The next day arrived—the day of the conference meeting for the Lucius heirs on the inheritance list. It was held in the grand conference room of her father's business empire, the Lucius main headquarters.
As Silva drove toward the imposing building, her mind drifted, a storm of thoughts swirling within her.
"After Mother's death, her family could no longer afford to support me. They sent me to my father—a man known more for his wealth and pristine lineage than for love. Lucius Glendale."
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, the skyline of the towering building reflecting off her windshield.
"My first day there… the welcome was strange. Cold. For a family so revered, I expected something different. But the moment he saw me, it was like disappointment had already settled into his bones. Maybe it was the way Mother raised me. Or maybe I was just never what he imagined."
Her jaw clenched.
"I thought... if I could just become the daughter he always wanted—the smartest, most prodigious in Lucius history—maybe he'd finally look at me. Acknowledge me. Care."
She exhaled, bitter.
"But after years of trying, I realized I was wrong."
Silva's eyes stayed fixed on the road, but her voice, low and haunted, whispered into the silence of her car.
"I was chasing a shadow. A lie. A hollow promise."
Pulling into the private parking space, she turned off the engine and stared at the grand entrance ahead of her.
"Why must I be molded into someone else's ambitions? Why should I live beneath the suffocating expectations of a man who never really saw me?"
She stepped out of the car, heels clicking against the polished ground.
"No," she whispered to herself. "Maybe the problem wasn't just him. Maybe it was my own delusion—believing that if I tried hard enough, he would love me."
As she entered the massive building, flashes of old memories brushed her mind like autumn leaves.
A small version of herself sat in a bright study, stacks of thick books in front of her. Her nanny, Bailey, carefully fed her spoonfuls of soup while brushing a gentle hand over Silva's hair.
"Bailey, do you believe in God?" young Silva had asked, eyes dull from the weight of expectations even then.
Bailey had smiled, warm and unwavering. "Of course, Silva. I believe in destiny too."
"I see…" the little girl had murmured, turning another page as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Then Bailey's soft voice had returned with a question. "How about you, sweetheart? Do you believe in God?"
Silva snapped back to the present, standing before the escalator, the lively buzz of the lobby humming around her. Her eyes scanned the bustling space, then narrowed slightly.
"Do I believe in God, you asked, Bailey?" she mused inwardly.
"Well... I actually do. And destiny too." A small, calculated grin tugged at her lips.
"Back then, I asked you that question because I was confused—curious. You always seemed so cheerful, even with the way Father tormented you. I never understood it."
Her footsteps echoed lightly as she made her way into the next hallway.
"But after your death, I realized something crucial..."
She was pulled from her thoughts when her shoulder brushed against a man walking in the opposite direction.
"Excuse me," the man said politely, barely glancing her way.
"Mm?" Silva turned slightly, watching as he walked toward the exit door. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment.
"Clide Rayer... the manager of the HR department?" she recalled, recognition blooming in her gaze.
A faint smirk played on her lips.
"Oh dear, what a lovely day to run into such a man."
Before her thoughts could wander further, a familiar voice cut through the air.
"Didn't expect to see you at the conference," Asher remarked as he approached.
Silva turned to him, her expression composed. "I'm quite curious about your attendance,"
"You could say Father wants me to come by and witness the meeting. That's all,"
Asher murmured beside her ear.
"But I'm quite curious how you managed to get him to put your name on the inheritance,"
he added, his cold gaze fixed on her.
"It makes me wonder... what will happen to our agreement?"
"Or more precisely—"
his voice dropped again, icy against her ear,
"—it seems you're playing your own game behind the scenes."
Silva masked her thrill with a frosty expression.
"Playing my own game behind the scenes, you said?"
"Well, I could say the same for you, couldn't I?"
She whispered, leaning in.
"After all, the only person who could poison Lucius... is none other than you."
Tension thickened between them as both maintained their cool façades.
"I guess that was a miscalculation on my part,"
Asher thought, glancing at her.
"Accusing me of such unethical behavior is quite damaging, you know,"
he whispered with a smirk curling his lips.
"Unethical?"
Silva sneered.
"Please, spare me that. As if you weren't the one who proposed this so-called alliance."
Just then, a worker passed by. Asher stepped away from Silva smoothly.
"Come on, go on. I wouldn't want you to miss your first meeting,"
he said with a smile.
Silva watched as he walked off beside the worker, chatting casually—
then, just before disappearing down the hall,
Asher glanced back and flashed her another smile.
"Guess I have no choice but to take her out earlier than expected,"
Asher thought, his smile darkening.