Sweet Revenge With My Billionaire Vampire

He wagged his head from side to side, his shoulders lifting and falling in a nonchalant shrug. "Not really."

Adeline decided to ignore him for the moment and focus. She pushed harder against the door, but Miranda was surprisingly strong, holding her ground and pushing back from the other side.

Adeline let out a frustrated growl before finally giving up. She raised her clenched fist and hammered it forcefully against the wood. "Miranda!" she shouted, glaring at the trembling woman on the other side of the door.

"What the hell are you doing? Don’t you see you’re hurting him?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Miranda didn’t respond. Instead, a soft whimper escaped Miranda’s lips, the sound tinged with fear. Tears welled up in her eyes, her shoulders trembling as though she were moments away from breaking down completely.

Adeline’s frustration faltered, replaced by confusion. Why was Miranda so terrified? What was she so afraid of?

Enzo finally decided he’d had enough. With his free hand, he pushed against the door, and it flew open with a force that sent Miranda tumbling backward onto the floor.

Adeline recoiled, startled by the sheer strength he’d just displayed. Enzo stepped inside, shaking his hand to ease the mild sting.

Adeline’s gaze darted to his hand, expecting to see it bruised, but it looked perfectly fine. It was almost as if the incident hadn’t happened at all. She shook her head in disbelief.

His calm expression had shifted into a not-so-calm one as he loomed over Miranda. "Get up."

Miranda didn’t move. She was trembling, clutching her hands to her chest as though trying to protect herself.

Enzo leaned down and grabbed her arm, hoisting her to her feet with little effort. He then took a step back, creating some distance to give her some room to collect herself.

Miranda stumbled unsteadily, her legs quivering like they could buckle beneath her weight at any second.

Seeing how distressed she was, Adeline stepped forward, raising her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, hey," she said softly. "We’re not here to hurt you, okay? We just want to talk."

Miranda’s tear-filled eyes flicked toward her, then darted nervously back to Enzo, who was standing a few steps away with his arms crossed.

Adeline glanced at the sofa nearby and gestured toward it. "Why don’t you sit down for a moment? You can take a minute to calm down, and then we’ll explain everything."

Miranda hesitated for a bit but eventually nodded, shuffling toward the sofa and collapsing onto it.

Adeline followed her, sitting down beside her and offering her a warm smile. Meanwhile, Enzo grabbed a wooden chair from the corner of the room, dragging it across the floor with a faint screech. He placed it directly in front of them and sat down, his long legs spread and his arms resting on his knees.

A minute or two of awkward silence reigned before Enzo swiveled his gaze towards Adeline. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, and then, they gave each other a firm nod.

She dug into her pocket, pulling out the small packet and holding it up for Miranda to see. The woman’s face was downcast, her hands clenched tightly in her lap.

"Have you seen this before, Miranda?" Adeline asked.

The moment Miranda’s gaze fell upon the packet, her breath hitched and her body tensed. She squirmed uneasily in her seat, her discomfort palpable. "N-no... I haven’t," she stammered, shaking her head without meeting their eyes.

"Liar," Enzo interjected, his fingers snapping together loudly to emphasize his words.

He pushed himself to his feet and took a step closer until he was standing right in front of Miranda. "You’ve seen it, haven’t you?"

Miranda shook her head again, more frantically this time, but the moment Enzo’s hand rested lightly on her shoulder, her body reacted with an involuntary shiver. Goosebumps pricked up on her skin as she gingerly raised her head, her eyes slowly connecting with his.

Enzo had that calm but unnerving look on his face. His blue eyes were unblinking, boring into her with an intensity that felt suffocating. Miranda’s breathing became erratic, her chest rising and falling quickly as tears began streaming down her face. She quickly looked away, covering her face with her hands.

"Please," she whimpered, "please don’t hurt me... I’ll tell you the truth. Just don’t hurt me."

Enzo jolted slightly, his eyelids fluttering in surprise. He pulled his hand away from her shoulder and stepped back, his face shifting into a frown of confusion. "I wasn’t planning on hurting you," he muttered, glancing at Adeline, who gave him an incredulous look. "But okay."

Adeline shifted closer, gently taking Miranda’s hands and pulling them away from her tear-streaked face. "It’s alright," she said, placing the packet in Miranda’s trembling palm. "We just need to know what this is. Where it’s from. And how it ended up in my grandmother’s tea room."

Miranda stared down at the packet, her fingers tightening around it. She nodded slowly, her tears dripping onto her lap as she whispered, "I didn’t mean to... I was in a tight spot. I needed the money. I had no choice."

"Didn’t mean to what?" Enzo asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow at her.

Miranda broke down completely, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably as sobs racked her entire body. "I didn’t mean to use it in her tea! I swear, I didn’t mean to! They paid me to do it. A lot of money. I—I couldn’t say no!"

Adeline leaned closer, gently cupping Miranda’s tear-streaked face and turning it toward her. "Who paid you? What’s inside this packet, and who are ’they’?"

Miranda hesitated, her gaze darting to the corner of the room, away from Adeline’s piercing blue eyes. She was clearly ashamed, her lips trembling as she tried to form the words.

"I don’t know what the powder in it is, but I was told it slowly kills whoever consumes it."

Adeline’s breath caught in her throat, her stomach twisting into a knot. She tightened her grip on Miranda’s face, forcing her to look directly at her. "Who paid you? Tell me who they are."

Sensing Adeline’s sudden change in demeanor, Miranda swallowed hard, nodding. "Mr. Evans," she whispered. "And Alfonso... sometimes Richard too. They paid me to mix it into the tea. And they paid me to pick it up from a bar whenever it ran out."