Mia had learned one thing about Blackwood Manor very quickly.
Silence didn't mean peace.
Sometimes, it meant someone was waiting for the right moment to strike.
The mansion was full of silences like that—quiet corners where conversations stopped when she entered, meaningful glances exchanged across candlelit dinners, doors that closed softly behind her as she passed. It was a world of whispered strategies and hidden agendas, and Mia had quickly realized that navigating it required a different kind of survival skill than the ones she had learned in her old life. In the city, danger was loud and obvious. Here, it wore silk and spoke in polite tones.
That morning, Mia walked into the breakfast room wearing a simple cream-colored dress. She had chosen it carefully, wanting to look presenta
