"Exactly. Miss Shaw is back, so what’s *she* still doing here?"
"Who knows? Let her strut around a bit longer while Miss Shaw isn’t back yet."
Sophie Sullivan could vaguely hear the maids’ mocking words through the door panel.
Miss Shaw is back? Who is Miss Shaw? Minimus Hart just left, and now another woman is back? Is Miss Shaw the substitute Thomas Shannon found?
Sophie Sullivan sat back down by the bedside.
What should I do... My voice hasn’t recovered yet, and the scars on my face definitely need Thomas Shannon’s help for treatment. What should I do? What now?
Sophie anxiously clutched the bedsheet. Just as she was at her wits’ end, the bedroom door opened.
Two maidens looked at her with strange expressions. "The Young Master is looking for you."
It took Sophie a few seconds to react. She chuckled softly and walked out.
She had no time to argue with these maidens.
She had more important things to do.
In the luxurious and grand main hall, Thomas Shannon sat with his long legs crossed, a cigarette with a flickering tip pinched between his fingers.
He only held it, not actually smoking it.
Harry jumped onto his shoulder, rubbing his fluffy head against Thomas Shannon’s handsome face. Annoyed, Thomas Shannon grabbed him, pressed him onto the sofa, and warned, "Behave yourself!"
"MEOW." Harry whimpered, wagging his tail dejectedly and lowering his head.
"Young Master, you were looking for me?" Sophie looked up at Thomas Shannon.
He seemed to be in a very bad mood.
Where is Miss Shaw? Hasn’t she returned yet?
After glancing around and finding no trace of anyone who might be Miss Shaw, Sophie’s heart eased slightly.
"What are you looking around for?" Thomas Shannon’s icy voice rang out, carrying a touch of deliberate annoyance.
"What’s with that look? Are you defiant?"
Suppressing her displeasure, Sophie asked, "Young Master, what do you want me to say?"
Thomas Shannon took a deep drag from his cigarette, exhaling a long plume of white smoke. His deep, cold gaze fixed on her intently.
Her figure was excellent, though her voice was flawed. As for that half of her face... it was hard to put into words.
"Where’s the mask I gave you?"
Wasn’t she supposed to wear the mask all the time? How dare she walk around with such an ugly face!
"Young Master, have you forgotten? The mask was left in your bedroom. When you threw me out, I didn’t have time to grab it."
"Enough. No one wants to hear your excuses." Thomas Shannon interrupted her irritably. "Go take a bath."
Sophie lowered her eyelids. "Yes."
Although she didn’t know why, he was clearly in a bad mood, and she didn’t dare ask further.
She didn’t want to be in his line of fire when he was angry.
At the imposing castle gates, Edward Benson’s McLaren came to a halt.
Having seen who it was, the bodyguard quickly let him through. "Young Master Benson, please come in."
Edward Benson looked at the woman in the passenger’s seat—tranquil, serene, with an air of quiet elegance. "Are you ready?"
Amelia Shaw turned her head, smiling faintly. "Yes, I’m ready."
Shannons’ Manor. Two years had passed, and I’m back.
Thomas Shannon, it’s been two years. How have you been?
Suppressing the surging emotions within her heart, Amelia Shaw took a deep breath. As Edward Benson drove the car into the manor, her heart grew increasingly calm.
Just as Sophie finished her bath and walked out of the bath chamber in a bathrobe, she was immediately grabbed by a maid who had entered at some unknown point. "What do you want?"
"The Young Master has given you a task. You just need to do as you’re told." The maid had no time to explain and quickly led her to the cloakroom.