Veronica gritted her teeth in anger, but before she could speak, Amanda—who stood at her left—stepped in.
"Who do you think you're talking to like that? You're just a maid," she spat. Then she turned to Veronica. "Are you seriously going to let this filthy bitch talk to you like that?"
Revelation cast her a calm glance but said nothing. Genesis, however, looked between Veronica and her friends, then at Revelation. She couldn't quite understand the tension crackling in the air, but her instincts told her it was about to get worse.
So she moved—stepping forward to stand between Revelation and Veronica.
Vera didn't even glance at her. Her eyes remained locked on the maid, her fists clenched.
Genesis moved on instinct, holding out a hand in a calming gesture. She turned fully to Veronica and felt a chill creep up her spine at the dark look in her eyes. But just as quickly, that look vanished, replaced by a sugar-sweet smile.
"There she is," Veronica cooed, her voice syrupy. "The little silent princess. So polite."
Genesis gave a small nod, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Something about her made her skin crawl.
Veronica leaned in, ignoring the maids now. "You should come visit me sometime," she said softly, her voice low and threaded with something Genesis couldn't quite place. "It gets so boring at the estate."
Behind her, Amanda scoffed. "She doesn't even talk. What are you two going to do? Blink at each other?"
Melody's hand twitched, but Revelation shot her a warning look that kept her still.
Genesis looked from Amanda back to Veronica. Then, slowly, she took a step back. She didn't say a word—but her silence said it all. She didn't want to be touched. She didn't want to be near them.
Veronica's smile faltered for just a moment, but she recovered quickly. "But anyway, that's not why I'm here…" She suddenly reached out and grabbed Genesis's hand.
Genesis stiffened at the contact. Veronica's smile deepened as she felt the tension under her fingers, then she pouted playfully. "You see, I need a model for a video shoot for my company. And when I was in desperate need, guess who came to mind? You."
The maids frowned, and Genesis looked visibly confused. She didn't understand half the words—model?
Melody started, "But how can the—"
"Shut up, maid," Amanda snapped, cutting her off. "Speak when spoken to."
Veronica turned pleading eyes toward Genesis. "Please? You're so pretty. I know Kieran would love to see his gorgeous wife on the cover of one of my magazines."
Genesis bit her lip, still unsure of what was going on or what exactly Veronica was asking.
That's when Revelation stepped forward, her voice tightly controlled. "With all due respect, ma'am," she said, the words coming through gritted teeth, "I think one of your friends would be more suited for that. Our young missus knows nothing about modeling. It won't work—and the young master would not approve."
Veronica didn't even look at her. She kept her eyes on Genesis. "Is it because of Kieran you're hesitating? Don't worry—he already agreed." She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. A few seconds later, an audio played:
Veronica's voice: "Can Genesis be part of my magazine shoot? I think she'd be perfect for it."
Kieran's voice followed, calm and indifferent: "If she wants to, let her. Doesn't matter to me."
The audio ended.
Veronica beamed like she'd just won a war. "See? He doesn't mind. So what's the problem?"
Genesis blinked, her heart pounding. Something about the way Kieran spoke—it was so detached. Like she was just another task. Like she didn't matter either way.
Revelation frowned. Something wasn't right. The audio sounded...off. Stilted. She didn't know what it was, but she was certain Kieran, even if friendly with Vera, knew her too well. He would never leave his wife alone with her.
"Can you please play that audio again?" she asked sharply.
Veronica glared at her but ignored the request.
Instead, she tilted her head at Genesis, her voice sickly sweet. "Are you shy, sweetheart? Or just afraid of doing something... big?"
Genesis shook her head slowly.
Veronica nodded with a satisfied grin. "Good. Now let's go—we've wasted enough time here."
She turned on her heel, flicking her long hair over her shoulder and dragging Genesis with her.
Amanda followed, smirking, while Mika trailed behind, tossing the maids a look that tried to be disdainful but ended up looking forced.
Genesis glanced back at them, her expression confused. Revelation watched her closely, her fists clenching at her sides, chest rising and falling with restrained anger. Genesis didn't want to go—Revelation could see that clearly—but she didn't resist, likely because of the audio she'd heard. And Revelation… she couldn't interfere. If she did, Veronica would twist the narrative and get her fired. She couldn't afford that. Not until her mission was complete.
Shit. She cursed under her breath.
Once they were out of sight, Melody let out a breath. "That witch…"
Mia turned, eyes burning. "Are we just going to stand here and do nothing? I don't trust that woman. She might hurt our young madame."
Cady nodded grimly, running a hand through her snowy white hair, her foot tapping a nervous rhythm against the floor. Then she looked at Revelation.
"What do we do?"
Genesis sat stiffly in the back seat of Veronica's sleek black car, her heart pounding so loud it echoed in her ears. She pressed herself against the door as if she could vanish into it.
Mika, who sat just a few inches away, fidgeted, her fingers wringing together like they were trying to strangle her guilt. She wasn't going to participate, not directly, but she knew she was complicit. She was still part of whatever this was.
Then she noticed Genesis watching her. Those vivid green eyes were filled with something—fear, confusion, maybe even betrayal. Mika looked away quickly, shame heating her cheeks.
She didn't like this. She didn't want to be in this car.She wanted out.