"Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Lylia Johnson and I'm… who am I supposed to be again, Master?"
Ruby took in the outstretched arm before her, the corners of her eyes and lips twitching incessantly.
This woman…
She might be introducing herself to her right now with her arm held out for a handshake and yet, her flirtatious eye never left Julien for even a fraction of a second.
Ruby's gaze narrowed with the pettiness of an official wife. Even as she took her hand, the one-eyed bitch's attention remained glued to Julien, until she gave her a good squeeze out of annoyance.
"Ouch! That's nasty." Lylia winced, a vein popping against her temple.
It was only then did she bother to look Ruby in the eye, her voice a playful timbre that never reached her calculating eyes.
"Apologies, Madam. Is this jealousy I suppose?"
Ruby nearly rolled her eyes right there and then. What's with this sudden heavy smell of green tea?
It was a good thing she wasn't Julien's real bride and merely a fraud. If not, she would've definitely grabbed this pretentious bitch by the hair and shown her who exactly was the boss here.
Ruby forced out a friendly smile, "It's nothing like that. I was merely trying to call for your attention, seeing as you looked a little too focused on someone else."
"Oh, is that so?" Lylia mused, her gaze once again crawling their way back to Julien as she pitifully pouted, "Master, it seems that I've truly offended the Madam. What should I do if the Madam finds me annoying?"
She shuffled forward to hug Julien by the arm, but missed when the man shifted aside in disgust, deliberately avoiding her.
"I heard unpleasant things about you, Lylia." Julien kept his distance away from her, his voice cold and unpleasant, "I hope you've learnt your lesson, now that you've returned."
He then turned his back against Lylia, silently sending signals to Ruby with his darting eyes.
Ruby inwardly clicked her tongue. And here she was, thinking there might've been something special between the two.
As she shrugged the idea off her mind, she gave Julien a small pensive nod, stating that she had understood the assignment.
Meanwhile, Lylia looked utterly heartbroken. "Master…"
Julien didn't even blink at her pleas. Instead, Mario stepped forward and yanked her aside, warning her with a hushed voice.
"Listen, this is the only chance for you to redeem yourself. Any more of this nonsense and don't come back to me crying for not warning you when you find yourself kicked out of this house."
As she digested Mario's vicious words, Lylia was visibly frightened. It was only then did she realize the severity of Julien's decisiveness and disappointment.
Lylia quickly calmed herself down, fixing her crooked eyepatch and mustering up an amicable smile before she made her way to Ruby.
"Let me introduce myself once more. My name is Lylia Johnson and from now on, I will be in charge of your physical training and progress."
She once again offered out her hand, her fabricated smile oozing out sweetness that made even herself feel sick. "I hope we can get along well, Madam."
"Oh sure we'll do," Ruby didn't shy away and took her hand with equal force, returning back the smile that wasn't any less pretentious than hers. "My name is—oh nevermind. You can just call me Madam. It's easier to remember… and far more proper."
Eyes widening still, Lylia was struck flabbergasted as Ruby shot her a victorious smile. Nevermind the manners, when it came to dealing with this kind of a shameless bitch who didn't know her place, she didn't hesitate to become the bigger bitch to dominate the game from the very beginning.
Sneakily, she flashed a good job thumbs-up towards Julien, as if telling him not to worry as she'll get the job all done for him.
Unfortunately for her, Julien hadn't understood her signal.
Sniffing the exchange of pride and gunpowder in between the two women who had just met, he pulled Mario aside, whispering hurriedly. "I thought you said they might hit it off."
"I don't know, Sir." Mario whispered back, looking utterly helpless himself, "As far as I remember, I'm not really a good fortune teller myself…"
…
The two men soon reached a mutual agreement.
For the sake of a better working environment, they allowed the ladies some space to 'cultivate good feelings' and 'bond with each other', as Mario had put it.
On the other side, both Ruby and Lylia knew nothing of their intentions, taking each other as enemies to look out for since the get-go.
Still, they didn't let their rivalry look too obvious on the surface, persistently treating each other with stiff smiles that looked prettier if nonexistent.
Moving on, they switched to the backyard to hold a little tea party.
The Sterling's House of Thorns might be known for their garden of blood roses that were off-the-limits for outsiders, but those who had stayed long enough in the house knew that the view of their backyard didn't pale in comparison.
In a vast expanse of green where boulders stood proud and fake mountains strived with dignity, a flutter of wisp-like butterflies could be seen flashing across the field, jumping from one colourful bud to another as the morning breeze caressed each stalk of dewy grass, prompting them to gently sway with the wind.
It was a rather serene picturesque scene, until a malicious voice rose to the air and broke the peaceful silence.
"I heard you nearly died in that car crash, Madam."
Lylia started as she chewed on her freshly-baked pastries, her other hand lifting her porcelain cup.
"Is it true that immediately after the crash, you were chased down by dozens of armed men? It's truly a miracle to see the madam sitting here, sharing sweets and tea with me."
Lowering her own tea cup, Ruby shot her a bored look. It's not as if the woman was genuinely concerned about her misfortune. What was she trying to imply?
"I was just lucky." Ruby nonchalantly answered, more than eager to leave the accident as it was as her finger tapped impatiently against the flower-embroidered tabletop.
However, Lylia seemed to have thought otherwise as she folded her arms and leaned back against her rattan chair, her lips curling to form a provocative grin.
"It was unfortunate that I was never a person who believed in something as intangible as luck. Rather, a deliberate planning sounded more plausible to the ears, and better fitting to the sense."
"What do you mean?" Ruby raised an aggressive eyebrow, the warning radars in her mind going wild at the woman's dangerous notion.
"You heard me." Lylia tilted her head, her eyes narrowing with a sharp glint, "I am suspecting you as an accomplice to those unidentified men, the dramatic accident no more than a stage play carefully designed to deceive the master and us!"