Today's chapters are dedicated to: RaineReigns , nancal42, ddsyren, mz_merl, Monica_Ceja, Hollygolightly, Frine_Gingras, Daniela_llieva, Marina_Maura

As they continued walking in one of the quiet corridors of Quintin's mansion, Henry Quintin, who came walking from the other side of the corridor, appeared in front of them. Eve hadn't expected the man to show up, and he bowed at her and Vincent.

"Ms. Barlow, forgive me for leaving the dining room so abruptly. Something came up that needed quick attention," Henry said to Eve apologetically.

Eve was surprised that the man was talking kindly to her after what she had done to him or what he had tried to do with her. He continued, "I was wondering if you would allow me to take a stroll with you."

Vincent, who noticed Eve's hostile glance towards the human, said, "You seem to be late with your request, Mr. Quintin. Ms. Barlow promised to walk with me for the rest of the noon."

"That's true," Eve answered Henry, whose eyebrows furrowed, and she noticed his lips setting in a thin line.

There was a tension between them which none of them addressed about. Henry offered her,

"Then I hope you will allow me to accompany you back to your home as you don't have a ride." He was persistent, as if wanting to erase what happened earlier in the dining room.

Knowing his earlier intentions, it was hard for Eve to smile and it came stiff. She answered, "I have to head to the Moriarty mansion for work. I will be going home after that," she bowed.

"Ms. Barlow, if you will, can I have a moment with you?" Henry requested her, and apprehensively, Eve stepped to the side. Vincent turned to look at the garden. Henry said, "Ms. Barlow, I sense that you are upset with me. My foot has been itching since this morning and I had removed my sock and shoe earlier. Then ne--"

"Mr. Quintin," Eve looked at Henry in the eyes and sternly said, "It would be best for us not to converse anymore. Just because I am standing under your roof, don't think for the sake of it I will overlook what you were going to do."

Henry stared at Eve, not expecting her to speak about it so directly and hoping to brush the matter under the carpet. As the woman came from Meadow, he had hoped for her to be demure and not fuss about it. He sarcastically laughed at her,

"What makes you think I would like to be in contact with a woman who comes from such a low birth? Instead of apologising, you are accusing me." His earlier kind face morphed into a scowl as if looking down on her. "Be grateful that I even looked at you. I was doing you a favour, a woman who exceeded the age of marriage."

Eve gritted her teeth and reminded the spoiled heir of the mansion where she stood, "Your memory must be weak, Mr. Quintin. I never expressed my interest in you or marriage."

"It was my folly. I already heard rumours here that you try to sleep with men in the name of governess. Nobody will ever want to marry yo--"

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"That isn't very nice of you to say, Mr. Quintin," Vincent remarked, turning to look at them.

Henry placed his hand on his chest and complained, "You don't know what your governess did to me earlier. She stomped my foot like she wanted to nail it to the floor!"

Vincent clicked his tongue, walking to where they stood. He stated, "If it was me in her place, you would be missing a toe.".

Mr. Quintin looked baffled and protested, "You are taking her words over mine? A woman who comes from a lowly status?"

Vincent cocked his head to the side and muttered under his breath,

"What a dimwit." He looked to the side before looking back at Henry and said, "Mr. Quintin. Ms. Barlow might be from Meadow, but right now it looks like she belongs in Skellington, while you are showing poor character, Mr. Quintin. I think you forget that she's my governess, so anything that concerns her is my business," his eyes narrowed at Henry, who warily looked at the pureblooded vampire.

Realising Vincent had heard about what happened back in the dining room, a stiff smile appeared on Henry's face.

"Just because it is your governess I have decided to spare her this time," said Henry as if it was Eve's fault.

When Henry turned, ready to leave, Vincent stopped him by saying, "On another thought, I think you should apologise to her."

Mr. Quintin turned with a baffled expression on his face, and he laughed as if finding Vincent's words to be funny. He said, "Apologise?"

"Did I stutter?" Vincent questioned back, his eyes glowing red, and an unwilling Henry, who noticed it, turned slightly frigid. "I am not too fond of people wasting my time."

But Henry was stubborn, and he slightly glared. Slightly because even though this was his mansion, Vincent Moriarty was a pureblooded vampire, and everyone knew he had a few screws loose in his head. He said, "I thought we already settled it. After all, I never touched her. I should be the one compens--"

"It was when Ms. Barlow decided not to create a scene, but you should be well aware Mr. Quintin that I don't mind a scene," a calm smile appeared on Vincent's lips, and he looked at one side of the corridor, where three elderly women were walking in their direction, taking a stroll after lunch.

