The maid who had opened the door, fearing she would be scolded for the intrusion, was quick to tattle. "Madam, this woman forced her way in despite my best efforts to stop her. She insists on seeing the Lord."
"What wom—" Lyana Stark’s sentence cut off halfway. The moment she saw Chloe Bishop, her pupils constricted in sheer shock as if she had seen a ghost. The tray in her hands slipped from her grasp.
Crash!
The sound of teacups shattering against the floor pierced the air. Chloe turned a cold, elegant gaze toward Lyana, looking exactly as she had fifteen years ago—back when Lyana first married into the Bishop Family.
"You..." It took Lyana a long moment to find her voice. "When did you get out? How did you get out? Who gave you permission to leave?"
"Heh..." A cold smirk played on Chloe’s lips, her eyes filled with a calm, taunting amusement. "When you're cured, you can leave. Isn't that what you all said when you dragged me there in the first place?"
Lyana’s eyes widened. Yes, those were their words, but how could Chloe Bishop possibly be cured? Wasn't she supposed to stay in that place forever, branded a mental patient for the rest of her life? Why was she out, and why had no one notified the Bishop Family?
"What’s going on? What is all this noise?" Amidst Lyana’s daze, her husband’s voice rang out. Her heart skipped a beat out of sudden, inexplicable guilt.
Chloe let out a dry laugh, her voice dripping with irony. "Director Bishop, you seem even busier than you were five years ago. Getting an audience with you is like trying to reach the heavens."
David Bishop froze mid-stride. He hurried forward, and when he saw Chloe’s small face, his pupils constricted just as Lyana’s had. His first words were almost instinctive: "How did you get out?"
The same question. Coming from Lyana Stark, it felt insulting and gave Chloe a flicker of vengeful satisfaction. But hearing it from her own biological father made her chest feel tight, accompanied by a dull, throbbing ache.
Realizing he had misspoken, David Bishop quickly tried to backtrack. "What I meant was... if you were recovered, why didn't the doctors notify me? I would have come to pick you up and bring you home."
At those words, the maids in the room gasped in unison.
Father?
They all turned their eyes toward Chloe, their gazes shifting instantly. This girl, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, was actually their Lord’s daughter? They had worked as maids for the Bishop Family for five years, yet they had never heard a whisper about another daughter.
"Do I even have a father? I suppose the doctors forgot," Chloe thought with a cold internal laugh. If they had known she was leaving, would she have ever made it out? Every single one of them wished she would just rot in that hospital.
Looking at his daughter’s face—a face that felt more like a stranger’s than it had five years ago—David Bishop took a deep breath to steady his emotions. "As long as you're well, that's what matters. You’re home now. I’ll have your Aunt Lyana redecorate your room for you."
Lyana Stark’s eyelid twitched. She forced a stiff smile. "Yes, Chloe. Your father has been looking forward to your return. I’ll have the maids tidy up a room for you right away. You’ve been away for so many years, and the house was fully renovated two years ago. Your old room hasn't been set up yet."
Whether it "hadn't been set up" or simply didn't exist anymore, Chloe knew the truth. Renovating the house out of the blue was just a convenient excuse to throw out all her belongings. The old staff must have been replaced then too—otherwise, how could no one know the Bishop Family had a daughter?
"Lyana Stark, you really don't need to guard against me like I’m a thief, and you certainly don't need to put on this fake act for Director Bishop. I have no intention of moving back. I’m here to talk business with the Director—assuming a busy man like him can spare a moment for a 'nobody' like me."
Chloe’s tone was biting. She didn't just expose Lyana’s hypocrisy; she aimed a sharp barb at David Bishop as well.
Being called out so directly made Lyana’s face turn pale instantly. "You!"
"I don't have time for your games. Save your sweet-talking for Director Bishop; he’s the one who falls for it," Chloe said with a thin smile, feeling a sharp sense of relief.
