Lydia had heard everything from outside, even without stepping into the room.
As the head maid, her presence alone made the maids stiffen and bow slightly.
She took in the chaos — the scattered bedsheets, the destroyed portrait a few feet from Alaric, and Poppy trembling with a pillow in her hand.
Her lips parted in disbelief. She thought she'd misheard, but now, there was no denying it.
How did things get reversed?! How could she attack their vicious Young Master?!
Before she could speak, Alaric's suddenly wild smile as he stood from the bed, made her heart drop, as well as the other maids.
They froze in fear, knowing what was coming next as he walked to the broken portrait on the floor.
Without wasting a second, Lydia signaled to the maids: "What are you doing?! Get her out. Now!"
Immediately, the scared maids held Poppy just as his fingers brushed the edge of the ruined frame.
"Hurry, ma'am!" one whispered urgently.
Poppy didn't resist even as they dragged her out, shutting the door immediately. They took her out of the suite.
Alaric paused as the door shut behind them. His brows creased as he dropped the frame.
"That girl..." He thought grudgingly, "...she has balls."
Outside, Lydia exhaled the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "I am so sorry for the outburst, Mrs. Langford. But you can't go in there till the Young Master calms down. You'll have to relocate to the west wing till—"
"Why is there a mad man in this house?!" Poppy interrupted blandly.
Lydia frowned slightly, hating that Poppy addressed the Young Master like that again in front of the maids. With a flick of her hand, the maids hurriedly left them.
"It's not very wise to address Young Master Alaric Langford as mad, Mrs. Langford. And no less, in front of the maids. He may not be in his best condition because of his... sickness, but he is still the Young Master, and your husband."
The words hit Poppy like a slap. Her hands went cold instantly.
"Husband?!" She shook her head violently. "No. No, that's not possible. There must be some mistake!"
Lydia frowned slightly. "There is no mistake, Mrs. Langford. Young Master Alaric is your husband."
Poppy felt the ground tilt beneath her feet. When she ran out of the room earlier after he'd scared her, she'd thought of how possible it was for a mad man to invade this tightly guarded house. But what she'd never imagined was that the mad man was her...
"No…" she whispered shakily. "No, this can't be happening! T-there's no way—"
Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. "I can't be married—! No. No. No!" Before Lydia could stop her, she turned and bolted.
"Mrs. Langford!" Lydia called, but Poppy didn't look back.
She didn't even realize when she left the mansion. Her lungs burned as she sprinted past buildings, past the tall hedges and stone fences, and through an open gate, but she didn't care.
All she knew was that she needed to get away from that house.
How could this happen to her again after everything she'd been through?!
Just when she thought she'd been given a second chance at life...
She was tied to a freaking mad man?!
Tears began to blur her vision. She wiped them furiously, but they kept coming.
She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't stop running. Not even when startled workers who she ran past called after her.
Her escape came to a sudden halt when she reached a tall fence at the edge of the estate which stretched endlessly in both directions.
Poppy frowned when she realized there was no way out from here.
"Are you planning to climb it?"
The familiar mocking voice that came from behind her froze her in place.
Slowly, she turned to see Old Mrs. Langford sitting in a sleek black wheelchair with the same man from yesterday standing behind her.
"Go on. Jump. I'd love to see if you can make it over. Watching you try might even cure my back pain."
Poppy's face flushed red with humiliation. She quickly wiped her face, smearing away the tears and sweat. "I… wasn't—" she began weakly, but the old woman's raised brow silenced her.
Then she controlled the electronic wheelchair and it turned away. "Come. I detest talking while sitting still. Walk with me."
Poppy hesitated only for a heartbeat before following her.
As she walked beside her, Old Mrs. Langford's gaze slid down, pausing at Poppy's bare legs. Her brows arched slightly but she said nothing.
The short walk ended when they got to a beautiful gazebo draped in soft white curtains, and decorated with flowers.
A round table was at the center, adorned with fine silverware and trays of steaming food which some maids served.
The old woman wheeled herself to the table. "Sit. I'm positive you haven't had breakfast."
Poppy sat opposite from her.
"Get her something to wear on her feet, Liam. It's disturbing watching that," Old Mrs. Langford ordered, and Liam left at once.
