Chapter 105

He stared viciously, his face full of disgust. His gaze fell on the priceless gold pendant around Eloise’s neck. A flicker of greed passed through his eyes.

He had heard Willow mention it before. This pendant was part of Eloise’s dowry, worth a fortune.

Unable to contain himself, he stretched out his rough hands and eagerly reached toward her neck. Eloise’s collar was intricately layered, and the pendant was wrapped tightly beneath several folds of fabric. Daniel couldn’t get it off, no matter how hard he tried.

Frustrated, he cursed angrily, then suddenly gave a violent tug.

A loud ripping sound tore through the air as her collar split open, revealing a large patch of bare skin.

Hidden not far away behind the bushes, Trina clapped both hands tightly over her mouth to keep from screaming. For a noblewoman, reputation was everything Eloise’s clothes had been for, and it would ruin her reputation if others saw her.

Trina cautiously glanced at Athena, only to find her expression remained keenly calm. Athena gently patted Trina’s hand and whispered, “She’ll be fine.”

Trina looked confused.

Sure enough, from a distance, Matthew saw the horrible scene before him, his eyes widened in rage. Blood rushed to his face as he bellowed, and kicked Daniel hard.

Daniel was caught off guard and staggered back several steps. Before he could steady himself, Matthew had already drawn the long knife from his waist and plunged it into Daniel’s heart.

Blood gushed out, splattering across Matthew.

Daniel’s eyes bulged wide as he slowly looked down. He looked at the blade embedded in his chest, then turned his head sluggishly toward Willow’s direction. His lips trembled as he tried to speak, but could only utter broken sounds. “You, you……”

Even in death, he couldn’t understand how he’d ended up like this.

Willow was still lying on the ground, struggling to reach out toward Eloise, crying in agony, “Mother!”

Daniel’s body collapsed with a heavy thud, blood foaming from his mouth. But no more words came out. Within moments, he was dead.

His eyes, however, remained open. He was clearly unwilling to rest in peace.

Nona climbed out of the ravine, screaming in terror, “Lord Matthew, thank goodness you’re here!” She was covered in bruises and ashen with fear.

Matthew glanced at her, then said, “Go help Willow.”

He then turned toward Eloise. Seeing that her clothing had only been torn, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Quickly, he removed his cloak and draped it around her.

Guilt gnawed at his heart. If he arrived even a little later, the consequences would’ve been unimaginable.

Nona helped Willow over. Willow’s body was covered in injuries. Her face was swollen and bruised, and she limped as she walked. She trembled with sobs and cried pitifully.

Matthew’s heart ached at the sight. He asked, “What exactly happened here?”

He knew Daniel. He was Willow’s biological father. But Matthew thought his family had been paid off years ago to leave them be. Yet, Willow had gotten involved.

Matthew’s questioning gaze made Willow tremble even harder. She seemed too terrified.

Nona stepped in and explained, “Lord Matthew, he is truly greedy. He came to demand money from Lady Willow after losing his bets. Lady Willow tried to protect Lady Eloise and was beaten in the process. A man like that deserved to die.”

Matthew looked at Willow. She choked and nodded, sobbing, “He even took my bracelet!”

She burst into tears again.

Matthew searched and soon found a jade bracelet in his chest pocket.

“This is all my fault. The square was too crowded today. I should’ve been more careful and not given this scoundrel a chance to get near you,” Matthew said. “Take Mother and head back through the Buck Mountain path. Don’t let anyone know what happened here. Leave the rest to me.”

This was a scandal. Whether it involved Willow or Eloise, reputations were on the line. It had to be kept quiet. The best solution was to bury the matter.

Daniel’s body would be tossed into the mountain ravine. Matthew would take care of the rest. He’d vanish without a trace.

At that moment, Eloise slowly regained consciousness. Her face was pale, her eyes unfocused as she stared forward.

Willow called out softly, then rushed over and cried, “Mother!”

Eloise instinctively looked down at her clothes but found Matthew’s cloak covering her.

Matthew knelt beside her and said, “Don’t worry, Mother. You’re safe. Willow is safe too.”

Seeing her son, Eloise burst into tears. “That monster. Where is he?”

The others stepped aside. When Lady Eloise saw Daniel lying in a pool of blood, she finally let out a breath of relief.

Dead. That meant her reputation was safe.

But realizing how openly relieved she looked, Eloise worried about hurting Willow’s feelings. She carefully glanced at her daughter.

Willow said to her gently. “Mother, this is all my fault. I almost brought harm to you.”

The fact that she called her “Mother” meant she didn’t care about Daniel at all.

Eloise was deeply moved. She nodded and said, “You’re my daughter. Of course I’ll protect you.”

The mother and daughter shared a smile, and the moment was genuinely touching.

“Mother, let me help you back,” Willow said, carefully supporting Eloise’s arm as they slowly walked away.

Matthew hoisted the corpse onto his back and carried it to the cliff, where he tossed it over the edge.

Afterward, he returned to cover the bloodstains with soil before finally leaving the scene.

Once everyone had gone, Trina suddenly collapsed to the ground, as if all strength had left her.

She looked at Athena in shock. “I never imagined Lady Willow was that kind of person. She even abandoned her own father!”

Others might not understand, but Athena and Trina had witnessed the entire scene from start to finish. They knew exactly what Willow had done.

Willow was afraid Daniel would cling to her and ruin her dream of a wealthy life, so she cleverly orchestrated his death by someone else’s hand.

No wonder Eloise had insisted on coming to the square and had picked the very day when Matthew would be on duty.

This masterful scheme made Athena reassess Willow in a new light. She was impressed.

Even if things had gone wrong, Willow could’ve stayed completely uninvolved. After all, Matthew was the one who killed Daniel. It had nothing to do with her.

Athena warned, “Now that we know what kind of person she is, we must be cautious around her from now on.”

Trina nodded reluctantly, then asked, “So… this whole thing. We just have to bury it forever?”

Athena thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. Bury it. Never speak of it again. Otherwise, you might lose your life.”

At these words, Trina’s eyes widened in terror.