anna’s instincts kicked in, and she stumbled a step back. "So what if you did? You still let the matter slide. That’s the same as ignoring it!" she fumbled, her words tripping over themselves as she tried to keep her eyes anywhere but on him.
Her nerves betrayed her. She hated how unpredictable he always made her feel, how the air thickened whenever he was too close. In the past, she thought she had figured him out, his cold indifference predictable enough to brace against. But now... now he was changing the rules.
She dared a quick glance—and instantly regretted it. He was smiling.
’Why is he smiling?’
"Don’t tell me," Daniel murmured, his tone carrying a sly edge, "that you’re jealous I let her go just like that."
Anna’s eyes went wide, and she barked out a scoff. "Jealous? Me? Hah! Why would I be?"
Her denial was quick—too quick. And Daniel caught it.
The corners of his lips curled higher as his gaze traced the redness blooming at the tips of her ears. ’She’s jealous.’
He bent lower, slow and deliberate, until his face hovered dangerously close.
"Ahh—w-what are you doing?!" Anna squeaked, instinctively slapping her hand over her mouth as if that alone could shield her.
But he didn’t stop. His eyes bored into hers, those dark orbs so hypnotic she felt herself being pulled under, breath hitching.
"I haven’t received my goodnight kiss yet," he whispered, his breath grazing her ear, each word igniting sparks across her skin.
Her cheeks flamed red, her whole body going rigid. Before she could stammer out a refusal, his hand shot up—firm but smooth—as he tugged her closer, pried her fingers from her lips, and claimed them with his own.
The world around them went silent. No sound, no thought only the heat of his mouth against hers, stealing the very air from her lungs.
***
Meanwhile, Mariam and Kira stepped into the kitchen, but Mariam halted abruptly.
"Tell me, Kira," Mariam’s voice cut through the air, her eyes sharp as daggers, "was it you who stole the file?"
Kira froze, her lips parting but no words forming.
Mariam had no doubt in her heart—Daniel would never lie, and neither would Madam. The only one who openly twisted words and accused without proof was her niece.
"A-Aunt, what are you saying? I told you—it wasn’t me, it was—"
"I don’t want another lie, Kira," Mariam snapped, her tone stern, unyielding. "I want the truth."
But when the girl stayed tongue-tied, Mariam’s patience snapped.
"Fine. Pack your bags. You’re not staying here any longer. I’ll send you back to your uncle’s house."
The announcement struck like lightning. Kira’s face drained of color, panic flooding her eyes.
"No—no, Aunt Mariam, you can’t do that! Please, I don’t want to go back there!" she cried, dropping her act of composure, desperation dripping in her tone.
Mariam didn’t waver. Her stare was cold, her words like stone.
Kira’s tears brimmed, trembling as she blurted out, "Okay—fine! I admit it. I forgot the file in Madam’s room instead of Master’s study. I didn’t mean it!"
A half-truth. A well-rehearsed lie.
"I was scared... I thought Master would scold me, maybe even throw me out, so I—"
"You lied," Mariam finished coldly, her voice laced with disappointment. "And you put the blame on Madam."
Her chest tightened as bitter memories surged. This was exactly why she had been hesitant to bring Kira into the Clafford Mansion in the first place. She had a history—twisting lies, stealing for vanity, causing trouble until her uncle finally abandoned her.
And still, after all that, the girl hadn’t learned.
Kira sobbed, falling to her knees, clutching Mariam’s hand. "Aunt Mariam, I’m sorry! Please forgive me! It won’t happen again—I was scared, I swear!"
Mariam’s heart faltered at the sight of her niece in tears, but her principles warred within her. Trust once broken was hard to mend.
’I’ll apologize to Madam myself,’ Mariam resolved, her conscience unwilling to let the matter slide.
"Fine," she said at last, her tone clipped.
Kira’s head shot up, relief flooding her expression as she sniffled and nodded furiously.
"I won’t send you away. But—" Mariam’s eyes hardened, her voice sharp as steel. "Next time, Kira, I won’t save you."
Kira’s lips twitched into a quick smile she tried to disguise as gratitude. She wiped her tears away, clutching Mariam’s hands as though her little act of remorse had worked. "Thank you, Aunt Mariam. I promise, never again."
But Mariam didn’t soften. Her eyes stayed cold, her face unreadable.
"Go. Get back to work," she ordered, watching as Kira scurried off.
Only when her back was turned did Mariam’s gaze narrow, filled with suspicion. That girl... she’s far from done.