Ablett ran his fingertips over the bloodstain, his gaze lingering coldly on the smear of red peeking from Eddy’s shirt collar. His eyes darkened, and without another word, he turned to leave.
Eddy’s fists clenched tight at his sides, knuckles paling with the effort. But with the plainclothes officers present, all he could do was warn through gritted teeth, “Don’t you dare lay a hand on her.”
Ablett paused at the doorway. It had been years since anyone dared speak to him with such insolence. His tall, imposing figure radiated an untouchable coolness as he said, voice flat and void of warmth, “Show him out.”
The officers immediately stepped between Eddy and the door, blocking his path.
Eddy’s fists trembled with rage, but he could do nothing as Ablett was escorted away like some honored guest by the security detail.
Instead of returning to his own room, Ablett made his way to Rebekah’s.
He found his sister lost in thought, her heart clearly conflicted. His tone softened, tinged with a melancholy only she could draw from him. “Rebekah, Eddy isn’t right for you.”
Rebekah met his eyes, defiant.
She’d grown up doted on, never denied anything she wanted, free–spirited and willful. Being told “no” was foreign to her, and her irritation showed in the furrow of her brow. “Brother, his wife abandoned him and their son–she’s never coming back. I really care about him. I don’t mind that he’s been married before, or that he has a child. I’d love his son as my own.”
Ablett’s expression tightened. “You’re still so young, Rebekah. You’re practically a child yourself.”
She faltered beneath his sternness–he was the only one who could ever make her nervous–but she squared her shoulders and pressed on. “I’m an adult now. I can learn. Besides, I’ve never meddled in your relationships, Brother. I stood by you when Grandma and the uncles said your wife wasn’t good enough for you- can’t you do the same for me?”
She drew a shaky breath, voice unwavering. “I’ve never asked this once, please, don’t stand between me and Eddy.”
Night fell.
you for anything. Just
10:01
Chapter 215
Eddy stood on the balcony, staring across at the glittering lights of the building opposite. One floor, in particular, caught his eye–the McCarthy family’s residence.
His gaze locked onto the window of Ablett and Blanche’s suite. Through the sheer curtains, he could just make out Ablett working in the study on the left, while Blanche moved quietly about the living room on the right.
She drew the curtains and slipped into bed. The faint glow of a bedside lamp cast soft shadows, blurring the room’s details.
Eddy drank–glass after glass–hoping to numb the ache in his chest.
Then, out of the silence, a faint gasp reached his ears.
Blanche’s room flooded with light. Ablett entered.
Their silhouettes merged, entwined.
Moments later, the secretary and plainclothes officers left the suite in a hurry.
Behind the gauzy curtain, just before the room went dark, Eddy saw their bodies tangled together. In the hush of night, every rustle, every whisper seemed deafening.
Visions flashed before him: Blanche clinging to him, her delicate body soft and pliant in his arms, her tear–filled eyes brimming with longing as he held her until she broke apart in his embrace.
The glass in his hand shattered, blood mingling with whiskey. Rage blazed in his eyes. He couldn’t bear it any longer. Storming out of the guest room, he barked at the nearest guard, “Bring my wife here–whatever it takes!”
At his command, the entire Lopez Mansion was plunged into darkness.
10:01
