The days after the funeral passed like silent shadows.
The manor no longer felt like home. It had become more like an old theatre — with new actresses who had taken over the leading roles without permission.
Agatha, Clara, and Evelyn wasted no time making themselves at home.
Within hours, Agatha had ordered furniture to be moved, family portraits removed, and curtains replaced. Everything that reminded Sara of her parents… was slowly being erased.
The First Explosion – Sara vs. The Aunts
"Why did you take down my mum's painting?" Sara asked one morning, standing in front of the empty space on the living room wall.
Agatha didn't even look at her directly.
She was too busy reviewing documents while pouring herself a cup of black tea.
"It was too dark. And you need a brighter environment, dear."
Sara clenched her fists.
"I'm not your 'dear.' And you're certainly not my mother."
Agatha raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
It was Evelyn who stepped in, with that sickly sweet smile:
"Sara, sweetheart, we're your only family now. We should start acting like it."
"I don't have a family," Sara said quietly, her voice cold and heavy with pain. "My family is gone."
Without waiting for a response, she ran up the stairs, leaving the three women in complete silence.
Persi followed her, meowing softly as if she understood every word Sara had spoken.
Words That Hurt More Than Blows
That night, Sara couldn't sleep.
Yuri had warned her before dinner:
"Don't trust them, Miss Sara. Not everyone comes with good intentions."
She knew he was right. But she also knew she couldn't run. Not yet.
As she walked barefoot through the upstairs hallway, she heard voices coming from her father's study.
The door was slightly ajar. She approached carefully.
"...this won't be easy," Evelyn whispered. "She's stubborn, like her mother."
"Then we'll have to break her," Agatha replied. "Or we lose everything."
"But what if she refuses to sign?"
"She won't," Agatha said coldly. "Soon enough, she'll understand that I'm the one in charge."
Sara stepped back slowly, her heart pounding against her chest.
Sign what?
What were they planning?
She returned to her room, locked the door, and held Persi tightly.
"What's happening here, Persi?" she whispered. "Why are they doing this?"
Persi just looked at her, as if trying to say something Sara wasn't ready to understand yet.
The Hidden Document – A Letter That Changes Everything
The next day, a certified letter arrived.
Melinda was the one who handed it to her in person.
"It's from your parents' lawyer," she said softly. "He says it's important."
Sara opened it with trembling hands.
Inside was a document and a handwritten note:
"Dear Sara, if you're reading this letter, it means your parents are no longer with us. This document is your legal inheritance. Don't lose it. And above all… don't let others use it against you."
A chill ran down Sara's spine.
This wasn't just about inheritance.
It was a battle.
And her aunts had just declared war.
Game of Masks – Smiling Lies and Hidden Truths
At dinner, Evelyn decided to try a new tactic: forced kindness.
"Sweetheart, we only want what's best for you," she said in an overly sugary voice. "That's why we've decided to buy you new clothes. Jewellery. Whatever you need."
Sara stared at her.
"I'm not your 'sweetheart.' And I don't want anything from you."
"Oh, come on," Evelyn insisted, reaching out a hand toward her. "We could get along so well. We're family, after all."
"Family isn't chosen," Sara shot back. "You came here because you think you can control me. But you won't."
Agatha dropped her fork with a loud clink.
"Listen well, girl," she said in a low, almost threatening tone. "You have no idea who you're messing with. We could leave you completely alone. No one. No money. No future."
"Then do it," Sara replied without hesitation. "At least then I wouldn't have to see your fake faces every day."
A heavy silence filled the dining room.
Until Yuri entered with a tray of coffee.
"I think that's quite enough for tonight," he said, looking at Agatha with a clear message: Enough.
But at that moment, Sara knew one thing for sure:
She couldn't trust anyone… except Persi.
Meanwhile… – Secrets Under the Bed
That night, while trying to fall asleep, Sara heard a strange noise.
Persi was moving restlessly, scratching the floor beneath her bed.
Curious, Sara got up and pulled the bedsheet aside.
Behind one of the bedposts, she noticed something out of place.
A loose floorboard.
Carefully, she lifted it.
There, hidden for years, was a small journal.
Written by her mother.
"If you're reading this, it means I'm no longer with you. But remember, Sara: there are secrets in this house that no one should know. And there are eyes that always watch."
Sara swallowed hard.
She wasn't alone.
Not by a long shot.
Final of the Chapter – The Beginning of the War
Sara tucked the journal away with the lawyer's document.
She'd hide them where no one could find them.
Not even Melinda.
Not even Yuri.
Because something had changed.
She wasn't just an orphan trapped in a mansion full of ghosts any more.
Now, she was an heir with a legacy to protect.
And a truth to uncover.
Her aunts thought they could manipulate her.
That they could break her.
That she would give up.
But they didn't know Sara.
They didn't know the fire burning under her skin.
Or the darkness growing in her heart.
This time…
She would take control.