While Vicente was writing a reply for Nina to deliver to Shelby the next day, the orange-haired woman arrived at her residence.
As Shelby entered the Staples mansion, she was met by her family: her father, Baron Staples, her stepmother, Amy Staples, and her younger brother, Cole Staples.
"Shelby, what were you doing so late at night?" Amy asked as she sat next to her husband in the living room of the Baron's residence.
Seeing her stepmother looking at her with narrowed eyes, Shelby stopped halfway to her area and turned back with a smile. "I was at my friend Mira's house. Is there a problem?"
"It's good that you are seeing your friends, Shelby. I'm just concerned about the future of the family." Amy said as she picked up a glass of wine next to her.
Shelby's father looked at his daughter and remembered his late wife. He closed his eyes and said. "I hope you are ready for your wedding, my daughter. This is for the good of the whole family, so don't give your fiancé any more trouble."
"You should be happy, Shelby. You'll soon be the wife of a Viscount!" Young Cole commented to his sister, feeling this was very good for her.
For a wealthy, handsome heiress like him, there was no way he could understand what was going on in the mind of a woman like Shelby.
He saw her as a lucky woman who would become the wife of a Viscount, who even had the potential to become a Count one day. But for Shelby, the reality was very different. She felt like a broodmare being sold for the sake of her family.
Others could accept that with pride, but after all she'd been through, she couldn't help but hate every word her brother said.
However, like a good actress, she smiled. "I will certainly be happy. I understand the family's needs, and I'll do my best to return everything House Staples has offered me."
With those words, she climbed the mansion's stairs until she reached the room of the youngest of her siblings, Levi, Amy's son, who was nothing like this woman.
"Sister, have you come to finish the last story?" A little eight-year-old boy asked as he jumped into Shelby's arms.
"Of course!" She said as she ran a hand through her brother's orange hair and smiled at him.
As she went back to telling her brother an old story, Molly watched the two of them through the cracks in Levi's bedroom door.
'Poor boy... Hopefully, your sister loves you and needs you. Otherwise, your fate would be the same as the others in this house.' Molly thought but without regret for taking her lady's side.
As someone who had been rescued from slavery by Shelby and who knew her lady's troubles, Molly had no sympathy for the Staples family.
Meanwhile, Shelby seemed as loving as ever to Levi, but inside, she was burning with anger at her family for using her and having the audacity to say the previous words to her face.
'You will pay me back! Your punishment is not far away!' She thought as she felt that Vicente would agree to her proposal, and soon everything would change for her.
...
The next morning, Vicente had trained a little that night, but he had also taken the opportunity to sleep, something he probably wouldn't have much time for in the next few days.
His plans with Liam would start soon, so he stayed home with Nina for another day and woke up without much haste for breakfast this morning.
When Nina awoke, he ate with her and Eve before they left for the academy a few minutes later.
"Nina, I want you to give this to your teacher, Shelby Staples. Can you do that for me?" Vicente leaned down and said to Nina as he looked into his sister's eyes.
Nina saw the rolled-up sheet of paper with a seal on it and readily accepted this 'mission.' "I'll do my best, big brother!"
He then watched her enter the academy while standing next to Eve at the entrance.
"Don't worry. Our undercover men work around Nina practically all day now," Eve commented, smiling as she watched the girl enter the classroom. "The new academy director is much more receptive to our needs than the previous one."
"This is good. As long as he's useful to us, give him the support we promised. Those who are loyal to us deserve all the support they can get." Vicente commented as he prepared to leave for one of the taverns in his territory.
Halfway there, he encountered two people in hoods, their identities concealed.
"Vicente, we're glad you're back. We're waiting for your orders to take action." One of the two said, and Vicente understood who it was.
"Don't worry, I'll send you my orders later today," Vicente expressed as he looked at the one who had greeted him first, Lukas. "We can talk business later at the association. What do you say?"
"That sounds good."
The other person next to Lukas said. "This man sent us a message to pass on to you."
Seeing the note in the woman's hand, Vicente immediately recognized who had sent it when he saw Casey's signature on the paper.
"Thank you. You should leave now. It's not good for us to be seen in public." He made his way to Zander's tavern, where he always left orders for his men to collect and pass on to the rest of the family.
On his way there, he learned of Layla's return and the fact that this woman was willing to make a deal with him. Not only that but according to Jasmine and the other woman Casey had met the day before, Mark was about to reach Millfall in trouble.
According to Casey, these [women were going into hiding to prevent Mark from finding out about their situation with Vicente, so he should be prepared to deal with such a person at any moment.
'That's perfect!' Vicente destroyed Casey's note, seeing more enemies to include in the cover he would have to prepare to allow Liam's movement.
'I will play all these local problems against each other when I move on, Liam!' He smiled as he thought of the Commanders of the royal army but also of Kohen.
'I will give them three days to prepare. Then it will be my time to move!'