Henry tried to swallow the bitter feeling of being humiliated. The man was a farce who had behaved gentlemanly only wanting to receive indecent favours from Eve. He finally said,

"It won't repeat again."

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Vincent rolled his eyes and said, "That's the worst apology in history. I am sure you can do better than that. Try again."

Henry grit his teeth and clearing his throat, he said, "I am sorry it won't happen again."

Vincent sighed and unbuttoned the sleeves of his shirt, folding it until his forearms. Eve noticed the veins that pressed from underneath the vampire's skin. She saw Henry sweat, and he hissed,

"I was wrong to think that you would comply with my wish, Ms. Barlow. Forgive me for what I tried and something like that will never happen again."

"And?" Vincent prompted.

"I will not come near you!" Henry said, looking back and forth between Eve and Vincent. He said, "I would also hope you don't mention what happened to anyone."

When the elderly women walked near them, Henry offered a bow and walked away from the place.

"Don't you just love it when people listen to you instead of making things difficult?" Vincent raised one of his eyebrows, pleased to see Henry scurry. Not only had he passed the fangs to someone worthy, but he had gotten the useless human from buzzing around his mermaid.

Eve asked him, "What if Mr. Walsh finds the fangs before he leaves from here?" Not to mention, the fangs could be considered to belong to anyone before they could be thrown away.

They started to walk back in the direction they had come earlier, and Vincent said, "It's been three hours and Mr. Walsh has not once slipped his hands in the pocket of his coat. There's no way he's going to find it when his hands are going to be occupied with cards. It is a coat that he often wears, probably because it's the only one that fits. He has been invited for another soiree tomorrow."

"And what happens once the council gets the news about it?" Eve asked him in curiosity, looking at him as she walked next to him, keeping up with his steps.

"The Council officials will keep him for a day or a week. Treat him like the guest in the dungeon before they realise he has nothing to do with it. Fear is good," came the nonchalant words from Vincent.

When they reached the mansion entrance, Eve's footsteps stopped, watching Vincent's broad shoulders as he continued to walk. The vampire stopped, turning to face her, and he remarked,

"I thought you were visiting the Moriarty mansion."

Eve didn't see why she should stay in Quintin's mansion, especially after what went on between her and Henry Quintin. Knowing Vincent was leaving, she took the opportunity to leave, followed him.

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In the meantime, Patrick Humphrey, carrying a tray of glasses filled with refined blood, was walking across the hall when his eyes fell on Eve and the silver-haired vampire. He wished to get his carriage to drop Eve home, but it would only cost the high-paying job he had right now.

It looked like Eve was close to her employer because he saw the two of them enter the carriage and leave Quintin's mansion.

Upon reaching the Moriarty mansion, Vincent and Eve stepped down from the carriage. Alfie quickly walked to the front of the mansion, offering a bow.

"Welcome back, Master Vincent," Alfie walked behind his master and removed his coat. The butler offered a bow to Eve.

Eve said to Vincent, "If you will allow me, I would like to go home. I can take the local carriage."

"Alfie will arrange a carriage for you," Vincent stated, his face relaxed and his cold eyes looking at Eve. He had noticed a sadness in the woman's eyes over the lowly human's words.

"That won't be necessary," Eve responded to him. Her thoughts were shaken at how things had turned. Her aunt had advised her to keep an open mind, which resulted in this. Mr. Quintin's words echoed in her mind, on how she wasn't worthy of being married. She said, "The local carriage will be here in forty minutes."

"Eve," Vincent called her name with an underlying warning that had both Eve and Alfie turn alert. "I wasn't giving you an option."

"I wasn't asking for your permission," Eve was firm with her response, and Vincent's eyes glowered.

The silver-haired vampire ordered his butler, "Bring Ms. Barlow a cup of tea and preferably biscuits to go along with it to the study room." He ignored Eve's words, and she pursed her lips.

The loyal butler didn't dawdle around them and decided to slip away because of the little unspoken tension in the air around his master and the governess.

As he started to walk, Eve watched Vincent slip his hands into the pockets of his trousers. She heard him say, "I would like to talk to you about something."

"You aren't good at communicating, are you?" Eve asked him as she started to follow his trail of footsteps.

Vincent turned to look at Eve over his shoulder and, in humour, asked her, "What gives away?" He then asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to run home? Leaving your friend all miserable and lonely."

Eve's lips twitched on seeing his fangs when he smiled. The vampire was anything but miserable and lonely.

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As they walked in the corridor, she didn't know why it felt like she was approaching a devil's den.