When it was time for dinner, the father and son had arrived at the dinner table pretending that they had not spoken to each other earlier.

During dinner, the little girl continued to glance at Howard trying to gauge his reaction but the young boy had neither shown any hints of acceptance nor rejection of her idea.

The father had also noticed this but he chose to remain silent about his knowledge of the two sets of important conversations that had taken place today.

When dinner had ended, the family of four returned to their respective rooms to get some rest.

After returning to her room, Yvonne had been watching the downpour from her window that had not stopped since it began in the evening.

The sky was already dark and the moon peeked through the clouds in the distance.

As she sat gazing at the greenery being drenched in the rains, the little girl had no idea about the deep conversation that had taken place between the father and son.

She sighed at the gloomy air that was everywhere due to the heavy rains that had come out of nowhere.

'Good thing that I returned when I had.' She was glad that she did not get drenched.

She was also sure that Howard must have also returned earlier and had not gotten caught in the rain but she was wrong to assume so.

Her mind wandered to the conversation she had engaged in with her brother and hoped that her words had made an impact on him.

'If he can get on board with the idea that I am not stealing anything from him then it would make everything so much easier for me.' She sighed, drained of her energy thanks to the match and the long talk she shared with the young boy.

However, what she did not know was that her efforts had given fruit as Howard no longer doubted her motives.

Sadly, that fruit which she had grown with her painstaking efforts had been plucked ahead of time by the scary gardener, in this scenario, her father.

Rutherford's intervention had acted as the biggest roadblock in her path to help her brother achieve his dream and she wasn't even aware of this fact.

While she was thinking of what her brother might be doing at present, a knock on her door was heard and she noticed that it was her new maid, Roselie who had come over to her room.

"Miss, Madam has sent this glass of milk for you. Please drink it while it is still warm." She requested while handing the tall glass to the girl sitting by the window.

Roselie was worried that the Young Miss might throw a tantrum as she had also done when she was a child.

However, contrary to her beliefs, the little girl made no fuss as she blew over the glass a couple of times before she began taking small sips of milk until the entire glass had been emptied.

'Don't look at me like I've done something strange.' Yvonne looked away as she rolled her eyes at the stunned look on the maid's face.

She was an adult residing in this child's body so she was capable of finishing her milk without throwing a tantrum.

Roselie's good impression of the Young Miss increased by leaps and bounds along with the respect she had for her.

The little girl who had drank the last drop of the milk handed the empty glass to the maid and then walked towards the bed.

"Close the window for me, Roselie." She instructed and the maid did as she was told.

They never know when the rain might get heavier and enter the room when the direction of the wind changes so it was better to shut the window rather than take such a chance.

Roselie tucked her in once again but was worried that something similar to what had happened in the afternoon might take place again.

"I was just tired." Yvonne reminded her maid that she was fine and that there was no need to be so anxious about her.

'I'm not a porcelain doll that will shatter so easily.' She groaned at the excessive worry and panic this new maid tended to have.

Roselie was left with no choice but to nod and then vacate the room since it was time for her to return to her room in the servant quarters as well.

The glass of milk worked like a charm and in no time, drowsiness weighed down on her eyelids.

__

Hours passed as she continued to sleep peacefully without worrying about anything.

She did not know how long she had been asleep but when she opened her eyes again, Yvonne's head felt heavy and a buzzing sound was heard in her ears.

Groaning at the aching joints she felt in her body which caused her to wince at the smallest movement she made, she stopped trying to move altogether.

The sheets were over her head just as she had left them but her limbs did not seem to have the power to move it out of the way.

The excessive exhaustion she felt in her body coupled with her mind which seemed hazy right now resulted in her giving up on trying to move the sheets away.

'Let's just go back to sleep.' She decided as her body demanded for more rest.

She could not understand why she was feeling this lethargic, almost as though her body could not stay up any longer.

With this fatigue taking over her, she once again drifted off to sleep.

__

The next time that Yvonne opened her eyes, she immediately shut them again when the loud roar of rumbling thunder echoed in the room.

Her body this time did not ache when she curled into a ball in an attempt to feel secure from the lightning and thunder which were recurring in quick succession.

She could feel fear emanating through her bones as she shivered each time the lightning struck.

'When did I become such a scaredy-cat?' She wondered but her body did not listen to her mind as she continued to cower while under the sheets.

Yvonne knew that she did not fear thunder or darkness like other little girls due to the training she received from her Grandpa Leo so she could not understand why she was behaving in this way right now.

She could feel the genuine fear of thunder which caused her to yelp and whimper time and again.

Soon her eyes began to shed tears even when they were shut tightly due to her panic.

Before she knew it, a word was uttered from between her chattering rows of teeth.

"H-help…" She whispered a cry for help which would not even reach out if there was a person next to her due to how inaudible it was.

This brought a strange sense of deja vu to the girl who was now sure that this was another dream.

The same dream that she had not been able to complete due to the maid's interference.

While her hazy brain was trying to make sense of what was happening to her, a click was heard and the door of the room was pushed open.

Yvonne did not move as she remained still but the thunder wrecked her plan as it roared loudly causing another sob to escape her lips.

Her body trembled uncontrollably as she heard the sounds of footsteps coming closer to her.

"I'm here…" A soft, gentle, and concerned voice sounded in the room which had been filled with her whimpers and sobs.

She was still huddled under the sheets as her body refused to move even when her mind was commanding it to move.

The bed dipped as though someone had taken a seat on it, further alerting the girl who wished to move away from this person who had arrived.

"Don't fear, Von." The baritone voice which could only belong to a man was now heard right next to her.

'He knows my name!' She discovered but she could not recognize the person whose voice she had heard.

Before she knew it, Yvonne's body which had been cowering under the sheets was held in a warm embrace and lifted off of the bed.

'Let go of me, you creep!' She tried to fight off the intruder who was getting too close but yet again, her body failed to follow her instructions.

Her body was placed on his chest and she clung to the source of warmth even when all she wished to do was get away from this stranger.

"Your husband is right here so there is no need to fear, Von." The man's soft voice seemed to have calmed her shivering body as he patted her back to ease her fears.

This time it felt as though thunder had struck in her mind when she heard his words.

However, his soothing voice and careful actions lulled her back to sleep before she could utter a single word.