The Monster at My Feet novel Chapter 37

It was practically poison, yet Caspian hadn't even flinched. He had actually praised her.

Did the man lack taste buds?

Tsk.

She had been hoping to catch a different expression on his face.

Sylvie was no fool.

On the contrary, she possessed a razor-sharp instinct for reading people.

She could tell that Caspian's attitude toward her was incredibly bizarre.

His motives were entirely questionable.

It was all so vague and unresolved.

This subtle loss of control gave her an inexplicable thrill.

It felt like watching him through freezing, dark waters, his silhouette blurred, everything else suppressed like a suffocating abyss.

She felt a sudden urge to strip away his disguise.

To dissect him, to examine his heart, his veins, and his bones.

"What's wrong?" Sylvie asked, tilting her head innocently. "How is it, Penelope?"

Penelope forced a strained smile.

"It's not bad."

If Mr. Graves hadn't complained, she certainly wasn't going to.

Besides, from now on, Sylvie's coffee was only ever going to be for him anyway.

"Really? That's great!" A look of genuine joy spread across the girl's face.

"One chocolate latte and one grape Americano."

A woman's voice drifted in from the entrance.

Sylvie slipped right back into character, her voice sugary sweet. "Welcome in!"

It was a familiar face.

Gillian Gale, the same girl who had tried to force a Long Island Iced Tea down her throat at the bar, walked in arm-in-arm with Lydia.

Both of them froze when they saw Sylvie.

Lydia merely looked surprised, but a mocking smirk quickly spread across Gillian's face.

Lydia patted Gillian's arm, shifting the conversation.

"Gillian, didn't you ask me out to talk about your upcoming competition?"

Only then did Gillian tear her eyes away from Sylvie. "Oh, right. I've been prepping for the Peachwood Prize for so long. First place is basically mine."

"Of course it is," Lydia agreed smoothly. "I've always said you're the best."

Gillian lifted her chin haughtily. "I heard all the board members will be attending. I bet Mr. Graves will finally notice me!"

Lydia gracefully tucked a strand of long, wavy hair behind her ear, playing her part perfectly.

"He'll definitely notice you. Everyone in our circle loves a beautiful, artistic, sweet girl like you. If I were a guy, I'd be obsessed with you."

Gillian beamed with triumph. "Right? By the way, Lydia, why don't you seem bothered by Sylvie at all?

"Some random outsider just waltzes into your family, and you aren't disgusted?

"Besides, your dad and mom were high school sweethearts. Her mother was the homewrecker who tore them apart.

"The one who isn't loved is the mistress, which makes her the daughter of a mistress. If it were me, I wouldn't even let her breathe the same air as me."

Lydia smiled faintly. "There's no need for that. Whatever happened with the older generation, she's innocent."

"You're too nice, Lydia," Gillian sighed. "Oh, by the way, I had my dad put in a good word with that advising professor you asked about."