Return of Black Lotus system:Taming Cheating Male Leads

Chapter 329 --329

"And then we’ll be free," Maya said softly. "Free to be together. Free to enjoy everything this household has to offer."

They smiled at each other, making plans for a future built on murder and betrayal.

Neither of them noticed the small, invisible lion spirit watching from the shadows—recording every word they said for his Host to review later.

---

’’[In the Old Master’s Room]’’

Heena entered the old Master’s quarters and found him lying in bed, looking significantly worse than the last time she’d seen him.

His skin had a grayish tinge. His breathing was labored. His eyes were sunken.

’The poison is accelerating,’ Heena observed clinically. ’Maya must be increasing the dosage. Probably trying to finish him off before I can interfere.’

The old Master’s eyes opened when he heard her enter.

"Who... who’s there?" he asked weakly.

"It’s your daughter-in-law, Father," Heena said, keeping her voice respectful. "I’ve come to give you your medicine."

She picked up the medicine bottle from the bedside table and examined it carefully.

’Definitely tampered with,’ she noted. ’There’s something mixed in with the legitimate medicine. Clever—hard to detect unless you know what you’re looking for.’

The old Master struggled to sit up slightly.

"Where... where is Maya? My wife... I want to see her..."

"Mother is currently entertaining a guest in the courtyard," Heena said truthfully. "Lord Chen Yifan came to visit and pay his respects to the household."

Even in his weakened state, the old Master’s face showed displeasure.

"That official... again? Why does he keep visiting?"

"I’m sure it’s just out of concern for the household’s wellbeing," Heena lied smoothly. "Shall I help you take your medicine now?"

She poured the liquid into a small cup.

The old Master reached for it with shaking hands.

And Heena made a split-second decision.

She "accidentally" knocked the cup, spilling the poisoned medicine across the bedside table.

"Oh! I’m so clumsy!" she exclaimed. "I’m so sorry, Father! Let me get you a fresh dose!"

She picked up the bottle and walked toward the door, calling for a servant.

"Please bring fresh water and clean cloths to clean up this spill!" she instructed. "And please inform Mother that Father would like to see her when she’s finished with her guest!"

That last statement was calculated—it would force Maya to come check on the situation, preventing her from dosing the old Master again immediately.

As Heena turned back toward the room, the old Master was looking at her with surprisingly sharp eyes.

"You... you spilled that on purpose," he said slowly.

Heena met his gaze calmly.

"I have no idea what you mean, Father. I’m simply clumsy today. My hands aren’t steady—I didn’t sleep well last night."

The old Master continued staring at her.

Then, unexpectedly, he smiled slightly.

"You’re protecting me," he said with wonder. "Even though I... even though I treated you poorly when you first arrived. You’re still protecting me."

Heena’s expression remained neutral.

"You’re my husband’s father," she said simply. "Of course I would want you to recover your health."

’What I actually want,’ she thought privately, ’is for you to live long enough to see Maya’s schemes exposed and punished. Death is too easy an escape for what you’ve done. You deserve to face justice and shame first.’

But she didn’t say that out loud.

The old Master looked at her for a long moment.

Then said quietly, "I was wrong about you. Completely wrong. You’re not what I thought at all."

Before Heena could respond, footsteps approached rapidly.

Maya burst into the room, her face showing concern that looked genuine to anyone who didn’t know better.

"Husband! I heard you wanted to see me! Are you alright?!"

She shot Heena a suspicious glare.

"What happened here? Why is there medicine spilled everywhere?"

"Just an accident, Mother," Heena said smoothly. "I was clumsy. I’ve already called for servants to clean it up and prepare fresh medicine for Father."

Maya’s eyes narrowed, clearly not believing that story.

But she couldn’t say anything without revealing her own involvement.

"Well, be more CAREFUL next time," she said sharply. "This medicine is expensive and difficult to prepare!"

’I’m sure it is,’ Heena thought. ’Especially with all those extra poisonous ingredients you’ve been adding.’

"Of course, Mother," Heena said meekly. "I’ll be much more careful from now on. In fact, perhaps you should administer Father’s medicine yourself? Since you’re so concerned about proper dosing?"

That was a trap—if Maya gave the medicine herself, any adverse effects would be directly traceable to her.

Maya’s face twitched with barely-suppressed rage.

"No, that’s... that’s fine. You can continue helping. Just be more careful."

"As you wish, Mother," Heena said.

She was already planning her next move.

Three days until the memory unlock.

Three days to gather more evidence against Maya.

Three days to prepare for whatever truth was hiding in Seera’s blocked past.

’Let’s see how this plays out,’ Heena thought.

’The game is just getting started.’

.

.

.

When Heena emerged from her father-in-law’s room and began walking down the corridor, she saw Samuel approaching from the opposite direction.

Their eyes met. She gave him a slight nod of acknowledgment. He returned it with a small smile.

Then, without any hesitation or formality, he reached out and gently supported her waist with one arm, helping her walk more comfortably.

From the perspective of any servants or family members who might be watching, they would see what appeared to be a perfectly lovely, loving couple—a devoted husband solicitously helping his wife, walking together in perfect harmony.

But the conversation they were having in quiet voices was decidedly NOT loving or romantic.

Heena was smiling pleasantly as she said in a conversational tone, "So, what do you think? Should we let your father die?"

Hearing that absolutely casual question about patricide, Samuel looked at her with equal calm and said, "I want that bastard to die even MORE badly than you can imagine. But honestly, I’ll just follow whatever my wife decides on this matter."

Hearing that deferential response, Heena looked at him with raised eyebrows and said, "We’re NOT—we were married as a CONTRACT couple. Business partners. When did we become such a devoted, lovely husband and wife?"

Samuel looked at her with a slight smirk and said, "Well, sweetheart, you could say that I’ve just had a change of mind recently. Certain... developments... have altered my perspective on our relationship."

The way he emphasized "developments" while his hand subtly squeezed her waist made it very clear what he was referring to.

Heena looked at him with utter disgust—though her body betrayed her by leaning slightly into his supportive grip.

"Well, whatever. That’s complete nonsense," she said dismissively. "Anyway, about the actual important topic: I think we should let your father live."

Hearing that decision, Samuel just shrugged his shoulders casually—like they weren’t discussing a human life at all, just some tactical chess piece.

"Yeah, let him live until Maya’s crimes come to light," he agreed easily.

"No," Heena corrected, her tone becoming more calculating. "Let him live until this bastard transfers all his property and business holdings to YOU. Then we can reassess the situation."

Hearing that mercenary clarification, Samuel looked at her with something like admiration mixed with amusement.