CHAPTER 568: MY CHILDREN ARE THE BEST!

Shelby shut her eyes tightly and composed her expression. When she opened it again, there was a calmness about her.

For a moment afterwards, Samantha and everyone else were puzzled because it seemed as if Shelby had some dissatisfaction with Samantha, but that didn’t add up.

"Mum?"

Shelby lifted the corner of her lips, so slightly that it was missed by most, but Samantha breathed a sigh of relief at seeing that. Trusting her mother, she settled in her seat.

"Ingrid?"

"Mummy?"

’Why do you think that mum should not drink this?’

Ingrid’s eyes widened, but she was a smart girl, so she did not let out anything. This made most of the people in the room extra confused. Shelby and Ingrid gazed at each other for a while, but neither said anything. At least, that’s what the onlookers thought.

Why was Shelby acting so weird? It took a few more seconds for even Ian to catch on, and his eyes narrowed. A coldness started to seep out of him in the direction of where Shelby casually glanced, but she placed her hand on his gently, stilling his actions. The couple had this unspoken trust between themselves, and even though Ian perceived danger, he relented.

Ian also sent silent commands to all to still their actions as well.

Satisfied with this, Shelby steeled herself, her breathing slow and deliberate, and with a casual flick of her hand, she "accidentally" knocked the glass of juice off the table. It tumbled, shattered against the floor, and in that instant, the silence snapped, along with the attention of all.

A sharp, furious burst rang out, not through their ears, but somehow directly in their skulls. "HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!" The audacious voice thundered, dripping with wrath. It was as if whoever this was had been wronged, which was funny to even think about. Shelby did not even flinch, as if she had expected it. Currey, Murray and the rest stiffened, but did not move an inch. They were clear on following orders! Ian’s grip on Shelby tightened slightly.

A mass of raw energy erupted as a blazing ball of crackling force that loomed from seemingly nowhere, as they could not yet see the source. It hissed like a living creature, snarling as it was hurled, and it streaked towards its target – Shelby’s chest.

But they, and especially Shelby, had been waiting, as if she knew of this person’s subsequent actions.

Shelby’s body tensed, not with fear, but with certainty. A swell of energy counter rose quickly from deep within her. This was not her own, and she had experienced it once prior. This supposed power was never hers alone but anchored in the small life she carried. From her belly outward, a shield rippled into existence, translucent yet unyielding, wrapping her in an aura that shimmered like liquid light to the naked eye.

The energy ball slammed against the shield, then fizzled into harmless sparks.

Shelby’s indifferent face at the threat was even more enraging for this attacker.

Gasps escaped the children; The assistants heaved a relief, but Suzie’s hand was in her throat.

’Is there ever going to be a calm day in this estate?’ she wondered,

’After Aliya, I thought that we were done! What is this?’

Even Ian raised a brow in disbelief, then pride. His budding baby was a warrior who would protect his mother at every turn. With this, it meant that he could relax his vigilance, knowing that both of them would be safe.

But oh, his Elfin wasn’t finished. With an almost leisurely flick of her hand, as if brushing away dust, she twisted her wrist toward the second looming force. The attacker had not given up, though the shield had taken her by surprise; she was not about to let a chance go. The person threw a second ball of energy that was felt by all. The person had yet to make an actual presence, as it still remained in the shadows.

One would have thought that since almost everyone was calmly looking at her, she would have taken that as a warning that she was no match for anyone, but whoever this was, was enraged beyond basic reasoning.

The searing ball that had threatened Shelby... unravelled, threads of light unwound, scattering into nothingness.

The silence that followed lasted only a heartbeat.

Then the voice... this time no longer hidden but heard by all of them ... split the air with a shriek so sharp it made the walls vibrate.

"That is not possible!"

The unseen presence shuddered violently, its fury no longer contained.

At the shriek, two hidden guards, who had been newly added to Ian’s internal team, sprang forward, entering the room instantly, blades half-drawn and spells forming on their lips. These two were from Ian’s elite force.

"Stand down."

Shelby’s voice cut across the chaos, brisk and commanding. Reluctantly, they froze, though their stances remained sharp and ready, eyes darting for the unseen threat.

And then, ’she’ appeared.

The intruder’s form tore through the veil of nothingness with a ripple that churned the air. Her face was twisted with disbelief, with rage, with something deeper, like desperation? One could not be sure. Her gaze darted, wild, until it locked onto the children, seated calmly at the table.

