Sweet Revenge With My Billionaire Vampire

A grin unfurled across Enzo’s face as he leaned against the doorframe, crossing one leg over the other. "Hey, cupcake."

Adeline let out a startled scream, abruptly springing up from the bed and spinning around. Seeing that it was just Enzo, she sighed, glaring at him. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Can’t you knock?"

His laughter filled the room as he raised his hands in an apologetic gesture, stepping further into the room. "I’m terribly sorry for scaring you."

He came to a stop beside her, his hand giving her head a quick pat before he proceeded past her toward a large painting fixed on the wall.

"What are you even doing here? Don’t you have some company files to deal with or something? Get out," she said, her irritation still evident. She folded her arms across her chest, watching him intently.

Enzo shook his head. "Not today. I gave myself a day off because I can. But please, don’t let me interrupt. You can keep talking to... whoever it was you were chatting with when I walked in. I promise I won’t judge."

Adeline groaned, rolling her eyes before walking up to stand beside him. "For your information, I wasn’t talking to myself. My grandmother’s room is being cleaned out today, so... I guess I was just saying goodbye."

Her voice dropped to a whisper at the last part, and Enzo glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes but said nothing.

With a quiet sigh, she pivoted away, heading towards another door in the room. She pushed it open and disappeared inside. With Enzo’s curiosity piqued, he followed her.

The moment he stepped into the room, his eyes widened in surprise. The room was smaller and cozier than the main bedroom but was elegantly designed. There were shelves on the walls, each stocked with fine china, teapots, and rows of labeled jars.

"What is this place?" he asked, genuinely impressed.

Adeline propped herself against the counter, her arm gesturing around as she spoke. "It’s my grandmother’s tea room. She was obsessed with tea when she was alive. This space was where her tea was made."

Enzo wandered around the room, opening the shelves and inspecting their contents. He picked up a teacup, turning it over in his hand. "Damn, these must’ve cost a fortune, am I right?"

Adeline didn’t answer. Her gaze dropped to a plate on the counter, seemingly lost in thought as Enzo continued his exploration. He moved along the shelves and opened the jars, taking a sniff of the tea leaves inside and nodding in approval.

A sudden crack snapped her out of her daze. Her head whipped around to see Enzo crouched in front of one of the lower cabinets.

"What did you do now?" she asked, walking over to him.

Enzo didn’t respond, his eyes narrowing at something inside the cabinet. Raising his fist, he punched through the back panel of the cabinet, shattering it.

"Enzo!" Adeline gasped, her eyes dilating with shock as she dropped to her knees beside him. "What the hell are you doing—" Her words trailed off as small yellow packets began spilling out of the broken compartment.

Enzo reached in and grabbed a handful of the packets. Each one was small and neatly sealed, and inside, a powdered substance shifted as he turned them over.

Adeline grabbed one of the packets from his hand, her brows knitting together in confusion. In all the years she’d entered this room, she had never seen anything like this before.

She turned the packet over and over in her hands, inspecting every inch of it. "What the hell is this?" she muttered under her breath. She reached into the broken cabinet and pulled out more packets, letting them pile up on the floor beside her. "Why was this stuff hidden in here? And why are there so many of them?"

Behind her, Enzo tore one of the packets open, pouring the contents into his palm. The substance had a gritty, brown texture, almost like powdered sugar, and even looked like one. Bringing it close to his nose, he gave it a sniff. The instant the scent hit him, his face contorted with disgust, and he quickly poured the powder out onto the floor, rubbing his hands together to get rid of the residue.

"This isn’t tea, and it’s definitely not sugar. It has a revolting smell." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

She nodded in agreement, standing up. "Even if it was sugar, it wouldn’t belong here because Grandma hated brown sugar," she said, tossing some of the unopened packets onto the counter. "And if it was tea, why the hell would it be hidden in a secret compartment?"

Enzo stared at the packets thoughtfully, tapping his chin for a moment before suddenly snapping his fingers loudly.

She flinched at the sound and blinked at him, confused. "What was that for?"

Before Enzo could answer, Andrei’s deep voice came from behind her. "You called, boss?"

Adeline yelped, spinning around so fast she nearly lost her balance, only to see Andrei standing a few feet away. Clutching her chest, she took a step back. "Dude! Where the hell do you keep coming from?!"

Andrei gave a slight bow, his expression calm as usual. "My apologies, Miss Adeline. I didn’t mean to startle you."

Enzo walked up to Andrei and handed him one of the packets. "Take this. See if you can figure out what it is or where it’s from."

Andrei examined the packet closely, flipping it over before giving a curt nod. "I’ll do my best. Is there anything else?"

Enzo shook his head. "That’s all. Go."

With another bow, Andrei turned and exited the room.

Adeline picked up one of the packets from the counter and proceeded toward the tea room’s exit, murmuring something to herself.

Seeing her leaving, Enzo called after her. "Where are you going?"

Adeline didn’t respond, causing him to follow her. He caught up to her in a few long strides, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Wait up, will you?"

She stopped and turned to him, holding up the packet. "The cooks. Grandma’s tea was sometimes made by me, but most of the time, by one of the kitchen staff. Maybe they know something about this."

"Alright then. Let’s go."