"I'm worried, alright!" Grace blurted out, her voice echoing in the tense air. "But look at this—everyone's been searching every corner of the capital, digging up every secret, and still, no one's noticed anything. What's the use in panicking when even the shadows haven't caught wind of her arrival?"
"Listen to yourself! You sound so cold!" Queenie Zhu scoffed, her eyes flashing with arrogance. The room seemed to tense, as if sensing a threat lurking just outside—Aunt Wan's return was not to be ignored.
Grace shot her a sidelong glance, her words sharp as a chill wind. "If you disappeared, I'd react the same way—no use getting swept up in a bloody wind of panic."
"You—" The word hung in the air, swallowed by the growing darkness outside the window, thick with danger and suspense.
"Queenie Zhu, could you just stop talking for one second?" Maya Summers snapped, her words slicing through the tension. "Or do you want to just say it—was it Grace who killed her...?"
"I..." Queenie Zhu sulked, her lips pressed tight as Evan Xiao stepped closer, his presence protective, silently warning anyone who might threaten Grace.
Grace grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Congrats, Cousin!" she called, but the words barely masked the tension simmering between Minister Zhuo, Gwen Walker, and Kenneth Lawrence—everyone could feel the emotional accusation ready to erupt.
"Celebrate what?" Maya Summers retorted, rolling her eyes. "You're already a Spirit Master, and the family didn't even throw you a party. I just reached the sixth rank and suddenly there's a banquet—aren't you all just rubbing it in my face?" The tension between her and Minister Zhuo was palpable, the confrontation simmering beneath the surface.
"Cousin, you totally misunderstood!" Grace said quickly. "Grandma probably just thought the house was too quiet, so she used your breakthrough as an excuse to gather everyone for a meal—isn't that right, Grandma?" Her words tried to defuse the brewing bitterness, but Aunt Wan's threat and resentment still lingered in the air, dramatic and unmistakable.
The old lady smiled and nodded, but just as she did, a shadow crept across the threshold—suspenseful and ominous, promising trouble to come.
Maya Summers reached out and pinched her cheek. "Ever since you became President, you've gotten way more talkative."
"You're squishing the President's face out of shape!" Grace protested sadly.
The old lady burst out laughing.
Mrs. Liu and Queenie Zhu laughed too, though a bit sourly.
Both Mrs. Liu and Queenie Zhu were full of envy, jealousy, and resentment toward Grace.
But they also understood that Grace was now the pillar of the Zhu family—no longer someone they could walk all over.
Sure, they'd tease her with a few words, but no one dared cross the line, so overall, the atmosphere was pretty harmonious.
Ever since Lian'er was laid to rest, the house hadn't been this lively in ages.
Suddenly, in the middle of all this warmth, Minister Zhuo's loyal attendant, Leon Liu, burst in, flustered and shouting, "My lord! My lord!"
"What's wrong?" Everyone at the table turned to look at him.
"Aunt Wan... Aunt Wan is back!" Leon Liu cried out, his face twisted with terror.
As soon as Grace heard this, her heart sank.
"Who?" Minister Zhuo asked, unable to believe it.
"It's Wan Xuezhen—" Leon Liu started, but was suddenly struck hard. With a sickening sound, he spat out a mouthful of blood right onto the dinner table.
He collapsed limply to the floor, dead.
Everyone jumped up in shock and stared toward the doorway.
A woman slowly walked in through the door.
She wore a blazing red brocade robe, her hair styled in a soaring cloud bun—dignified, regal, and absolutely commanding.
But specks of fresh blood stained the silver-trimmed embroidered skirt she wore.
She had fought her way in.
No one had noticed a thing.
"How dare a lowly servant utter my name?" The newcomer was none other than Aunt Wan—her face full of arrogance and murderous intent as she strode in, step by step.
A gust of wind blew, lifting her robes and carrying a scent of blood.
Outside the door, it was unusually dark, as if countless beasts were lurking in the shadows.
...
Evan Xiao stepped forward, blocking everyone and staring at her... and at something behind her.
"Minister Zhuo, how cruel you are!" Aunt Wan's gaze locked onto his face. "Twenty years—I bore your children, ran your household, and this is how you repay me? Not only did you try to kill me, you even drove Gwen and Kenneth out of the family?"
"Wan Xuezhen, why have you come back?" Minister Zhuo asked.
Aunt Wan smirked. "Why else? Obviously... I've come back to kill you all! To mourn all the years I wasted on you!"
As she spoke, a shadow appeared in the darkness behind her.