With a guttural snarl, she lunged.

It was as if she had decided that the children would be an easy target for what was fast becoming the failed sneak attack.

Before her hand could touch Gabriel, who was closest, he vanished with a sharp poof! ..... like the air had folded in on itself to hide him. .... only to reappear several feet away, clinging tightly to Ian’s side, small shoulders trembling but very much alive. That caught everyone’s attention, because though Faes could do this, Gabriel was too young, and he had never exhibited such abilities.

However, Suzie couldn’t understand why no one was standing up, despite having heard the instructions not to. The mistress and the children were in danger! She was doing all she could not to rush over, though unsure of how she would have countered that disgusting creature-like woman that emerged suddenly. Because of Aliya, at least Suzie was able to stomach such scenes.

The woman paused only briefly, frustration mounting, as she turned towards Ingrid. Ingrid did not run, nor even move an inch, but Shelby’s command had kept almost everyone rooted. Instead, Ingrid turned with eerie calm, her eyes gleaming. And when she spoke, it was not her own voice that spilt forth.

It was the deep, resonant tone of the Aliya’s.

"What are you doing? You should not be here... you were not sent for this, and you risk everything by defying me."

The words struck harder than any blade. The intruder froze mid-step, her fury smothered by raw terror. She was confused, for Ingrid stood tall, confident, just like Aliya. The resemblance and the voice were making her confused. For an instant, the woman was still.

"M-aster.... I – I – am only reveng-"

Ingrid, seeing the haze on her face, seized that opportunity. Her lips parted, and a lilting weaponized version of the luresong ....short, sharp, and impossibly sweet, spilt into the air. As before, Ingrid had used a voice weapon like this; the sound was a dagger wrapped in silk. The woman’s body convulsed as the melody struck her, blasting her backwards with a shriek of pain.

One could see that Ingrid’s appearance and voice had wildly disoriented the person, and compounded with her words, most of what was going on started to make sense.

"Weak!" Ingrid girl spat, still in that borrowed, commanding voice.

Again, before the intruder could even crash to the ground, Samantha leapt high, her body twisting with uncanny force. Her foot connected squarely with the woman’s chest, the impact rattling the walls.

The woman flew, slammed against the far wall, and crumpled to the ground with a heavy thump!

Silence fell.

It was over before it had even begun.

The guards and even assistants, as well as Suzie, relaxed their stances.

Ian’s arm was around Gabriel now, and he could not help but relax a notch.

The silence that followed was suffocating. Light dust curled in the air, settling over the still form crumpled against the far wall.

Slowly, the intruder lifted her head. Her eyes, wide, bloodshot, and wild, fixed on the three children standing as if nothing extraordinary had just happened. Horror etched itself across her face.

"My children are the best, aren’t they?" Shelby asked with pride, as if there was not a perceived threat in the room. Ian shook his head at this, but he agreed totally.

"You... you cannot .... Aliya said ...." Her voice cracked, thin with disbelief. "The children are not meant to... not this... not yours!"

Her words faltered, and for the first time, her fury was stripped bare to something uglier... fear.

The children did not move. They only stared back at her, not with innocence, not with confusion, but with the eerie composure of those who had acted precisely as they intended. Three young bodies, but one will and shield.

The two guards remained frozen in place, weapons quivering in their hands, uncertain if they were witnessing a miracle or a curse. Shelby’s reaction was even crazier to them.

All eyes shifted to Shelby and Ian.

Ian’s face was unreadable, a storm behind his steady gaze as he held the trembling Gabriel tighter. Calculation and shock flickered beneath his stillness, which turned to pride, as his eyes scanned his family.

Shelby, however, slowly stood with one hand resting on her pregnancy bump, lips parted in a small, silent smile. In her eyes burned not fear, but recognition, and an excitement.

The intruder choked on a laugh, a bitter, broken sound. It was painful to hear, guttural even. "I-f t-hey a-re t-his str-ong no-w..." Her voice dropped to a whisper, trembling from the pain. "Th-en wh-en th-ey ar-e gr-own—"

She did not finish. She could not, for Shelby gave one last instruction that made all the rest totally understand....

’Feed her the juice!’

Shelby’s mouth never moved, but all around heard it in their heads, including the intruder.

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