She linked her arm through Samuel’s and started to walk around Maya.

But Maya wasn’t finished. She grabbed Heena’s arm roughly.

"You think you’re so clever, don’t you? You think you’ve won by marrying into this family? But everyone knows what you really are—a scheming servant who used her looks to trap a foolish young man!"

The crowd was growing now, people stopping to watch the drama.

Heena looked at Maya’s hand gripping her arm, then looked up at Maya’s face.

"Remove your hand from me," she said quietly, but there was steel in her voice. "Now."

"Or what?" Maya challenged. "What can you possibly do to—"

Heena moved.

In one smooth motion, she twisted her arm in a specific way that broke Maya’s grip without using excessive force. Then she stepped back, putting Samuel slightly between them.

"I asked you politely to let me go," Heena said, her voice carrying clearly to the watching crowd. "In front of all these witnesses. Remember that you grabbed me first when you inevitably claim I attacked you."

Maya was sputtering with rage. "You—you—"

Master Feng suddenly appeared from the crowd. He must have been shopping nearby and heard the commotion.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked, his voice carrying authority.

Maya immediately shifted her demeanor, tears appearing in her eyes as if by magic.

"This girl attacked me! She—"

"I saw the whole thing," an older woman from the crowd interrupted. "The young mistress didn’t attack anyone. You grabbed her arm first, and she just freed herself. Quite politely, actually, considering how aggressively you grabbed her."

Several other people in the crowd nodded and murmured agreement.

Maya realized she’d lost the crowd’s sympathy. In trying to publicly humiliate Heena, she’d only made herself look like a bully.

Master Feng looked at Maya with clear disapproval. "Perhaps you should return to your shopping, Madam. Causing public scenes in the market district reflects poorly on your entire household."

It was a gentle rebuke, but coming from a respected senior merchant, it carried weight.

Maya had no choice but to retreat, her face burning with humiliation.

She turned and stormed back into the silk shop, Meili scurrying after her.

Master Feng turned to Heena and Samuel. "My apologies that you had to deal with that, young mistress. Not all members of every family behave with equal grace."

"No apology needed," Heena said warmly. "And thank you for your intervention."

Master Feng smiled. "You handled yourself admirably. Your husband chose well."

After he left, Samuel looked at Heena with new respect.

"That move you used to break her grip—where did you learn that?"

"Self-defense is a useful skill for anyone," Heena said vaguely. "Especially women."

"That wasn’t just basic self-defense," Samuel observed. "That was trained technique."

Heena just smiled. "Add it to the list of mysteries about me."

Samuel shook his head, smiling despite himself. "The list is getting quite long."

"Makes me more interesting," Heena pointed out.

"That’s certainly true," Samuel agreed.

As they continued through the market, the whispers around them had changed tone:

"Did you see how she handled that?"

"Didn’t back down at all..."

"But she wasn’t aggressive either..."

"She seems strong. Good for her."

"The older wife seemed quite nasty, honestly..."

Public opinion was shifting in Heena’s favor, exactly as she’d planned.

---

[Return Home - Evening]’’

When they returned to the household that evening, they found the old Master waiting for them in the main courtyard.

His expression was thunderous.

"My study. Now," he said to Samuel, completely ignoring Heena. "We need to discuss your wife’s disgraceful behavior in the market today."

Samuel’s expression remained neutral. "Of course, Father. I’ll join you in a moment."

After the old Master stalked away, Samuel turned to Heena.

"This is about the incident with Maya, obviously. She’s already complained to him."

"Obviously," Heena agreed. "What will you tell him?"

"The truth," Samuel said. "That Maya grabbed you first, that you defended yourself appropriately, and that multiple witnesses will confirm this version of events."

He paused. "Will you be alright alone while I deal with this?"

Heena smiled. "I’ve handled worse than an angry father-in-law."

"I’m beginning to believe that," Samuel said. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

After he left, the System appeared beside Heena.

"Host, you’re handling this remarkably well. The public opinion is shifting in your favor, Maya’s schemes keep backfiring, and Samuel is becoming genuinely protective of you."

"I know," Heena said. "It’s almost going too smoothly. Which makes me nervous."

"Why nervous, Host?"

"Because in my experience," Heena said quietly, "when everything goes too well, that’s when the real danger appears. Maya is running out of subtle options. Which means she’ll eventually try something desperate and dangerous."

The System looked worried. "What do you think she’ll do?"

"I don’t know," Heena admitted. "But I’ll be ready for it."

She looked toward the Master’s study where Samuel was presumably being berated about his choice of wife.

’Hang in there, husband,’ she thought. ’This is just the beginning. Things are going to get much worse before they get better.’

’But we’ll survive it. Together.’

’Because that’s what partners do.’

And for the first time since entering this world, Heena realized she actually meant it.

Samuel wasn’t just a tool or an alliance of convenience anymore.

He was becoming a genuine partner ( yeah to be used).

....

.

.

’’[The Master’s Study]’’

Samuel stood in his father’s study, maintaining a calm, respectful posture despite the old Master’s obvious fury.

The old Master was pacing back and forth like a caged animal, his face red with anger.

"Do you have ANY idea how humiliating it was for me to hear from THREE different merchants about how my daughter-in-law publicly disrespected my wife in the market?!" he shouted.

Samuel remained composed. "Father, I was there. What actually happened was—"

"I don’t CARE what you think happened!" the old Master interrupted. "Your wife attacked Maya! Assaulted her in front of dozens of witnesses!"

"That’s not accurate," Samuel said calmly. "Maya grabbed my wife first. Multiple witnesses confirmed this. My wife simply freed herself using minimal force. She did nothing aggressive or inappropriate."

The old Master slammed his hand on the desk. "She should have stood there and ACCEPTED whatever Maya chose to do! She’s a servant who got lucky—she has no right to defend herself against her betters!"

Samuel’s jaw tightened, but he kept his voice level.

"She’s not a servant anymore, Father. She’s my legal wife. And she has every right to defend herself from physical assault, regardless of who the attacker is."

The old Master’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you defending her over your own family?"

"I’m defending what’s right," Samuel said. "If the situation had been reversed—if my wife had grabbed Maya first—I would expect Maya to have the same right to defend herself."

"This is unacceptable!" the old Master roared. "That girl is causing nothing but problems in this household! Disruption, conflict, scandal—"

"The disruption and conflict existed long before I married," Samuel interrupted, his own temper finally starting to show. "The financial mismanagement, the declining business relationships, the household chaos—those aren’t my wife’s fault."

The old Master went very still. "What are you implying?"

Samuel took a calculated risk. This was the moment to start pushing back, to begin the confrontation that had been brewing for years