Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12 Serena returned to the Vale family social circle in the same way as before. She wore a simple, pale-colored dress, her hair neatly pinned up, and the same smile she had worn for years. The smile that once made people believe she was just a good woman caught up in other people's conflicts. The smile that once made Adrian lower his guard. But this time, the intention behind that smile was much darker. She sat at one of the Vale family dinner parties, sipping wine calmly, listening to the conversation she deliberately steered in the direction she wanted. "I hear Adrian has changed a lot lately," said a middle-aged woman, a distant cousin of the Vale family. Serena shrugged, pretending to be unsure. "I don't want to talk about the past... but there are things that have never really been resolved." "Like what?" asked another, curious. Serena smiled faintly, looking down as if considering the ethics. "About his ex-wife. Liora." The name fell like a small stone into calm wate