The atmosphere in the room was delicate.
There was an indescribable heaviness, as if the air had turned to substance, making each breath a struggle.
Phoebe clutched her cane tightly against her chest, her back ramrod straight, not daring to let the slightest bit of her shoes loosen.
Seated beside her were Carlotta and Phrolova.
From the corner of her eye, she secretly observed the expressionless Phrolova. However, the other clearly noticed her gaze and turned to look at her with cold, indifferent eyes.
"Mmm..."
Phoebe's shoulders trembled slightly. She hastily looked away and, like a child who had done something wrong, turned to Ray in confusion.
Her fingertips unconsciously traced the patterns on her cane, soothing her restless heart.
So, what was going on here?
Why, aside from Miss Carlotta, was there Miss Phrolova here?
And there seemed to be some unspoken tension between them, a strange friction.
In the past few minutes alone, silent, razor-sharp glances had been exchanged beside her multiple times.
And Mr. Ray...
If Miss Carlotta was truly his lover, then those vague feelings she had harbored...
For some reason, a dull pain suddenly gripped her chest, as if an invisible weight were pressing down on her, making even breathing difficult.
Phoebe unconsciously clutched the fabric of her skirt, leaving small wrinkles in the material.
So this quietly growing affection was destined to be buried forever before it could even see the light of day...
Her violet eyes trembled slightly, reflecting the shifting shadows of the room and the figure that left her so lost.
"So, I am Ray's lover—undisputed."
Carlotta's voice cut through the stagnant air. She sat upright on the sofa, arms crossed.
The Second Young Miss of the Montelli family never allowed herself to lose control in any situation, she was accustomed to keeping everything firmly in her grasp.
Faced with these unwanted entanglements, it was time to assert her position as the rightful partner!
Phoebe lowered her head in silence.
Her gentle nature had always put her on the weaker side in every aspect though she occasionally mustered courage to shoulder responsibilities.
But just now... in front of his real lover, she had spoken such careless words.
Guilt coiled around her heart like vines, forcing her to bury her burning face even lower, chewing on this embarrassment in silence.
"So what?"
Phrolova chuckled softly, as if mocking her ignorance.
"I told you before, you were never the first."
"You just happened to be in the right place at the right time, meeting him before he had awakened."
"Those forgotten pasts still shadow him. Even if memories are sealed, the marks carved into his soul will still guide him toward his destined path."
"As for me..." Her gaze drifted through the flickering lamplight, as if looking into a distant past. "I only wish to write the final melody for an unfinished movement."
"I... I'm just reminiscing about the past, wanting to play the unfinished melody with him."
Phrolova's words were still cryptic especially to Ray.
Perhaps because she had wandered too long in the passage of time, her speech always carried a detached, obscure quality, forever trapped in an unfinished story.
The night wind outside the window suddenly grew restless, making the blinds tap softly, as if echoing this enigmatic confession.
"I have no patience for your riddles." Carlotta huffed coldly. "You're just trapped by the past, stubbornly treating Ray as a ghost of what was, clinging to him relentlessly."
"To me, he is not a substitute for anyone!"
"Ray is Ray!"
Carlotta would never allow anyone to treat her lover as a replaceable object, that would be an insult to her and a trampling of Ray's dignity.
"Substitute?" A faint smile curled at the corner of Phrolova's lips, as if she had heard some amusing fallacy. "What an interesting metaphor."
"But... what a pity." The corner of Phrolova's mouth lifted, then she shook her head gently. "You've probably misunderstood something. The ties between him and me run far deeper than you imagine."
As she spoke, her gaze shifted between Carlotta and Ray, finally settling into a meaningful smile. "Besides, if we're talking seniority... you really can't compare to me."
Wow, a senior.
I admire you so much, senior.
As if!
The situation was urgent, and Carlotta wasn't about to be led around by the nose by Phrolova.
Her gaze drifted to Phoebe, who still had her head lowered. "What about you, Phoebe?"
The young woman, suddenly called upon, trembled like a startled little animal. Her lips parted and closed several times, but only a few faint sounds escaped.
"I..."
"Li...ke..."
"Don't..."
The rest of her words dissolved into indistinct murmurs, lost in her clenched fingers and flushed ears.
She hugged her cane tighter, as if it were her only refuge. Her violet eyes reflected the warm lamplight, but she dared not meet anyone's gaze.
"Huh? What?" Carlotta frowned, unable to catch what the young woman had said. Just as she was about to press further, Phrolova interrupted her.
"Instead of asking us, why don't you ask the person in question what he thinks?"
These words were like a wake-up call, snapping the Second Young Miss out of her interrogation.
She abruptly turned, her gaze shooting like an arrow toward the corner where Ray was quietly enjoying his already-cold pizza, as if he were a bystander.
"Cat's Eye, don't you have anything to say about this fire you've started?"
Ray's hand, holding the pizza, paused slightly. A bitter smile touched his lips.
In the end, he couldn't escape this question.
He gently set down the pizza and looked calmly at Carlotta. "Then, Second Young Miss, are you willing to trust me?"
"Trust?" Carlotta was taken aback, her long lashes fluttering. "What do you mean by that?"
"If you've already decided I'm guilty in your heart, then nothing I say will matter. So, tell me, are you still willing to trust me?"
Carlotta unconsciously rubbed her fingertips, feeling the coolness between them.
After a long moment, she finally took a deep breath. "Yes, I trust you."
"Then the answer is clear." Ray's tone was calm and open. "I have never betrayed you, Second Young Miss. Not with my encounters with Phoebe, not with my promises to Phrolova, not even with Cantarella's entanglement."
At least, for now, he had nothing to be ashamed of.
As for the future...
Who knows?
Carlotta was silent for a moment, then her gaze pursued him like intertwining threads. "That's never what I wanted to ask. I'm asking you, what are your true feelings for Phoebe, for Phrolova, for that jellyfish?"
The air suddenly froze.
"Suddenly, I feel like sleeping. Second Young Miss, we should get some rest."