It was only when Roberta nearly fainted from the blow to her head that Talia finally relented. "Alright," she said, "I'll give you something to do. Make sure you do it well, or you know the consequences."

"Got it!" Roberta nodded vigorously.

But when she heard she needed to steal poison from Clive's pharmacy, panic set in. Anxiously, she asked, "Mrs. Walsh, what do you need that for?" Talia shot her a glare. "Do I have to tell you?"

"But... but it's poison," Roberta stammered.

"Relax," Talia said, "it's not for you, and it's not for your mother either. If I wanted to kill the two of you, I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble."

Roberta breathed a sigh of relief and obediently nodded. "I'll find a chance to sneak in."

The pharmacy and library in the Walsh residence were only accessible to those Clive recognized as family. In other words, the only opportunity to steal the poison would be during Felicia's weekend visits.

Bitterness filled Roberta's heart as she whispered, "I betrayed you once, and now I have to use you again. I'm sorry, Aunt Felicia..."

Felicia attended her classes as usual over the next few days. Her calf injury had mostly healed, and she no longer limped. Clive had also given her a scar-removal ointment. Felicia hadn't been too bothered by the scar, but Clive had insisted, saying, "No one likes an ugly scar on their body. Plus, don't underestimate me. My medicine is priceless in the market."

Felicia was amused and felt her heart warm. Sometimes, she wondered if Clive would have done everything to protect her had they met in her previous life. There were no "ifs."

Felicia shook her head and, clutching two books, headed to class. As she entered, a cup of hot water splashed toward her. She quickly dodged, narrowly avoiding it.

"I'm so sorry. My hand slipped," said Selena, the culprit. She was the same person who had been sitting with Kayla in the cafeteria that day and had tried to dump a tray of food on Felicia. Despite her apology, Selena's tone was sarcastic; her disappointment at her failed attempt was evident. Felicia glanced back at the steaming water on the floor. It must have been nearly boiling. Had the water splashed her face, it would have peeled her skin.

Chapter 20.

Felicia casually tossed her books onto a desk and approached Selena. At college, she usually kept to herself, appearing to others as an easy target. But the moment she showed aggression, her presence was overwhelming, her gaze sharp.

Selena instinctively recoiled, looking nervous. "What? I didn't do it on purpose. Are you planning to beat me up?"

"I won't," Felicia said, cornering Selena against the wall. Then, calmly grabbing a cup from a student in the back row, she poured its contents over Selena's head. "This is what you were going for, right?" she said.

Felicia's response, using only cold water, was far more restrained than Selena's scalding attempt. No one noticed a figure standing in the corridor outside the classroom. The man had been there for some time, a slight smile playing on his lips as he watched the scene unfold. A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.