Lucille came out of the bathroom, put on her dress, and walked toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Edward asked.
"That's none of your business," she snapped coldly. She opened the door and walked out without looking back.
Edward slowly got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. After some time, he returned, then quickly got dressed.
His eyes wandered around the room before they stopped on the bed, still messy and tangled. His gaze fell on the wet spot, the proof of what he had forced to happen.
For a moment, he thought about calling Lucille back to clean it. A smirk tugged at his lips. But then his smile vanished, replaced by anger.
If she didn't even react to finding them in bed like that… would a dirty sheet be what finally broke her?
His brows furrowed as he looked at the door. Mabel had been furious, he could feel it. But did it matter to him? Not really. What mattered was hurting Lucille, cutting her where she'd feel it the most.
He stormed out of the bedroom. As soon as he stepped into the sitting room, two pairs of eyes locked on him.
Mabel. And Mark.
Mabel's eyes were burning with rage. But Mark's, his were different. They held pain. Disappointment. Maybe even confusion. Mabel must've told him everything.
Mabel got up and rushed out, leaving the two men alone.
"Why?" Mark asked quietly the second she left.
"She said Lucille barged in without knocking," he added, his voice tight. "But I know that's not true."
"You told me to call her. You knew she'd come. Why would you... why would you do this?" Mark ran a hand through his hair, his face full of disbelief.
Edward collapsed onto the sofa, letting his head fall back. His forehead creased in frustration.
Mark kept his eyes on him, studying his face closely, trying to read the emotions that were hidden behind his silence.
"You wanted her to be jealous, didn't you?" Mark asked quietly, hoping for some kind of explanation. Maybe Edward would admit it was a mistake, but the silence stretched on. Mark knew he was right.
"Eddy," Mark said softly, lowering his voice so no one else could hear, "You really wanted her jealous, didn't you?"
Mark's gaze slowly shifted away from Edward, his eyes dropping to the floor. He blinked, as though trying to push away the thought that had just settled in his mind.
"You love her," he muttered, almost to himself.
Edward froze, his body tensing at the words. He looked at Mark in shock.
"What?" Edward's voice trembled. "Love her? How could you think that?"
Mark shook his head slowly, his face serious. "It's true, Eddy. That's the only reason you did all this."
"No, you're wrong!" Edward snapped, his voice sharp.
"I'm right," Mark replied firmly, without hesitation.
Edward took a deep breath, his shoulders slumping as the truth began to slip out. "Fine. I just wanted her to feel bad. That's all. Nothing more."
Mark's eyes darkened. "And you didn't care about Mabel's feelings? Her pride, her privacy? All because you wanted an omega to suffer?" Mark shook his head slowly, his disappointment clear. "Whether you admit it or not, it's because you love Lucille. You wanted to hurt her."
Edward was silent, his mind a mess of thoughts he couldn't put into words. His lips parted, but no sound came out.
"Mabel means nothing to you," Mark said, his voice steady. "I thought you loved her, but now, I'm seeing the truth."
He understood what Edward had done. Mark's brows furrowed, his mind working through the situation.
Suddenly, memories from that day flooded back. The day Edward first met Lucille. Mark had been driving with him, and he remembered how much Edward had liked her. It wasn't about her rank. Edward had said, "Her wolf is just as beautiful as she is."
But then, after others gave him reasons why Lucille wasn't suitable to be seen with him, everything changed. Edward started hating her, pushing others to mistreat her.
Now, Mark understood. Edward had never stopped liking Lucille. The way he hurt her was just a mask for his true feelings. And now, he didn't even care about disrespecting an elite like Mabel, just to make Lucille jealous.
"You're misunderstanding this," Edward finally spoke, his voice barely audible.
"Misunderstanding?" Mark repeated, his voice filled with disbelief.
He leaned forward, his eyes locking onto Edward. "Tell me the truth, Eddy. Look deep in your heart before you answer this."
Mark sat up straight, studying Edward closely, before asking, "Have you ever loved Mabel?"
Edward opened his mouth, but no words came out. Mark nodded slowly, his face softening with understanding.
"Forget it," Mark muttered.
Outside, Mabel, with the help of a servant, found Lucille's room. She knocked heavily on the door.
Lucille, who had stopped crying but still had tear stains on her face, quickly wiped her eyes.
She rushed into the bathroom, splashed water on her face, and dried it carefully. When she returned to her room, she looked at herself in the mirror and shook her head in dissatisfaction.
The knock came again, louder, as if trying to break the door down. Then came a familiar voice.
"Lucille!" Mabel screamed.
Lucille flinched. It was Mabel. What did she want now? In a hurry, Lucille grabbed a bit of powder and applied it to her face, then studied her reflection again. She looked better, but still tense.
Wiping her hands, she went to the door, unlocked it, and opened it.
"Fool! How long does it take you to open a door!" Mabel barked, her voice full of anger.
She tried to push past, but Lucille stepped in front, blocking her way.
Mabel snorted. "I demand an apology!" she spat, her words sharp.
"For what?" Lucille asked, knowing full well Mabel was here to cause trouble.
"Don't pretend you don't know what you did!" Mabel yelled, her anger rising.
"I don't know," Lucille replied, her voice calm but firm, unmoved by Mabel's rage.
Mabel stared at her for a moment, then scoffed in disbelief. "You didn't knock! Even if you did, when no one answered, shouldn't you have waited for a response before barging in?"
"Fine. Even if you were in a hurry, when you opened the door and saw what was happening, shouldn't you have just left?" Mabel's voice was low, but full of anger.
"You're an adult, Lucille. So tell me, did you do the right thing?"
Lucille let out a small, amused laugh. "So you think I'd want to watch a boring sex scene? A scene that didn't even arouse me?" She spoke calmly, but her words hit Mabel hard, cutting deeper than expected.
It was clear, Lucille was insulting her again.
"You should ask your man," Lucille continued casually, "the one who wanted me to watch."
"You're lying!" Mabel shouted.
"He would never do that!" she argued, her voice rising.
Lucille laughed bitterly, then stopped abruptly. Her gaze locked onto Mabel, intense and unwavering.
"I'll help you, Mabel Fletcher. Listen closely." Lucille took a deep breath. "He wanted me. I turned him down. So he used you to get back at me, to make me feel bad. But, unfortunately for him, my omega men are better in bed than he is."
"Shut up!" Mabel snapped, furious.
"He loves me," Mabel insisted. "He wouldn't do that!"
Lucille shrugged indifferently. "How come he didn't react when you first saw me? How come he didn't cover up right away?"
She gave a small smirk. "Because he wanted me to see it. He wanted to show me his masculinity, to make me want him. But I don't. And I won't."
"Shut—"
"Hey, relax. I'm not done," Lucille cut her off quickly.
"You should be worrying about his feelings for you. He doesn't love you! You're just his toy!" Lucille spat, her words sharp and fierce.
Mabel stood frozen, unable to respond. Lucille's words hit her like a blow, sinking deep. The truth was rising inside her, but she shook her head, refusing to accept it.
"Trust me," Lucille continued coldly. "By the time you go back to him and repeat what I said, he'll call me. He'll ask me to clean his pool or wash the entire house."
With that, Lucille slammed the door.
Mabel flinched, her face twisted with fury. She pressed her forehead, feeling a sharp pain shoot through it. The door had hit her. That foolish girl dared slam the door in her face!
Angrily, Mabel stormed out, but that one question still gnawed at her.
Did Edward truly love her?