Chapter 146: A Good Day

When breakfast ended, Keenan left the dining table first but not before glancing in her direction. He didn’t say a word, nor did his expression change—he just stared at her briefly before he turned away.

"Ow," she cried as Winnie elbowed her side again. It didn’t hurt; she was more startled than anything.

"You’ll break your neck if you turn around like that," she said with a grin.

"Oh," she blushed, realizing she had turned around so much just to watch Alpha Keenan leave.

"Is that a blush?" Winnie whispered and leaned closer.

"Winnie, stop teasing me." She bent her face to hide it from her as she readjusted.

"You make it too easy—"

"Isn’t that enough?!" Alaina slammed her fist on the table.

Winnie’s expression soured as she turned to look at her sister. "What?" She asked, staring at her with displeasure.

Alaina scoffed and turned her gaze to Maya. "You think this is it, right? Well, no matter how good you play your role, I’ll show everyone exactly who you are!"

"What are you talking about?" Winnie asked with a laugh as she shook her head.

Alaina stood without replying, pulling Theo with her as she exited the room. Maya had a dumbfounded look on her face as she watched them leave.

"What just happened?" She asked, looking from the exit to Winnie.

"Jealousy," Winnie sneered deviously. "I am sure she nearly had a heart attack when you walked in smiling like that with Alpha Keenan by your side."

"Jealousy? Also, I wasn’t smiling."

"Huh? Don’t tell me you don’t know. As soon as I found out who you are, it made perfect sense. I am sure she bullied you when we were younger. That’s just the kind of person she is when she wants something she can’t have." Winnie’s lips formed a thin line as if she recalled an unpleasant memory.

Alaina did get very angry when Keenan gave her the locket. However, she had never thought more about it—only that Alaina hated her and whatever she did only solidified that thought.

"I never thought about it," she replied.

"Good, you don’t need to worry about her. We have far more pressing matters." She grabbed Maya’s palm and squeezed tightly.

"It’s today."

"I know," she cried. "You don’t have to remind me."

"When do we head out?"

"Aren’t you eager?" Winnie smirked.

Maya was smiling back before she could help herself. "I don’t know," she said and looked into the distance. "I feel very good about today."

"Of course you do. I would too if I woke up next to the love of—"

"Shush!" Maya yelled out. "Let’s go."

Winnie chuckled, letting Maya drag her out of the dining room while the servants cleared the table.

"Should we leave now?" Maya asked as they stepped out of the dining room.

"Not yet. I need a moment and I still need to get permission from Alpha Keenan." Her brows wiggled as she spoke.

"Okay," she replied, refusing to take the bait. "I want to see Agnes."

"Oh, you can do that. When you’re done, come to my room and after speaking to Alpha Keenan, we can leave for the orphanage."

"That’s perfect," she replied, ignoring the nervous twist in her stomach. After Winnie confessed to Asher, it would be her turn to tell Keenan the truth.

"See you soon," Winnie said absentmindedly as she turned to walk away.

Maya watched her for a bit. She could imagine how Winnie felt. She didn’t know much about Asher, but if he had not rejected her after so long, perhaps it would go well.

The walk to the kitchen was shorter than usual, and because she was distracted by her thoughts, she didn’t realize how quickly she walked down the paths.

The maids rushed past her with dirty dishes and more than a few acknowledged her presence with a short nod. She returned their greeting with a smile.

How far I have come.

When she arrived at the doors of the kitchen, she could hear Agnes’s voice as she gave orders to the maids. A maid rushed out the doors, leaving them open.

Agnes stopped speaking as soon as she saw her standing by the open doors. She turned, placed her hands on her hips and walked toward the door.

"Agnes," she called.

"Lady Maya." She stopped in front of her and folded her arms. The maids behind her immediately stopped their tasks to watch.

"I heard about Arlo. I hope he is well now."

"Arlo is fine," she said stiffly as she looked Maya up and down. "He was ready to jump all around by evening yesterday."

"That’s great. I am glad," she replied with a nervous smile.

"Thank you," Agnes said with a tight smile.

"It’s not prob—"

"For taking my duties on such short notice. The maids have spoken very highly of how you handled things and won’t stop talking about it."

Maya shrugged as a genuine smile slipped from her face. "It was my pleasure. Rather, I am grateful you could trust me well—"

"This doesn’t mean I trust you or forgive you, Lady Maya. Especially for what your family did to my son."

Her stomach twisted and the nauseated feeling rose again, threatening to eject her breakfast.

"But perhaps you’re not as vile as your father," Agnes added as her expression softened.

Maya was so dizzy with relief that she nearly lost her footing. "Thank you. I can’t apologize enough, but I’ll make as many amends as I possibly can."

Agnes scoffed. "No one is asking you to do that. Also, Arlo said you first noticed something was wrong. If you hadn’t said that, he would have spent the rest of the day running around and had an even worse time at night. Anyway, get away from my kitchen. Your influence here is starting to piss me off."

Maya chuckled. "Thank you, Agnes, from the bottom of my heart."

"Shoo," she said and waved her hand at Maya without looking back.

The doors slammed loudly as Agnes chased her away but Maya had a bright smile on her face. She was still smiling when she walked away.

Today was a good day.