With that, Liesa turned gracefully and walked toward the sofa.
The moment her back faced Angus, Liesa puffed out her cheeks and made a quick face.
Unfortunately, Liesa didn't notice the polished decorative panel nearby.
The surface reflected her expression perfectly.
Angus saw everything.
"Mr. Romano," Liesa said after lying down on the sofa and closing her eyes.
"I'll sleep here tonight. Don't worry," Liesa added lazily.
"Until you accept my 'ulterior motives,' I won't do anything to you."
A trace of disdain flashed through Angus's eyes.
Angus casually grabbed his sleepwear, switched off the lights, and lay down on the bed.
The room quickly fell into darkness.
After a moment, Angus spoke again.
"You wanted to know how I plan to deal with Richard?" Angus asked calmly.
In the darkness, Liesa's lips curved slightly.
"I only want Mr. Romano to be happy," Liesa replied softly.
"Everything else doesn't really interest me."
"I only asked because I wanted to find something that might make you feel better."
The room remained dark.
Neither of them could see each other.
In the silence, every small sound became clearer. When Liesa spoke, Angus unexpectedly heard the sincerity in her voice.
It almost sounded as if making him happy would give meaning to her life.
Angus let out a quiet scoff and then slowly closed his eyes.
Angus had expected sharing a room would make it hard to sleep as another person's breathing usually irritated him.
But not long after closing his eyes, sleep quietly took him.
Liesa listened carefully to Angus's breathing.
Once Liesa confirmed he had fallen asleep, she finally turned over and relaxed.
The sofa was wide and comfortable. Soft, but supportive.
Liesa stretched her arms happily.
She thought,
Unfortunately, life rarely granted wishes like that.
Early the next morning, while Liesa was still fast asleep—
BANG.
The another bedroom door slammed open with a loud crash.
Liesa shot upright on the sofa.
Liesa instinctively looked toward the bed.
"Mr. Romano?!" Liesa blurted.
"Why are you shouting?" Angus asked calmly.
Angus was already dressed and sitting in a chair, reading a book.
Liesa froze for a second, still half asleep.
Before Liesa could respond, furious shouting exploded outside the room.
"Angus Romano, open this door!" Richard roared from the hallway.
"We're settling this today!" Richard shouted again.
"What gives you the right to move your mother's grave into the Romano ancestral cemetery?"
"You ungrateful brat! Open the door!" Richard bellowed.
Other voices quickly followed.
Nina spoke nervously, trying to calm him down. Silas also stepped in to stop Richard.
The hallway turned noisy within seconds.
Liesa rubbed her face, finally waking up.
Then Liesa glanced carefully at Angus. "Mr. Romano?" Liesa asked cautiously.
She thought,
"Open the door," Angus said calmly without looking up from his book.
"Got it," Liesa replied immediately.
Liesa quickly gathered her long hair into a loose tie and walked toward the door.
The moment Liesa opened it, Richard stormed inside.
Richard almost knocked Liesa over as he pushed past her.
Liesa stepped back awkwardly and moved to stand beside Angus.
Only then did Angus slowly lift his gaze toward Richard.
"Speak," Angus said coolly.
"You unfilial brat!" Richard shouted, trembling with rage.
"Who gave you the nerve to move your mother's grave?" Richard demanded.
"Have you lost your mind? Aren't you afraid she'd be furious even in the afterlife?" Richard yelled.
Richard's whole body shook with anger.
Last night, Richard had thought Angus's words—"we'll discuss it later"—meant the threat had worked.
Instead, Angus had moved the grave overnight.
Not a trace of hesitation.
"Richard, calm down and talk to Angus," Silas said quickly from the side.
"I'm sure Angus didn't mean it like that," Silas added carefully.
Angus leaned back slightly in the chair, expression indifferent.
"Dead people can't be angered to death again," Angus said flatly.
"And she was a Romano. Naturally, she belongs in the Romano family cemetery."
Back then, Angus had been too powerless to resist. Otherwise, his mother's grave would never have been placed on Grayson family land.
Richard's face turned red with fury.
"Watch your mouth!" Richard snapped.
"She was my woman," Richard continued angrily. "Of course she should be buried with the Grayson family."
The words had barely left Richard's mouth—
Angus suddenly laughed.
Everyone froze.
There was something strange in that laugh. Cold. Dangerous. Like a quiet warning.
The tension in the room tightened instantly.
Everyone felt it.
Except Liesa.
Liesa simply stared at Angus.
She thought,
Liesa blinked slowly. She thought,
"Mr. Grayson, you seem to have forgotten something," Angus said slowly.
The smile vanished from Angus's face. The pressure around him suddenly sharpened.
"You're also part of the Romano family now," Angus continued, his voice dripping with disdain.
"When you die, you should be buried in the Romano cemetery too."
Angus tilted his head slightly. "After all, when someone marries into a family, they follow that family's name—"
Before Angus could finish—Richard suddenly grabbed a cup and hurled it across the room.
Everything happened in a flash.
"Mr. Romano!" Liesa gasped.
Without thinking, Liesa rushed forward and stepped directly in front of Angus.
CRASH.
The cup slammed into Liesa's shoulder before shattering on the floor.
Glass fragments scattered across the room. One sharp shard grazed past Liesa's ear.
A thin line of blood instantly appeared along her right earlobe.
For a moment—
The entire room fell silent.