After Yong Li had left, Giulia was seen kneeling on the ground when Li Na stepped in, her diamond-studded heel announcing her presence.
Giulia immediately bowed her head, her hands trembling in her lap from fear. "Good day, Madam Li Na."
"Hold your greeting, you slimy little slut," Li Na spat out, her face squeezed so tight it looked carved from stone.
She stood above Giulia in her elegant creamy white cheongsam, tailored to perfection. Her hair was coiled tightly at the top of her head like a crown of thorns. She looked every inch the queen of this palace and Giulia was the stain on her throne room carpet.
"Your test results are out," she added with anger, her Mandarin-accented English slicing through the silence.
The family doctor who had come to check up on Giulia, left a few minutes ago and hadn't said a word to her, instead he just handed a sealed envelope to Madam Li Na, bowed, and slipped out, leaving behind the bomb now ticking between them.
"And it is stated that you are pregnant."
Pregnant.
The word rang in Giulia's ears like church bells, but there was no celebration in sight.
"Who," Li Na's voice was now a hiss, "is responsible for your pregnancy, Giulia?"
Giulia looked up slowly and carefully, scared to give her an answer.
This was the part where she could lie, where she could put it on a nameless chauffeur or a faceless waiter and possibly walk away with only a ruined reputation and a one-way ticket back to the slums but what would that change?
The truth was already buried in Li Na's eyes. She already knew.
"Master Yong Li is responsible," Giulia finally replied, quietly but clearly.
And a slap was what came next. It rang through the room, loud enough to echo. Giulia's head snapped to the side, her hair flying across her face. She tasted blood again but this time it was fresh.
Li Na didn't flinch. She was giving her a death stare.
"How dare you," she said coldly, wiping her hand on her dress like Giulia's skin had dirtied it. "How dare you say that out loud? My son, the heir and a maid?"
Giulia stayed on her knees, jaw throbbing. She could hear the servants behind the walls, holding their breath. They always did that when the yelling started, pretending they weren't listening.
"I am telling the truth, the pregnancy is a result of our love," Giulia whispered. "Master Yong Li loves me."
Another wrong move, which was seconded by another heavy slap. This one didn't sting, it burned, leaving a trail of fire across her cheek.
"Shut your filthy mouth," the old lady snapped. "Love? What do you know about love, you street girl?"
Giulia winced but didn't cry. Crying was for people who believed they might still be saved.
"My son will never marry a different blood and an ordinary maid like you," Li Na continued. "Do you think this little trick of yours will buy you a seat at the table of wealth?"
Her voice was rising now. The air in the room turned static, filled with fury and disbelief.
"It's not about money. Your son loves me and plans to marry me," Giulia said, barely audible, her eyes locked on the floor. "He said he'd speak to you about us once he returns."
"No! Never!" Madam Li Na screamed. "Not on my watch! You are going to get rid of that baby! His rightful wife will be coming back soon and I don't want you ruining their future with your bastard child," she fired.
She stepped forward, so suddenly that Giulia thought she would kick her. Instead, the older woman crouched in front of her, her face inches from Giulia's. She smelled like rosewater and poison.
"Let me make myself clear, you will say nothing about this stupid pregnancy to my son," she said, her words coming out slowly but sharp. "You will not speak to him. You will not approach him. You will not write him letters. You will not even stand in the same room with him. You must avoid him at all costs. Is this clear, Giulia?"
Giulia's voice caught in her throat. All she could do was nod. Madam Li Na stood and straightened her silk dress, breathing heavily.
"This family has bled for generations to build our name, I will not let you destroy it. I will not let a gold-digger like you derail my son's future. You may have succeeded in getting pregnant for him but you will not force your way into his life. I already have a wife for him, a woman with the same blood as us, a woman that matches our status."
"Please ma, I truly love Yong Li, I am not after his money," Giulia murmured.
Yet again, she made another wrong move.
Li Na's hand shot out again, clenching a fistful of Giulia's hair and yanking her head back.
"Don't play innocent now. You've been opening your legs in his bed while folding his laundry, haven't you? Wearing your sweet little maid's uniform like it's a costume? Acting humble while seducing the heir of this family."
Tears filled Giulia's eyes, finally. She couldn't hold them in anymore. Not because Li Na was right but because she didn't understand. Because no one wanted to understand.
"I didn't plan this," she choked out. "We fell in love."
"And what makes you think he'll still love you when I send you far away? My son doesn't love you. He never has. He only used you to warm his bed," the older woman hissed, dropping Giulia's head.
Giulia fell forward, catching herself with her hands.
"The truth cannot stay hidden forever. Yong Li will find out," she said, her voice broken but defiant. "And when he does…"
"You'll be gone," Madam Li Na cut in, sharply.
Giulia looked up, confused. "What?"
"I'm going to make sure you are out of our lives. Out of his life, Giulia. I'll take care of it. You won't see him again. He won't remember you. You'll be a footnote in his past. And that baby you're carrying…" Her voice dipped into something colder than Giulia had ever heard. "We'll take care of that too."
Giulia's heart dropped. "No," she breathed.
"You can't—"
"I can do anything," Madam Li Na interrupted. "This is my house. My legacy. And I'll burn it to the ground before I let you soil it."
For the first time since she'd knelt down, real panic wrapped around Giulia's chest. Not for herself but for the child she hadn't even wrapped her mind around yet. For the little life now involved in a war she never meant to start.
"You can't hide this forever," she whispered.
"He'll know. He'll see it."
"Then I'd advise you to get rid of the baby before he does."
Madam Li Na said, before turning her back to her like she was nothing. She paused, wrapping her fingers into a fist, before walking out of the room.