Chapter 75

Lucius’s mood darkened again as he observed Violet, who consistently seemed to avoid him like a timid mouse avoiding a cat, yet behaved differently around others.

He cleared his throat loudly to announce his presence.

Half–asleep, Violet was startled awake by the sound and was immediately confronted by Lucius’s cold and stern face.

She quickly sat up, nearly throwing Regina’s hand out of the bed, but managed to gently place it back under the covers.

Violet tried to be as quiet as possible to avoid disturbing Regina, yet Lucius could still detect her cautiousness towards him.

“I’m sorry,” she offered a timid apology.

It wasn’t a big deal; Lucius understood that without Regina’s permission, Violet wouldn’t have been in that bed.

Yet he expressed his displeasure, and questioned her sense of propriety. “Sleeping in just any bed?

Haven’t figured out your place yet?”

Feeling self–conscious about her place in Lucius’s eyes and about sleeping in Regina’s bed, Violet’s head dipped.

“If it were a man in this bed, would it matter to you?” Even though Lucius was oblivious to his underlying resentment, his remarks were filled with a concealed sting.

Violet blinked, perplexed and unable to understand his argument. Was it her sharing Regina’s bed that – disturbed him, or the concept that she’d sleep in anyone’s bed?

Lucius, irritated by her innocent expression, commanded coldly, “Go outside and weed the garden!”

Violet looked at Regina before leaving, as told.

Later, when Regina awoke to find Lucius beside her, she was overjoyed and conversed eagerly.

Lucius, usually impatient, showed endless tolerance for Regina. He patiently listened to her, not showing any sign of annoyance.

“Where’s Vivi?” Regina eventually noticed Violet’s absence; she knew Violet was always nearby and unlikely to be avoiding her duties.

She turned to look at Lucius.

“I sent her to weed the garden,” Lucius acknowledged, somewhat hesitantly. “Today, I’ll keep you company.”

Regina peered outside and noticed a little figure, nearly swallowed up by the vast grass field.

She didn’t protest Lucius’s arrangement, but said casually, “I heard the temperature outside is going to exceed +15 BONOS Lucius’s brow twisted slightly, but he offered no response to her remark.

“It looks like it’s going to get even hotter, maybe hitting fifty degrees. That kind of heat could practically roast someone,” Regina half–joked, commenting on the extreme temperatures. “At the very least, it’d get to medium rare.”

Lucius clinched his brows and gazed out the window.

The house, situated on the plains, meant the sun rose early. While the air conditioning kept the room comfortable, the outside world blazed under the scorching sun.

He made no move to call Violet back inside. He believed she was sensible enough to avoid unnecessary suffering and would return once the heat became unbearable.

Lucius wasn’t known for his leniency.

Violet, on the other hand, seemed undeterred by the scorching sun. Her hand–weeding process was slow, making it look like she hadn’t moved at all.

Lucius fiddled with his cuffs, becoming increasingly irritated. He got to his feet, and said, “I’ll get you something to eat.”

Under normal circumstances, a mere word from him would have had the servants bring the food, yet he chose to go out himself.

George was right outside the door, always ready to attend to Lucius.

“Master Lucius?”

He intended to ask if Lucius required anything. Without asking George to fetch the food, Lucius continued outside, with George following him.

The view from downstairs was more expansive due to bulletproof glass walls that provided an unobstructed view of the outside.

Lucius’s expression grew more stern. As he took a lunch tray upstairs, he told George, “Tell Agatha the temperature will rise to fifty today.”

George maintained a neutral expression, standing by respectfully, ready for further instructions.

Lucius, however, was already on his way upstairs.

Left to his own thoughts, George contemplated Lucius’s motive for sending such a message to Violet.

Despite his intelligence, he couldn’t deduce Lucius’s intentions. Despite that, he faithfully conveyed the message to Violet as instructed.

Violet, who was nearly sunburned to a charred outside, exhaled heavily when she heard George’s message, and muttered, “That explains it.”

George then went back inside.

“What was her response?” Lucius asked George after Regina had finished her porridge.

+15 BONOS George, after a brief thought, answered honestly, “Ms. Agatha said, ‘That explains it.“”

“And what exactly does that explain?” Lucius pressed.

“She didn’t elaborate,” George replied.

Lucius locked his sight on him, as if his penetrating glance could physically harm George.

George brushed away his sweat, becoming increasingly bewildered by Lucius‘ erratic mood swings.

“If that’s the case, let her stay out in the sun!” Lucius thought, wishing she would just bake out there. In a fit of rage, he hurriedly ascended the stairs.

George observed Lucius’s departure, slowly realizing something. He wondered if Lucius had rekindled his feelings for Agatha. In his eyes, Agatha had a certain charm that seemed to soften Lucius’s edges.

This led George to consider whether it was time to address a certain issue.

Knowing it was futile to hide anything from Lucius, George understood it was only a matter of time before Lucius discovered any secrets.