The mansion felt colder than ever.
It had been two days since the incident.
Two days since Keifer had grabbed Jay’s wrist and shouted at her.
The faint red marks on her wrist had faded.
But the memory hadn’t.
Breakfast.
The long dining table was silent.
Keifer sat at the head, reading documents as usual.
Jay walked in quietly.
She didn’t look at him.
She served herself breakfast without saying a word.
The servants exchanged nervous glances.
Normally, Jay would complain about the silence.
Today…
Nothing.
She finished eating and stood up.
“Madam,” one maid called softly.
“Boss is—”
“I’m done.”
Jay walked away without even looking in Keifer’s direction.
Keifer’s eyes briefly followed her.
He said nothing.
Later that afternoon…
Jay was watering flowers in the garden.
Nana Rosa smiled.
“You’ve taken good care of these roses.”
Jay returned a small smile.
“They don’t yell at me.”
Nana Rosa’s smile slowly disappeared.
She knew exactly who Jay was talking about.
Meanwhile…
Inside the office.
One of Keifer’s trusted guards spoke carefully.
“Boss…”
Keifer signed another file.
“What?”
“Madam hasn’t spoken to you since that morning.”
Keifer didn’t answer.
The guard continued.
“She ignored you at breakfast.”
Silence.
“And…”
The guard hesitated.
“She skipped lunch because she didn’t want to eat with you.”
The pen in Keifer’s hand stopped moving.
“Leave.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Evening.
Rain poured outside.
Thunder echoed across the sky.
Jay sat on the balcony outside her room, watching the rain.
She didn’t notice someone approaching.
Keifer stopped a few steps behind her.
“You’ll catch a cold.”
No response.
“Go inside.”
Jay slowly stood.
Without saying a single word…
She walked past him.
As if he wasn’t even there.
Keifer turned slightly.
“Jay.”
She kept walking.
Not even a glance.
The bedroom door closed quietly behind her.
For the first time in years…
Someone had ignored Mark Keifer Watson.
The next morning…
The entire mansion noticed it.
“Good morning, Madam.”
“Good morning.”
“Morning, Madam.”
Jay smiled politely at every servant.
She laughed with Nana Rosa.
She chatted with the maids.
She even thanked the guards who opened the doors for her.
But whenever Keifer entered the room…
Her smile disappeared.
She walked away.
It happened once.
Twice.
Then again.
By evening, everyone had noticed.
One young guard whispered to another,
“Boss is scarier than usual today.”
“No wonder.”
“Madam won’t even look at him.”
That night…
Jay entered the library to borrow a book.
As she reached for it, another hand picked it up first.
Keifer.
He held the book out to her.
“…”
Jay took it from his hand without meeting his eyes.
“Thank you.”
Her voice was quiet.
Before he could say anything…
She turned around and walked away.
Keifer remained standing alone in the library, staring at the closed door.
For the first time…
He realized that Jay’s silence bothered him far more than her arguments ever had.
Across the hallway, Nana Rosa watched the scene and sighed.
“The mansion has become quiet again…”
“But this silence…”
“…is much more painful.”