Liesa's calm demeanor never wavered as she looked at Nina, unfazed by the outburst. She gasped, and then there was a loud crash as something heavy hit the ground.
Sam snapped to attention, noticing that Angus had already turned off his phone. He could tell Angus was about to step out, so he hurriedly pushed him toward the door.
By the time they reached the restroom, a crowd had already gathered. When Silas saw Angus, he gave a small, polite smile, but Angus didn't even glance his way—he might as well have been invisible.
Silas felt a surge of anger rise in his chest. Seeing the crowd, he snapped, "Get lost! Don't you know how to keep quiet? Are you trying to wake up Mr. Grayson?"
One of the servants hesitated, then said, "Mr. Silas Romano, the door's locked from the inside. Miss Swanson and Miss Valtieri are both in there…"
Silas's temper flared. "And what do you expect me to do about it? If you can't open the door, then get out of my way!"
The servant's eyes went wide, and he quickly backed off. The rest of the crowd followed suit, sensing the tension in the air. In moments, the hallway was empty, leaving only the three of them.
From inside the restroom, another crash sounded, followed by Nina's shrill scream. Silas's brow furrowed, and he walked toward the door, ready to kick it down. Sam, his voice low, stopped him.
"Mr. Silas Grayson, Mr. Grayson is still resting. If you kick the door down now, you'll wake him."
Before Sam even finished speaking, Nina screamed again, this time in terror. Silas's face hardened, and without another word, he started pounding on the door.
"Nina! Are you okay? Open the door—now! Or I'll kick it down!"
The tension in the room thickened for a moment. Then, Liesa's shout broke the silence, her voice sharp with pain. It sounded like Nina had struck her.
Silas relaxed slightly, but when he saw Angus's calm face, he couldn't help but smile. "Sam's right. If I kicked down the door now, it would probably wake Dad up."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door clicked open.
Sam, standing elegantly by the door with the key in hand, smiled. "That's why it's always a good idea to carry the keys. No need for kicking down doors."
He hurried over and began pushing Angus toward the restroom.
Silas realized he'd been played. His face darkened, but he quickly masked his frustration, following them inside without another word.
The restroom was a mess—everything had been knocked to the floor, water was pouring out of the open faucet, and the entire floor was flooded.
Liesa and Nina were each standing in opposite corners, both looking disheveled. Nina's face was swollen on one side, a distinct handprint marking her cheek.
Sam assessed Liesa quickly. Aside from her wet clothes, she didn't seem to have any other injuries, which made him feel a little relieved.
Both women froze when they saw Angus enter, and then Liesa swiftly rushed up to him, her expression full of indignation.
"This woman slapped me!" she exclaimed.
Angus's eyes flicked over to Liesa, noting how her damp dress clung to her body, outlining her figure. His brow furrowed, and he immediately removed his jacket. Without a word, he tossed it over her, as if discarding something trivial.
Liesa blinked in surprise but quickly smiled and slipped on the jacket. The scene didn't escape Nina's notice, and her fragile ego took another hit.
Under Angus's watchful eyes, Liesa adjusted the jacket, then looked up just in time to see Silas walk in. The smile on her face faded immediately, and she stood quietly by Angus, her posture now as innocent as a delicate flower.
"What's going on here?" Silas's gaze hardened when he saw Nina's disheveled state.
Tears streamed down Nina's face as she staggered toward him, crying. "Silas, you have to do something. I tried to talk to Miss Valtieri, but she's so vicious! Look at what she's done to me!"
Nina had always been the picture of elegance, and with her natural air of vulnerability, she played the victim effortlessly.
Liesa, seeing how Nina seemed to pull it off so much better, couldn't be bothered to keep up any pretense. As soon as Nina finished speaking, Liesa sneered, making it clear she didn't care at all.
"Miss Valtieri, you're a guest here," Silas said, frowning. "I don't want to make a scene, but I think you owe me an explanation. Why did you hurt Nina? Or do you plan on explaining it to my father?"
Nina shot Liesa a look of pure disdain, her eyes glinting with malice. She had never been humiliated like this before, and she was determined to make Liesa pay.
Liesa stayed silent, but Sam, sensing the tension, spoke up quickly.
"Looking at the state of things here, it doesn't seem like this was a one-sided attack from Miss Valtieri. We also overheard that Miss Swanson seemed to have been bullying Miss Valtieri. Before we make any judgments, we can't just take Miss Swanson's word for it."
Silas and Nina both stiffened at Sam's words, their faces darkening. Nina's eyes burned with fury.
"She only screamed because she heard someone outside! I didn't even touch her!" she spat, her voice trembling with anger.
Sam glanced at Liesa, who flashed a sheepish smile.
"Well, yes, I admit it. I was the one who hit her. And the screaming? I just thought her cries sounded funny, so I decided to join in," she said with an unapologetic shrug.
Sam's expression froze.
Silas's face darkened even further. He turned to Sam.
"Did you hear that too? Looks like there's no way to cover for her now, huh?"
Sam shot Liesa an exasperated look, while she gave him a nervous, guilty smile.
The butler shot a resentful glance at Liesa , who offered an awkward smile.
In that moment, Liesa realized her plan to scream along with Nina had backfired. She had meant it as a joke, but then she'd remembered the bruises on Nina's face, and her lie would be easy to expose.
"Miss Valtieri, I'll ask you one more time. Why did you hurt Nina?" His voice grew sharper as he stepped closer. "If you can't give me a decent answer, I'll have to ask you to leave. I won't allow someone who harms my fiancée to stay here."
Liesa shot Silas a sideways glance, a laugh escaping her lips. "The one who runs this house is Mr. Grayson, not you. I'm pretty sure you don't have the authority to make me leave."
Silas's eyes narrowed, his face icy. "My father's not well right now. I won't bother him with something as trivial as this. But as for you, Miss Valtieri, you're leaving—now."
Sam furrowed his brows, clearly unsettled. "Mr. Silas Grayson, Angus is still here. Miss Valtieri's presence should be decided by him."
Silas didn't miss a beat. "Fine. Angus, what do you think? Should she stay?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, all eyes turned to Angus. He glanced briefly at Liesa, who looked more nervous than usual, before speaking slowly.
"Liesa's injuries are more severe. If anyone should leave, it should be Nina."
Liesa, who had just admitted to hitting Nina earlier, froze.
Sam, who had expected Angus to show some fairness, couldn't hide his disbelief.
Silas, half in disbelief and half amused, scoffed. "She already admitted it was a one-sided attack, and now you're telling me she's the one who's worse off? Angus, don't go too far with this blind loyalty."
Angus gave him a cold glance, his voice clipped. "Internal injuries."
Liesa, feeling a strange inspiration, suddenly closed her eyes and "collapsed" dramatically into Angus's arms. She landed perfectly in his embrace, and before anyone could react, he gently laid her back into the wheelchair.
Nina's eyes nearly popped out.