Living as the Villain’s Stepmother - Chapter 194 – Besotted

“Did Roxana look fine then?”

Lila narrowed her eyes with a smile. “Is there a reason she wouldn’t look fine?”

“Well… it seemed like Roxana wasn’t in the best of moods lately.”

“She seemed normal when we were first headed to the courthouse together. Unless she was pretending to be ok in front of me.”

“Is that so?”

Lugar was more downcast than Lila had expected, so she decided to try and lighten him up a little. “If Roxana doesn’t seem to be in her best mood, how about you cheer her up?”

Lugar looked back up at her with a confused expression. “Me? How?”

“Take her to a restaurant after work or to a nice bar together.” Suggested Lila.

“What…. It’s not a date. Why would I go there with Roxana?!” Lugar tried to laugh to mask his flustered state, but Lila’s keen eyes could see through him.

“Ah, Roxana told me about a popular bar so I thought I’d share with you but you wouldn’t need it.”

“Wait… she told you personally?”

“Mhm. Roxana said she was definitely going to go. And I heard if you go alone you get seated with strangers.”

There was a crack on Lugar’s face. Like he heard something he shouldn’t have. “What? S- seated with strangers?”

Has he never thought about other men showing interest in Roxana?

Of course, Roxana herself didn’t wasn’t at all interested in dating. Lila fabricated the entire story. In reality, there was no bar that the captain wanted to go to.

“Yeah. So I thought two might be better than one going to a place like that so I was going to tell you but since you don’t need it, it’s fine. I’ll doze off for a moment. I’m a little tired from waking up early.”

As Lila leaned her head against the carriage, Lugar stopped Lila in a hurry.

“Wait… Uh…. Where is that place?” Lugar asked, now clearly defeated.

Lila couldn’t hold back her laughter from how adorable she found him. “Okay, don’t be hasty.”

*

After a seemingly long trip, the carriage eventually stopped in front of a garden belonging to the Hilns. It acted as a beautiful entrance to the Hiln estate.

“Was there any trouble getting here?”

The Hiln family butler was a white-haired gentleman with a decent build for his age. He held onto a well-designed wooden cane while waiting for the guests to reach the entrance.

“Not at all. The garden was so beautiful that I took my time getting here. Nice seeing you.”

“The honor is mine for being able to serve such important people. You can head this way,” he said, gesturing to the giant doors.

Lila was all too used to this as she came here to see Senior many times, she would’ve gone by herself. But she didn’t come here to see Senior Hiln today.

When Lila reached her desired room she thanked the butler and dismissed him. With a confident push, she opened the door to Dawson’s office and stared him straight in the eye.

“Visiting me in such a busy time,” he said with a wide grin on his face.

At that point, Lila only had one thing in mind. I’m going to wipe that stupid grin off his face.

***

Dawson Hiln didn’t seem to know the reason why Lila had come to visit him. If he did, he wouldn’t have been smiling in joy and wouldn’t have prepared an assortment of fancy snacks for the meeting room. He never ate the snacks anyways.

“You always come to see my sister every time, but finally you have come looking for me.” Dawson grinned from ear to ear.

“I know. It’s the first time we get to meet in private,” Lila said.

“I think you have finally realized my value. Senior is a stupid child.”

She laughed sarcastically. Senior? A stupid child? In Lila’s eyes, someone else in this room was the one looking stupid. Not knowing your place is what is truly stupid, she thought. Either Dawson hasn’t been able to read the hostility she was giving him, or he was having happy thoughts that she might finally consider him to become the head of his family.

There must have been news going around about what happened to Baron Doug Blake. It would make Dawson look a little less stupid if she thought he was trying his hardest for one last chance at becoming head. Lila smiled coldly, thinking about how pathetic Dawson was.

“You seem like you’re happy,” Dawson said, looking at her.

“How can I not be?” Lila responded. “My plan is finally coming together. Perfectly too.”

The trial would be finished by now and Doug Blake had probably lost his status as a noble. That man would no longer be able to make a living in this world. There was no way that he could change. Secretly, she hoped he would be forced to live in a beggar’s town and be extremely miserable for the rest of his life. At least for a longer time than she had suffered because of him.

“So, could you tell me why you’re here? I don’t mean to rush you, but impatience is a flaw of our entire family. Besides, I’m sure you are busy with other matters and don’t wish to stay too long.”

“I’m worried that you might faint at the reason why I’m here,” Lila said, monitoring his reaction.

“I’m pretty strong. You don’t have to worry.”

“Is that so?” Lila put down the teacup she had been offered quietly. She was surprised at how polite she was managing to stay. It was a habit that had been instilled into the core of her being. Despite who he was, she still avoided getting on Dawson’s bad side. He was like a scar that accumulated over time. He kept growing and toughening on her skin. She needed to peel him off, but was scared of the pain.

“I’ll be straightforward,” she said tentatively. “The new master of the Hiln family is going to be Senior Hiln.”