Maya's Pov

I stayed up all night thinking about what Izzy said and came to a startling realization, I was at fault too.

Pushing all the blame on Niklaus was too cheap of me.This was his first relationship after his personality change and yet, I didn't give him a second chance.

Thinking about it, he hadn't seen that kiss coming on the Gala night else he would have countered it. Maybe I gave up too easily - but it was already too late.

Niklaus and I are worlds apart. He has a high status while I have nothing - no family support or background. It was better this way.

I didn't catch a wink at all, just kept turning and tossing until the morning came which I earnestly dreaded - I had to make up with Isabella.

I said - no, we said pretty harsh words to each other last night and it was lowly of me to hold a grudge against a child - who knows more than she should know.

Grunting, I climbed out of the bed and walked into the bathroom to freshen up. Staring into the mirror that morning scared the hell out of me considering the fact I had huge bags under my eyes because of staying up all night.

I covered up my hideous features with my cosmetics and headed to Izzy's room which was opposite mine.

I lingered at the door, my hand hung in the air, should I or should I not knock?

It was a known fact that Isabella has a knack for holding grudges, just like Niklaus - like father, like daughter.

Was I seeking death by waving the white flag first? Or should I allow her to flaunt her anger for a while before coming to seek for peace when she's eventually calm? Such thoughts occupied my head.

But when I eventually gathered enough courage to push through with my plan, something spectacular happened.

Just as my hand was about to sound on the door, it suddenly snapped open and Isabella ran out of the room with an incredible speed my eyes couldn't keep up with. Her hands were in the air and she was screaming like a lunatic.

My feet stayed glued to the floor, expression frozen from shock. What just happened? What did I just see? What was going on? What got the almighty Isabella scared out of her pants?

It was early morning so the kids were still asleep save Izzy, but Eden and his staff were already awake.

I immediately ran down the stairs in order to catch up with the girl who had already grabbed Eden's attention.

"It's a snake! " Isabella panicked while Eden tried his best to calm her down.

"What snake? There's no snake in my property " He told her but Isabella shook her head with apprehension.

"There's a snake in my water closet, moron! " She cursed her uncle in her agitated state, "I had to use the toilet this morning and opened it, only to find a snake poking its head out of the bowl! That creepy disgusting creature was staring straight at me"

I heard her explanation just as I covered the last fleet of stairs, Eden's eyes and mine connected.

"If what she said is true, a snake must have slithered into her toilet " I acquiesced, walking towards him.

"I made sure my property is secured from such disturbances " He responded, glaring at the housekeeper who instinctively took a step back, refusing to meet Eden's angry gaze.

I followed his gaze and figured out what was going on. I pitied Mrs. El who's about to shoulder the whole blame.

"There's bound to be mistakes sometimes Eden, we are all humans not robots " I referred to him about his intention to hold Mrs. El accountable for this incident.

"Besides this is the countryside with lots of trees and there are tall trees close to the house, any snake could have entered the toilet from the plumbing system " I explained to him

It was no secret that snakes could come in through sewer or ventilation pipes especially in areas with lots of thick, tall bushes.

"Did you close the toilet lid and the bathroom door? " Eden asked Isabella.

If there was really a snake, it would likely climb out and hide if Isabella had run out without closing it.

"Yes, I did " Izzy answered this time with a calm expression, It seems the adrenaline has finally worn off. I really admired that girl, even in that moment of fear, she still had the sense to act accordingly.

"You did well " Eden praised her to my surprise and started heading upstairs.

"Where are you going? " I held him on the arm once he walked past me.

" I'm going to confirm " was all he said and sprinted up the stairs.

"Eden" I called, deciding to follow after him but before I could reach Isabella's room, he was done with his inspection .

"How is it? Is there a snake in the toilet? "

"Yeah, the girl is right," Eden remarked, " Caught it poking out its head the moment I slightly lifted the lid "

My heart picked up speed, I asked " Is it venomous? "

"Triangular-shaped head with two pits on its snout and a banded pattern of yellow and red? Definitely venomous. Isabella is one lucky girl "

My hands flew to my mouth in shock, heart pounding against my chest. If anything had happened to Isabella, the guilt would really eat me alive; we haven't even reconciled yet.

"We have to call animal-control or local police or fire departments to remove the snake, " I told him seriously but the person in question gave me a stupid look.

He tilted his head to the side and asked with a mocking tone, " Call the county's animal service to do what? That thing? "

I was flabbergasted, " Of Course! what do you want to do then… ." I trailed off as a sudden thought ended my head, I glanced up with a baffled face.

"You're not possibly thinking of removing that snake yourself right? "

There was no change in his expression.

You've got to be kidding me.

"That's a dangerous snake, not a toy Eden" I reminded him strictly in case he had forgotten.

" If I don't do it, who would? "

"We have animal control for a reason- "

Eden interrupted me.

"This place doesn't have an animal service department, Maya. Even if it does, they only take-up cat, dog cases, or animals causing problems for the general public, not domestic property. For this, you would have to call a snake removal agency which is miles and miles away from here "

" What about the police - "

"The police have a handful of cases to settle especially in a rural area like this one; I bet they are investigating a villager's stolen chicken right about now " he depicted the daily life of the local police humorously.

But I wasn't amused at all, we were dealing with a dangerous situation here. Why wasn't he bothered at all?

Eden placed his hand on my shoulder, " Calm down Maya, we are not called Spencers for no reason "

That being said, he hurried down the stairs and into his room.

Standing right outside isabella's door, I began to walk up and down, biting on my nails with a worried and anxious look on my face. Eden was really messing with his life.

Though both of us weren't that close, I wouldn't wish for anything bad to happen to him moreover, he's Annabelle's father - she can't be fatherless at such a young age.

My head jerked up when I heard approaching footsteps but frowned instead.

Eden was wearing a thick long-sleeved overall, gardening glove, a pair of goggles, and stick in his grip with a small bag slung over his shoulder.

He winked at me, " How do I look? "

Ridiculous.

I balled my fist and said through gritted teeth, "There is a reason why normal people leave snakes alone, especially venomous ones "

He cocked a brow, " You've forgotten I'm not normal "

"Y-You " I choked.

"Stop being such a worrywart, I'm wearing protective clothing to prevent its fangs from getting through and goggles, in case it spits." He explained and gestured to all the items he had on his body.

His brows furrowed together when he saw the worried expression on my face, " I'm not not going to die Maya "

But his lips curled into a smile," I didn't know you loved me this much. It's relieving to know that someone indeed cares about me "

My anxious face expired and was replaced by an obvious scowl, "Stop saying nonsense" I rebuked him but he began to laugh

Folding my arms, I looked away with a huff, " Since you love death so much, I'm not going to stop you anymore. Knock yourself - "

The rest of my words were cut off when he abruptly turned me around, hugging me with a force that knocked the breath out of me.

"Thank you," He said and tightened his embrace.

But the strange thing was that my heart began to beat so fast. Must be because he took me unaware, I told myself.

I tried to pull away but he resisted, instead turned his face and pecked me on the cheek before walking into Isabella's room.

My feet were stuck to the ground. I blinked,what just happened? That bastard!