Nadia shot him a glance. "It seems you actually enjoy doing it. Didn't you go a little too hard today?" Even though she said that, Nadia did not feel the slightest bit of sympathy for that wicked old woman. Back then, her annoying granddaughter Rosalie used to hang around their courtyard all the time, desperate to show off. As the newly acknowledged illegitimate daughter, she acted like some wealthy heiress—mocking them, sneering that they did not deserve to live in Hillside Villa, even ridiculing them for growing "cheap vegetables" in such a fancy yard. After hearing about the old lady's cruel antics yesterday, Nadia felt even more that she had it coming. That whole family? Not a single good one among them. Roderick leaned dramatically against his wife. "Who says I was enjoying it? You don't even know, it was terrifying! I was scared out of my wits." Nadia rolled her eyes. "Stop pretending." Roderick gave a little cough and grinned, leaning closer. "If I hadn't become Mr. Holland's assistant, I'd have chased a career playing villains on screen. Too bad what I just did can't be aired, otherwise, I'd at least snag Best Supporting Actor!" Nadia gave him a light shove and warned, "Just don't scare our son." Roderick nodded quickly. "Relax, everything's under control. We're the righteous side here—stuff that scares kids won't happen to us." Nadia chuckled softly. "Alright then, Mr. Justice, come eat." At the Mervyn Villa. Raven handed Celina a glass of water absentmindedly, who had just finished her dance.But before Celina could get a good grip, Raven let go too soon. The glass crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces, and water splashed all over Celina's skirt. "Ah! Madam, I'm so sorry!" Raven panicked, apologizing nonstop while grabbing a towel to wipe at her skirt. However, the fabric was delicate, and the more she rubbed, the dirtier it looked. That only made Raven more flustered, fumbling with frantic apologies. Celina waved her hand. "Raven, what's wrong with you today? You've been messing up nonstop." Raven's voice trembled, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I'm sorry, Madam. I'll be more careful from now on." Celina sighed. "This is already the third time you've apologized today. Tell me, what's going on? Why are you so distracted?" Raven had been handpicked by her as she was quick, attentive, and careful. Clearly, something serious must have happened. Good maids were rare in times like these, so Celina was willing to listen patiently. But Raven only bit her lip and lowered her head, too troubled to say a word. Celina studied her for a moment, then suddenly thought of something. "Did Theo do something?" Raven's head snapped up. "Madam ... " That reaction confirmed it. Celina knew her son too well. She had already suspected Theodore had not listened to her advice the other day. Pulling out a chair, Celina sat down and asked directly, "Tell me, what did he do?" Then, after a pause, she added warmly, "Don't be afraid, just say it. If he's gone too far, I'll stand up for you."But Raven did not feel any relief. She had no parents, was raised only by her grandmother, and had long since learned the coldness of the world. She knew better than to believe those comforting words. At the end of the day, they were mother and son. Even if she were the daughter-in-law, Celina would never take her side over Theodore's—let alone now, when she was just a maid. Her thoughts raced. One wrong word and she'd be thrown out for sure. In an apocalypse where people died every day, having a safe, stable place like this villa was everything. If she lost this refuge, she wouldn't survive for long. Yet, Celina did not give her much time to think. She pressed again, this time with less patience, "Raven, what's the matter?" Knowing her chance was running out, Raven blurted, "It's nothing serious. It's just ... Mr. Theodore keeps saying he wants me to be his ... friend." She deliberately dropped the "girl" from "girlfriend." The word was impossible to say in front of Celina. At first, when Theodore had mentioned it, she thought he was just teasing her out of boredom. However, he turned out to be far more persistent than she imagined. Since that first time, he had shown up every single day. Sometimes he appeared out of nowhere while she was working, other times he caught her when she was resting in the housekeeping room. The worst was when he suddenly turned up in her bedroom at night—leaving her unable to live or work in peace at all.