𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒' 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐃𝐎𝐆 | 𝘷𝘢𝘥𝘵𝘥 𝘹 𝘔.𝘺/𝘯 |

(69) Sip The Gossip.

"........,"

The brown-haired woman hummed softly as she delicately added sugar to her teacup, her eyes sparkling with a sense of mischief.

With a graceful lift of the cup to her lips, she turned to Roxana's mother, and spoke in a light, almost sing-song tone.

"I wanted to keep it a secret, Sierra,"

She began, her voice dripping with faux sweetness, pausing only to take a sip.

"As such, the gift will be a surprise."

Her words seemed to hang in the air like poison, subtle yet potent, leaving Sierra visibly shaken.

Her pale skin became even paler, and her eyes widened with unmistakable fear, as if she was cringing under the woman's presence.

A snake and a rat - that's what they seemed to be.

The first, venomous and cunning, the second, meek and trembling under its predator's gaze.

Roxana, beside me, stayed silent, her crimson eyes fixed ahead, betraying none of her thoughts.

She was always calm, composed - her silence was more unnerving than any words could be.

It was a silence that belonged to a woman who knew how to wield power.

I watched the whole exchange, my gaze flicking toward Roxana's mother, whose name was revealed to be Sierra.

She was different.

Unlike the rest of these abnormal creatures, she seemed to be the most normal one here - fragile, almost too human compared to the twisted individuals surrounding the table.

I sipped my tea thoughtfully, my eyes still on her, until-

'Weird...'

I thought, my brow furrowing as I lowered the cup.

There was something off.

The tea - it tasted strange.

I glanced at the liquid in the cup, noticing the color wasn't quite right.

There was a faint, unsettling hue swirling within.

A subtle difference, but enough to make me question it.

'Is that red?'

My heart skipped a beat.

'Are they drinking blood?'

Panic surged through me.

I fought to keep a calm face, but internally, my mind was spiraling.

'Wait... what if it's drugs? Or poison? Are they planning to kill me?! I don't want to die! I haven't even helped Penelope yet! I still want to go back!'

I gripped the teacup tighter, my mind conjuring different kind of images.

I could already picture it.

They'd throw my body into the woods.

My body would be left to rot - or worse, my dead butt would be fucked by some beast!