Chapter 22: someone wants me dead

Chapter 22: someone wants me deadOlivia's POV I turned back to the triplets, my frown deepening. "She's not here: Levi scoffed. "Of course, she's not." Louis let out an exasperated breath. "You expect us to believe that? These are all the maids in the estate, Olivia" "T know what I saw!" I snapped, frustration flaring in my chest. "Someone gave me the juice. If she's not here, then that means-* "She doesn't exist, Lennox cut in, his voice laced with anger. My frown deepened. "That's not what l was going to say." The head maid stepped forward. "Alpha, these are all the maids currently employed in the estate. If Miss Olivia claims someone else served her, I assure you, she must be mistaken." Mistaken? A cold chill ran down my spine. No. I wasn't mistaken. Lennox took a step closer to me, his voice low but biting. "Enough of this, Olivia. The healer said the poison was commonly used in suicides. There's no mystery maid, no secret culprit. Just admit it." My hands shook with rage. "I didn't poison myself!" "Then where is the proof?" Levi shot back. "Where is this so-called maid?" I looked between them, my heart hammering. They didn't believe me. They were convinced I had done this to myself. I turned to my mother, hoping-praying-that she would defend me. But she stood silently beside me, her face pale, her lips pressed together. She didn't doubt me. But she was powerless against them. A bitter laugh escaped me. "So that's it? You've already decided I'm lying?" Lennox's gaze hardened. "You were the only one in the room. No one else." I shook my head. "I know what I saw." Silence stretched between us, thick with tension. And then Lennox sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "This is pointless." Levi and Louis exchanged a look before Levi turned to the guards. "Take her back to her room. She's still weak: My stomach dropped. They were dismissing me. Brushing me off like I was nothing. I glared at them, my vision blurring with exhaustion and frustration. "You're making a mistake," I muttered. Lennox didn't even look at me. "So are you." I clenched my fists as two guards stepped forward, ready to escort me back. But as I turned, my gaze landed on the head maid once more. She was watching me carefully, her expression unreadable. And then-just for a split second—I saw it. The flicker of something in her eyes. Realization hit me like a thunderbolt. The maid who poisoned me-the head maid knew who she was. She might not even be a maid. She might be an assassin dressed in a maid's clothes to carry out the plan, and now she was gone. There was no way I would find her. My mother took me back to my room, and as I sank onto the bed, my thoughts raced. Someone had tried to kill me. And if they failed once, they would try again. "Mother, I said, drawing her attention. "'T have to leave this place. If I don't, my dead body will be carried out of here: I could see the worried look on my mother's face. Obviously, she knew I was right. Whoever had tried to poison me wouldn't stop. They would keep trying until they succeeded. "You know you can't leave, Olivia. The guards at the borders won't let you, she said with a sigh, and I panicked. I knew I had to do something. I had to leave this place-somehow. I had to think of something. Throughout the day, I stayed in bed, thinking of ways to escape. It was better to be a rogue than to live this life of torture, but nothing came to mind. Soon, it was time for dinner, and Evilly, one of the mansion staff, came and announced that dinner was ready and that the Alphas demanded I come downstairs. Forcing myself to leave the bed, I took the stairs to the dining room, and as expected, the triplets were there-so was Anita. The moment I saw her, my wolf howled in anger, but I composed myself and walked over to the table. I took a seat across from Anita, and she smirked at me. There was something about her smirk-it reminded me that I had been poisoned. I wasn't a fool not to consider her a suspect. I forced myself to remain calm as I picked up my fork, my eyes never leaving Anita. She looked too pleased with herself, as if she was enjoying my suffering. My wolf growled again, but I took a slow breath, suppressing the rage bubbling beneath my skin. "Olivia." Levi's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned to him, frowning. "Eat, he said, nodding toward my untouched plate. "You need to regain your strength. I almost scoffed. Regain my strength? So they could continue causing me pain, treating me like I was crazy? So they could dismiss me again when I tried to tell them someone wanted me dead? I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to take a bite, despite how little appetite I had. But the moment I lifted my fork, my mother walked into the dining room, a tray in her hands, carrying a jug of water and several glasses. My frown deepened. Why was she serving? There were plenty of maids in the estate. My mother may have been an omega, but she was still my mother. She wasn't supposed to be waiting on me like this-not when there were others who could do it. I set my fork down, my angry voice filling the air. "Why is she the one serving? There are plenty of maids here." Silence fell over the table, thick, and suffocating. My mother hesitated for a second before lowering her head and continuing to pour the water as if she hadn't heard me. Anita let out a quiet chuckle, swirling the wine in her glass as she smirked at me. "Oh, Olivia, don't forget where you come from. Just because you married the Alphas doesn't mean your mother isn't still a maid. An omega." My blood boiled at her words, but what enraged me even more was the silence from the triplets. Not one of them spoke up. Not one of them corrected her. I looked at each of them, waiting-for even a single word. But Levi simply continued eating, Lennox stared at his plate, and Louis leaned back in his chair, expression unreadable. They weren't going to say anything. A bitter laugh escaped me, low and humorless. "Right. Of course." I turned my gaze back to my mother, who still refused to meet my eyes. I reached forward and took the jug from her hands, ignoring the way her breath hitched in surprise. "That's enough, Mother, I said firmly. "You don't have to serve me or anyone anymore. From now on, you are no longer an omega or a servant. You are the mother of the Luna." She opened her mouth as if to protest, but I shook my head. "Sit." Anita scoffed. "Who gave you such a right? Olivia, you are a nobody." Lignored her, my eyes never leaving my mother's as ! pulled out the chair beside me. For a moment, she hesitated, torn between obeying me and the unspoken rules that had been ingrained in her for years. And then, finally, she sat. Anita's frown deepened as she glanced at the triplets, waiting for them to speak. But they remained silent. "Alpha Lennox, Levi, Louis?" Her voice sharpened with impatience. "Are you going to say something?" seaʀᴄh thё Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. I scoffed. "There's nothing for them to say, Anita. As Luna, I have the authority to elevate an omega to a respectable status-and that's exactly what I just did." Leaning forward, 1 met her gaze head-on. "I can even remove you from this table." Anita let out a soft, mocking laugh, as if I had just said something absurd. She tilted her head, smirking. "You seem... uninformed, Olivia." A frown crept onto my face. "What are you talking about?" She took a slow sip of her wine, savoring the moment before locking eyes with me. "Tomorrow, the Alphas will take me as their concubine. Soon enough, I'll be your equal."