'Everyone's here now. Joanna has slept enough, so let's dig in." Sophia seated Joanna at the table and said cheerfully.
'Good morning, Grandpa Baldwin, Uncle Jack, and Justin." Joanna greeted them politely and smiled broadly at them.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Austin looked at Joanna fondly. The more he looked at her, the more he liked her.
"I slept very well last night. Thank you for your concern." Joanna nodded slowly. She was very experienced in all this, since this was how she survived in the Moran family for three years. She had emerged unharmed thanks to all the masks she wore.
" Really?" Justin suppressed his laughter and asked, "Weren't you walking around in the courtyard in the middle of the night? You even energetically fixed a hole in the wall! I thought you couldn't sleep because you weren't used to the environment."
Joanna glared at Justin, fighting the urge to reach over and choke him. 'Damn that troublemaker! He should know who I was trying to help and why I was forced to do this! What an ungrateful man…'
"A hole?" Austin's gaze instantly turned cold, like the gaze of a soldier on the battlefield. It was terrifying.
Joanna hurriedly explained, "I couldn't fall asleep because it's a new place, and I saw that the moon was very beautiful last night, so I went out for a stroll. At that point, I happened to see a hole in the wall, so I fixed it."
Austin nodded and did not ask further. "Today is your first day here, so you can sleep in, but you can't do it anymore. Everyone in the Baldwin family abides by military rules, and we keep to a strict schedule every day. This is to strengthen our minds!"
'Huh?" Joanna was dumbfounded.
"Joanna, you are a child from a military family, so you should be able to follow these rules. William probably would be happy that I could make you stronger!"
"Um…" Joanna gulped and wanted to say that it was totally unnecessary. Her grandfather had already taught her war theories and fighting skills when he was still alive. He also taught her how to assemble guns, how to make and defuse a bomb, and even how to train soldiers. However, he pampered her in all other aspects, and usually let her do whatever she liked.
"Calm down, Grandpa, these rules are for our family. The relationship between Joanna and me isn't confirmed yet, so don't scare her away!" Justin finally decided to help Joanna out.
"Don't listen to this old fogey. You can stay up late if you want to, or sleep in if you want to. You just have to live freely and happily as my wife. There is no need to be so disciplined!" Justin said dismissively.
His words received the enthusiastic support of Sophia. "Yes, he's right! Joanna and Justin can live however they like as long as they are happy; We won't interfere."
Austin's face turned serious, but before he could say anything, a maid ran into the room. She looked around wildly and shouted, "Susan's gone!"
'She disappeared?" Austin slammed the cutlery on the table and demanded, "What happened?"
'When I went to start my shift this morning, there was nobody in the room. The lock wasn't damaged – it's like she disappeared into thin air!"
'What nonsense. Do you not want your tongue anymore?" Austin scoffed.
Jack asked, "Unless she was let go, how could a person disappear out of thin air?"
The maid suddenly realised something and shouted, "The new maid… It must be that new maid!"
"What's all this gibberish? Talk properly!" Sophia said sternly.
The maid took a deep breath and explained, "There was a new maid last night, wearing a uniform of a better quality than ours. She said that she was sent over to keep an eye on Susan, so I brought her to the room and left her there alone… I did not expect that both the new maid and Susan would disappear like that! So the person who helped Susan escape must be her!"
"How dare she?!" Austin was fuming, feeling like the authority of the Baldwin family had been challenged. He said furiously, "Who is that reckless person? How dare she sneak into the Baldwin mansion and do this right under my nose?! She really does not take us seriously! Start an investigation immediately, and when you find her, break her limbs right away. She has to know that the Baldwin family cannot be messed with!"
Jack nodded and said to the head of the soldiers stationed around them," What are you waiting for? Send a team to barricade the whole place and carry out a thorough search. We must catch the woman who dares to fight against the Baldwin family!"
Joanna buried her head in her arms the whole time, not daring to take a breath. She was afraid that the maid would recognize her.
She watched the soldiers leave in the armoured vehicles and gulped anxiously. 'Are these people for real? Must they be so serious? If they find out that I was the traitor who let go of her, would they really break my limbs?'
Actually, when Joanna thought about it, it wasn't that surprising. The Baldwin family were used to dictatorship, and used harsh punishments to reinforce their power in greyport and the entire land to expand their reign.
"Let's eat first. We don't want bad news spoiling Joanna's breakfast," Sophia said quickly to the men.
The family agreed, and before they ate, they stood up and sang the national anthem in a loud and clear voice.
Joanna was so frustrated by all their rules. 'No wonder Vernom ran away years ago to become a hacker. I would escape as well if I were him!'
Joanna was actually planning to confess to the Baldwin family after breakfast and ask for their forgiveness. After that, she would leave this place. The sooner, the better!
At the same time, the maid, who had been standing submissively with her head lowered, raised her head cautiously. As soon as she saw Joanna's face, her eyes widened in realisation and she yelled, "It's her! She's the new maid. She's the one who released Susan!"
The Baldwin family was startled and looked at Joanna.
The maid pointed at Joanna and continued, "Although it was dark last night and she disguised herself well, I can tell that she's the new maid from last night. Her eyes are exactly the same, and there was a mole near her left eye!"
Joanna lowered her head in embarrassment and inwardly groaned. 'Oh no, I forgot to cover the mole under my left eye! It's so faint, I thought no one would notice it!'
The members of the Baldwin family were certainly special – even a maid had such good observation skills.
"Joanna, is there anything you want to say about this?" Sophia patted her shoulder gently and said, "Don't be scared. If it's you, you should just admit it – we won't blame you. If it wasn't you, this maid who slandered you will be at your disposal!"
"I…" Joanna inhaled deeply, wondering whether to admit it.
At that moment, Justin, who had been watching everything silently, suddenly spoke, "Alright, we can stop the guessing game now -I was the one who let her go."