Chapter 21: The Property Deed
A Tense Dinner
Dinner was unbearably tense.
Mrs. Jennings arrived, looking as elegant as ever in a silk pantsuit, but her expression was pure disdain.
Her eyes flickered toward Sonya, a slow smirk curling on her lips.
“Some people,” she sneered, “are just born to be servants.”
The insult was clearly meant for Sonya but was delivered to Yang, the housekeeper.
Yang, unfazed, ignored her and disappeared into the kitchen.
Once inside, she muttered to Sonya, her voice laced with sympathy.
“Ms. Ella… you’re a doctor at a major hospital. Smart, beautiful, great personality… It’s just… your judgment was… off.”
Sonya chuckled, stirring a pot of soup.
“My eyesight was a little blurry back then.”
Yang sighed.
“It’s one thing to break up, but the way they behaved… it was blatant bullying.”
Sonya stirred the soup slowly. Her expression unreadable.
“Bullying never ends well.”
Mrs. Jennings Takes Her Seat
Mrs. Jennings descended the stairs, her arm linked possessively with Seraphina.
Julian followed behind them, his expression tight.
Mrs. Jennings pulled Seraphina onto her lap as they sat at the table.
“Seraphina, darling, how’s your appetite tonight?”
Seraphina hesitated.
“I threw up twice.”
Mrs. Jennings gasped dramatically.
“Threw up? Did something disagree with you?”
Seraphina remained silent.
Mrs. Jennings immediately found her target.
“Sonya!” she snapped. “I warn you, don’t pull any tricks. Take good care of my daughter-in-law. If you don’t, you won’t get a dime of your pay!”
Sonya set a platter of braised beef on the table, her voice calm.
“I don’t want your pay.”
Mrs. Jennings’ eyes narrowed.
“See?! I told you she has an ulterior motive!”
She turned to Seraphina.
“You still let her work here as a housekeeper? You’re too naive! She’ll seduce Julian!”
Seraphina whispered,
“I trust Julian.”
Mrs. Jennings scoffed.
“Trust that cat? He’s a player!”
Julian frowned, his jaw tightening.
“Mom, can we just eat dinner?”
Mrs. Jennings huffed.
“Anyway, I don’t trust her being here.”
Sonya placed the soup on the table.
“Then convince your son to fire me.”
Mrs. Jennings scoffed.
“She’s the one clinging to him!”
Sonya turned to Julian, her voice calm but sharp.
“Julian Jennings, am I clinging to you?”
Julian looked annoyed.
“Just eat,” he growled.
Mrs. Jennings, still fuming, served Seraphina a generous portion of beef.
Seraphina, in turn, served her mother-in-law a piece of lamb stew.
Mrs. Jennings, caught off guard, smiled.
“Oh, you’re so thoughtful, darling.”
Then she ate it.
Only then did Seraphina start eating.
Julian? He barely looked up from his plate.
A Suspicious Ingredient
Back in the kitchen, Sonya and Yang were cleaning up.
Yang suddenly picked up a small, opened bag of white powder.
Her brow furrowed.
“Ms. Ella, what’s this?”
Sonya glanced at it.
“Rat poison.”
Yang’s eyes widened.
“Rat… poison?”
“Yeah.”
Yang’s gaze darted toward the stew pot.
A horrifying realization dawned on her.
Her face went pale.
“You didn’t… put it in the soup, did you?”
Panic at the Dinner Table
Mrs. Jennings’ voice floated from the dining room.
“This soup tastes… strange. But ginseng and chicken soup is good for you. Drink up, you two.”
Yang’s heart dropped.
“DON’T DRINK IT!”
She rushed into the dining room.
Seraphina, Julian, and Mrs. Jennings were sipping their soup.
Yang screamed.
“The soup is poisoned!”
Mrs. Jennings slammed her spoon down.
“WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!”
Yang pointed at Sonya.
“It’s true! Ms. Ella put rat poison in it!”
A bowl slipped from Mrs. Jennings’ hands, shattering on the floor.
Her face went ghostly pale.
“I… I already drank a bowl!”
She clutched her stomach, panic setting in.
Seraphina, who had also taken a few sips, suddenly gagged.
“I feel sick!”
Julian looked toward the kitchen door.
Sonya was leaning against it.
Arms crossed.
A wide, wicked grin stretched across her face.
When their gazes met, she bared her teeth.
Julian sighed.
“She didn’t poison it.”
Mrs. Jennings and Seraphina ignored him, frantically trying to vomit.
“My stomach hurts!” Mrs. Jennings cried. “Call an ambulance!”
Julian tried to stop them, but Mrs. Jennings was hysterical.
Minutes later, an ambulance arrived.
Mrs. Jennings clung to Seraphina as they rushed out.
She tried to pull Julian along.
But he refused.
So she took Seraphina and left without him.
A Late-Night Revelation
When Julian returned home, he found Sonya eating.
She looked up and smirked.
“My braised beef is delicious. Want some more?”
Julian, who hadn’t eaten properly all day, felt a twinge in his stomach.
“If you keep this up, I’ll really tear down your parents’ house.”
Sonya’s expression turned unreadable.
“Julian Jennings,” she said softly, “there’s a limit to how much you can bully someone. Believe me… next time, I might really poison you all.”
Julian stared at her.
A wave of sadness washed over him.
How had things come to this?
The Property Deed
Later, Ashley called.
“Seraphina’s back in the hospital. Paparazzi hounded her, and she allegedly suffered a miscarriage.”
Sonya recounted the day’s events.
Ashley burst into laughter.
“Serves them right! Who told them to bully you?”
Sonya sighed.
“I bet they won’t let me cook for them again.”
Ashley snorted.
“Good riddance.”
Then, Ashley sent a screenshot.
“Sonya, you’re trending. Someone’s claiming you’re clinging to Julian again. They say Seraphina lost the baby because she caught you two having an affair.”
Sonya rolled her eyes.
“Hilarious.”
Ashley hesitated.
“If you’re renting that villa, you should post the lease agreement to shut them up.”
Sonya stared at the ceiling.
“There’s no need.”
Then—she saw something else online.
A fan had posted:
“Sonya’s fiancé just posted the property deed for her villa! It’s in her name!”
Sonya’s breath caught.
She clicked the link.
The top post?
A picture of the property deed.
And beneath it—a message:
“My fiancée prefers to stay out of the limelight. But some people shouldn’t mistake her silence for weakness. She has me.”
The IP address?
The United States.
It was from Henry.
