It was mid-afternoon when Trisha pushed open the glass door of the sunroom, pausing as she spotted Sasha sitting on the edge of a velvet chaise, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. The sunlight caught the shimmer of tears on her cheeks, but even in distress, Sasha looked perfectly composed like someone who knew how to cry without smudging her mascara.
Trisha arched a brow, stepping closer. "Sasha? What happened?"
Sasha sniffled and dabbed delicately at her eyes with a silk handkerchief. "It's nothing… I shouldn't even say it," she whispered, voice laced with trembling sadness.
Trisha folded her arms, suspicious. "Don't start and then stop. Out with it."
Sasha looked up at her with large, wounded eyes, the kind that begged for sympathy. "It's just… Ana. She's been getting far too close to my husband. Everyone thinks she's so innocent, but you know how men are. Especially when a girl like her throws herself at them." She let out a soft, pained laugh. "Maybe I was foolish to believe a surrogate would know her place."
Trisha's face darkened. "She's sleeping with him?"
Sasha hesitated, then gave a subtle nod, her voice soft. "I didn't want to believe it… but the way he looks at her. How she smiles at him. It's clear something's going on."
Trisha clenched her fists. "That little snake…"
Sasha leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. "But please don't do anything reckless. We mustn't cause a scene."
But Trisha was already storming off.
Sasha stared at her departing back with a cunning smile.
Ana was folding her laundry quietly when the door burst open without a knock.
Trisha strode in like a storm cloud, her voice cutting through the air. "You two-faced, low-class whore!"
Ana turned, blinking in disbelief. "Excuse me?"
"You think sleeping your way into power makes you somebody? You're nothing but a leech!" Trisha sneered, stepping closer. "Seducing someone else's husband just to secure your position. You disgusting little..."
"Watch your mouth," Ana said sharply, her eyes narrowing. "I've let a lot of things slide since I got here. I've turned the other cheek, stayed quiet, swallowed my pride but not today."
Trisha scoffed. "Oh please, don't act like a saint now. Everyone knows you're a glorified surrogate-slut."
The word hit like a slap but Ana didn't flinch. She stepped forward and, without warning, struck Trisha across the face with a sharp, echoing slap.
Trisha gasped, stumbling a step back in shock.
And then came the second slap harder.
"You don't get to speak to me like that," Ana shouted, her voice fierce and burning. "Not today. Not ever."
Trisha lunged forward in fury, her hand raised to retaliate, but Ana was faster. She caught Trisha's wrist mid-air, her grip iron-like. Their eyes locked, one filled with stunned rage, the other with blazing defiance.
"I'm not your punching bag," Ana hissed. "And I'm not afraid of you."
With a shove, she pushed Trisha backward, sending her stumbling into the doorway.
Trisha stood frozen, her chest heaving, her cheek burning with humiliation. No one had ever dared touch her like that. Especially not her.
"You'll regret this," she spat, her voice trembling with fury.
But Ana just stared her down, lips curling. "I already regret not doing it sooner."
As Trisha fled the room, her shame twisted into something darker. The hatred she felt now wasn't just rage, it was personal. And she was going to make Ana pay for every bruise, physical or not.
Trisha slammed her bedroom door so hard that one of the framed paintings rattled and tilted sideways. She let out a piercing scream and kicked off her heels, one flying across the room and knocking over a glass vase. Shards scattered, but she didn't care. Her hands trembled as she paced, her cheek still stinging from Reina's slap.
"Who the hell does she think she is?" she seethed, yanking at her earrings and throwing them onto the vanity. "She touched me. That thing put her hands on me."
Her chest heaved with fury. Tears stung her eyes, not from pain, but from humiliation. No one. Not even her own mother had ever dared to lay a hand on her. Not once. And now, some low-born girl, barely worthy of the Fairchild household, had left her face burning and her pride shattered.
A soft knock came at the door before it opened.
