Maya smiled—a cold, cruel smile. "We'll find out her secrets. Everyone has secrets. And when we discover hers, we'll expose them in the most damaging way possible."
She looked out the window toward Samuel and Heena's quarters.
"You think you've won, little servant girl? You have no idea what you've walked into. This household will destroy you, just like it's destroyed everyone else who didn't know their place."
But Maya didn't know—couldn't know—that she was up against someone who had survived multiple worlds, toppled empires, and outmaneuvered opponents far more dangerous than one jealous merchant's wife.
The game was just beginning.
And Heena was playing to win.
And so began Maya's secret plan to discover Heena's weaknesses and destroy her reputation.
It would have sounded really strategic and impressive—like a hunter carefully stalking their prey—if the execution hadn't been so absolutely, embarrassingly terrible.
---
''[Morning - The Pond]''
