Andrea's eyes narrowed as he stared at the piece of paper in my hand. "Where did you get that from?" he asked, his voice low and menacing. I tried to come up with an excuse, but before I could say anything, Andrea strode across the room and snatched the paper out of my hand.
He examined it carefully, his eyes scanning the page as if he was searching for something. And then, suddenly, his expression changed. He looked up at me, his eyes blazing with anger. "You shouldn't have done that," he growled. "You shouldn't have snooped around."
I took a step back, trying to defend myself. "I wasn't snooping," I said. "I was just looking for something."
Andrea's eyes narrowed. "What were you looking for?" he asked, his voice dripping with skepticism.
I hesitated, unsure of what to say. But then I remembered the words on the piece of paper. "The truth," I said, looking at him straight in the eye. "I'm looking for the truth."
Andrea's expression changed, his eyes flashing with something that looked almost like admiration. "You're a clever girl, Tiana," he said. "I'll give you that."
But then his expression hardened, and he took a step closer to me.
"But let me make one thing clear," he said. "You're not going to find the truth by snooping around. You're going to find it by doing what you're told to do."
I felt a surge of anger at his words, but I knew that I had to be careful. I couldn't afford to antagonize Andrea, not now. So I nodded, trying to look meek. "I understand," I said.
"I'll do what I'm told you."
Andrea's eyes narrowed, as if he didn't quite believe me. But then he nodded, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Good," he said. "I'm glad we understand each other."
As he turned to leave, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. I had dodged a bullet, at least for now.
But as I watched Andrea walk away, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was in grave danger. I had stumbled upon something that I wasn't supposed to know, and now I'm paying the price.
I knew that I had to be careful, that I had to watch my back. Because in this family, you could never be too careful.
As the days went by, I found myself growing more and more paranoid. I couldn't shake the feeling that Andrea was watching me, waiting for me to slip up as always.
I started to notice strange things around the mansion. Doors would be open that I was sure I had closed, and I would catch glimpses of people out of the corner of my eye.
I knew that I was being silly, that I was just letting my imagination run wild. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
One night, as I was walking back to my room, I saw a figure again standing in the shadows. This time, it was a woman, tall and imposing, with a stern expression on her face.
As I approached, she stepped forward, revealing a shocking sight. It was my mother, standing in front of me with a look of desperation in her eyes.
"Tiana, I have to talk to you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've been trying to find a way to get you out of here, but it's not easy."
I felt a surge of hope at her words. Could it be true? Was my mother really trying to help me? But as I looked into her eyes, I saw something there that gave me pause. It was a glimmer of fear, a hint of desperation.
And at that stage, I realized that my mother was in more danger as much as I was.