"Trisha?" Sasha's voice was all concern and sweetness. "I heard yelling. What happened?"
Trisha turned to her, eyes bloodshot, her voice sharp. "What happened? That bitch hit me, Sasha! Twice!"
Sasha's brows lifted, feigning surprise. "Ana hit you?"
"Slapped me like I was nothing," Trisha snapped, pointing to her cheek. "Me! Trisha Van Doren! She grabbed my hand when I tried to slap her back and pushed me like some common thug!"
Sasha stepped inside, closing the door behind her, her expression unreadable. "Oh, Trish…"
"I went in there to teach her a lesson. You made it sound like she was some fragile thing that would shrink the moment I raised my voice!"
Sasha sighed, her voice calm and almost… amused. "I may have underestimated her spine. She's not as docile as she appears."
Trisha glared at her, clutching a cushion to her chest. "No. She's a snake. A wild one. But I'll make her regret this. She humiliated me, Sasha. I'll destroy her."
Sasha gently sat beside her, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "You should. After all you've done to protect this family's name, to uphold your status, and now this… a low-rent surrogate attacking you."
Trisha bit her lip, her anger simmering into something sharper.
"She's made a fool of you," Sasha added softly, her tone deceptively sympathetic. "And worse… she's got the attention of a man who should have been yours by right."
Trisha's eyes flared. "He barely even notices me anymore."
"Because of her," Sasha whispered, leaning in closer. "Ana's playing the long game. First she gets in Harry's head… then his bed… and before long, who do you think she'll become in this house?"
Trisha's knuckles whitened. "I won't let her."
"Good," Sasha purred, brushing a lock of hair behind Trisha's ear. "Because if anyone deserves to fall… it's her."
Trisha stared into the mirror, her bruised ego reflected back at her. Sasha's words stirred the fire inside her, deepened the cracks in her pride. But what she didn't see was the tiny, satisfied smirk curling at the edge of Sasha's lips as she stood and walked away.
Trisha thought she had an ally.
But Sasha was only feeding the flame.
And Ana… was the target.
In her room, Ana sat on the edge of her bed, her palm resting open on her lap. A red mark bloomed across the center of it, evidence of the fire she'd unleashed on Trisha Van Doren's pampered face.
Nina entered quietly, a knowing smile playing at her lips. "You did good, Miss," she said, her voice proud and affectionate. She carried a small towel and a glass filled with clinking ice cubes.
Ana looked up, her face calm, but her eyes still flickering from the adrenaline. "My hand hurts more than I expected," she murmured.
Nina chuckled softly. "Well, you did slap her like your life depended on it. Twice."
She knelt beside Ana and gently took her hand, wrapping a soft towel around a cube of ice and pressing it into the tender skin. Ana flinched slightly, but relaxed into the cold relief.
"She deserved it," Nina said quietly, dabbing at the swelling. "I saw the whole thing from the corner of the hall. The way she marched in here like she owned the world… thought you'd just bow your head and cry."
Ana didn't answer, her jaw still tight.
"I'm glad Miss showed her you're not one of their toys," Nina added, her voice firmer now. "But Miss…" She paused, locking eyes with her. "You need to be careful."
Ana met her gaze. "I know."
"No, I mean really careful. Miss Trisha's pride is bigger than her brain. She'll come back, meaner, nastier. And Madam Sasha?" Nina's tone dipped into something colder. "That one's poison in pearls. Nothing she does is ever without reason. You have to be very careful of her."
Ana was silent for a long moment. "Why do they hate me so much, Nina?"
Nina wrung the towel slowly. "Because Master Harry loves you."
The word echoed between them.
Ana nodded slowly, her fingers curling lightly around the ice. "Thanks, Nina."
Nina smiled and patted her shoulder. "Anytime. Just promise me next time, don't break your hand trying to humble a witch."
Ana laughed, the sound soft but real.
"I'll try," she said. "No promises."
.