Embarrassed, Poppy cleared her throat. "Old Mrs. Lang—"
"Pancakes?" The Old woman interrupted as the maids started serving them.
Poppy paused. "Uhm... yes, please."
A maid immediately placed pancakes on her plate.
While they served them, the Old woman remembered something. "Where is she?" She asked one of the maids.
But before the girl could answer, "I'm here, Granny!" Sarah walked hurriedly to Old Mrs. Langfords's side with an innocent smile.
Poppy's fist tightened around her fork as she saw her. The last person she wanted to see right now was Sarah.
The old woman didn't look up. She just kept eating. "You're late."
"Forgive me, Granny. It won't happen again."
"I hope it doesn't. I've told you before... Carrying my great great grandchild doesn't stop me from giving you punishments when you're wrong. You understand this, don't you?"
Sarah's smile faltered, "Yes, Granny. I understand." But just as she regained her smile, her eyes moved to Poppy who sat opposite the Old woman.
Her face dropped.
Why was Poppy here?
The Old woman has never allowed anyone to have breakfast with her!
She frowned slightly.
Liam finally returned with the pair of slippers. But he wasn't alone. Behind him, James strolled casually into the gazebo.
His face hardened the moment his eyes fell on Poppy.
What was she doing here?!
Poppy also frowned on seeing him, but his frown dissolved when the Old woman's eyes fell on him.
"Good morning, Granny."
The old woman's eyes flickered to James as she took a slow sip of her tea. "You're up early."
"Ah... Yes, Granny. I have an appointment to keep."
Old Mrs. Langford paused. "An appointment?"
"Actually, Granny. It's for Sarah. Her doctor asked her to come in this morning for a checkup and I have to be there with her. I came to get your permission to let her go for a few hours."
The Old woman's eyes drifted to Sarah's flat stomach for a fleeting second before returning to her plate. "It's not up to me to grant you that permission, James. Have you spoken to your Uncle's wife?"
James's jaw tightened. "I—"
"You haven't forgotten your punishment, have you?"
James stiffened but quickly forced a charming smile. "Not at all, Granny. In fact, I'd been searching everywhere for her. Who knew she was dining with you?"
Old Mrs. Langford said nothing and kept eating.
James's jaw ticked as he turned to Poppy. He'd never imagined himself begging before, no less to the first woman who'd ever laid her hands on him. It irked him beyond measure.
But he couldn't let it show before his Granny.
"Mrs. Bella... Would you be kind enough to let me take the day off?" He strained.
For the first time today, the corner of Poppy's lips twitched. "A full day? Do you plan on getting another job after your appointment?"
"You—!" James flared, pointing a trembling finger at her.
"I mean you only need a few hours... Why are you taking the whole day off? What if I have to go out? You haven't even started and you're already demanding for a lot."
The Old woman smiled faintly. "Getting complaints like this on your first day makes you incompetent, James. Hurry and return."
James was furious, but he forced a smile. "Yes, Granny. We'll be quick."
Sarah also forced a smile. "Thank you, Granny."
They turned to leave, but, "Aren't you forgetting something?" Old Mrs. Langford asked dryly.
Understanding what she meant, James's fists clenched. He slowly turned to Poppy. "Thank you, Mrs. Bella."
"Yes... Thank you, Mrs. Bella." Sarah forced a smile.
For every reason, those words annoyed Poppy. "Mm."
As they left, her hand tightened around her napkin. Something didn't feel right.
When they disappeared through the garden path, Poppy quietly set her fork down. "Excuse me."
Old Mrs. Langford didn't even look up. "If you plan to run again, aim for the east side this time. The dogs like a challenge."
"I... just need some air."
When the Old woman said nothing, Poppy stood up and slipped away, following James and Sarah's path.
The moment she left, the Old woman looked at Liam.
"She really spent the night with Mr. Alaric, Old Mrs. Langford."
The Old woman frowned. "Did something happen between them or was he knocked out by the drug?"
"Lydia wasn't sure about that information. But she did say something weird."
She raised a brow.
"She attacked Mr. Alaric instead this morning."
The Old woman fell speechless.