As long as she remained obedient, Carrie believed that Mr. Labbe would not intimidate her again.

Mr. Labbe relaxed on the sofa in the hall, a glass of wine in hand, appearing leisurely and content as he occasionally sipped from it.

When he heard footsteps, he didn’t look at Carrie.

Carrie approached, set down her bag, sat beside him, and called out sweetly, “Mr. Labbe.”

Mr. Labbe turned his head to glance at her, his gaze sharp as a knife, startling Carrie.

Had she done something wrong?

“Mr. Labbe, have you eaten?” Carrie asked cautiously, no longer daring to sound flirtatious.

He gave a light hum in response, leaning back as he said, “The invitation on the table is for you to attend the banquet tomorrow night.”

“There, I bought you several evening dresses and pieces of jewelry. Choose whichever you prefer.”

Mr. Labbe gestured toward a nearby single sofa.

Following his gaze, Carrie noticed several exquisite bags and bright red brocade boxes placed there.

She first picked up the invitation, opened it, and read through it.

After closing the invitation, she stood and walked over to examine the evening gowns and jewelry.

All the evening gowns were stunning, and the jewelry was equally impressive.

While Carrie had seen and used fine things before, she couldn’t help but smile at Mr. Labbe’s generosity.

“Thank you, Mr. Labbe; you are so kind to me,” she said.

Mr. Labbe’s net worth likely surpassed that of Zachary and Callum. If Carrie assisted Mr. Labbe in achieving something significant, earned his praise, and had a child, her value as a mother might surpass that of a child, potentially leading her to become Mrs. Labbe one day.

She would surpass Serenity and Camryn.

Confronted with Mr. Labbe’s gifts, Carrie felt a surge of ambition.

immediately dismiss Mr. Labbe’s fear. He would not always strangle her with murderous intent; sometimes, he would simply offer a warning.

Mr. Labbe smiled at her and asked, “Do you like it?”

Carrie replied, “I like it. I like it very much. Mr. Labbe, don’t worry; I will definitely perform well tomorrow night, and I won’t show any flaws.”

Mr. Labbe gestured for her to come closer. As Carrie approached, he reached out to pull her onto his lap and poured the remaining wine from his glass into her mouth.

Carrie choked and coughed but didn’t dare to resist, so Mr. Labbe drank half the glass himself. The wine was warm, causing Carrie’s face to flush red from coughing.

Mr. Labbe was pleased with her performance. After releasing her, he remarked, “Don’t underestimate the two women you despise the most. They are both very intelligent. Your blind sister has already begun to suspect you. The eldest daughter of the York family has seen you for the first time as Mrs. Labbe, which has raised her suspicions.”

Carrie was taken aback.

She responded, “I’ve changed my appearance; how could they suspect me?”

Mr. Labbe replied, “It’s your voice that hasn’t changed.”

Carrie had only recently learned to alter her voice, so she was still unable to deceive Camryn. Serenity might assume her figure resembled Carrie’s, but Camryn was very familiar with her voice.

Mr. Labbe remained silent, simply observing her.

Feeling a tremor in her heart, Carrie quickly said, “Mr. Labbe, I will change my voice and habits.”

Mr. Labbe replied, “If you maintain this voice around them, there’s no need to…”

Alter it. Making changes will likely raise their suspicions more easily.