Chapter 242
Not long after Willow was carried to the bridal chamber, she cautiously opened her eyes. It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, but Athena just had to ruin everything at the worst possible moment. And the worst part? There was nothing she could do to stop her.
Willow’s stomach churned with anxiety. Athena had dirt on her, leaving her completely at her mercy.
“Nona,” Willow clutched Nona’s hand desperately, her voice trembling with despair. “What should I do? Oh God, what should I do?”
Willow thought, ‘My father’s dead. I can’t just keep hiding in my room, pretending to be unconscious. As his daughter, I should follow Athena’s example and seek justice for him. But if I do that, wouldn’t I just be digging my own grave?’
Willow’s conscience was eating at her. She thought anxiously, ‘I can’t keep this hidden forever. Sooner or later, the truth will come out!’
Nona was just a maid. She couldn’t possibly know how to help Willow out of this mess. But seeing Willow’s piteous sobbing, she racked her brains, desperately trying to find a solution for her.
Nona said softly, “Why don’t we go to Madam Eloise? She dotes on you so much. I think she knows a way to help you.”
Nona’s words gave Willow a glimmer of hope. She nodded eagerly and urged, “Then hurry and call her!”
“All right, Miss, just wait patiently. I’ll be right back.”
Nona turned and left, but Willow still wore a worried look. ‘Athena ruined my wedding, and now my wedding night too,’ Willow thought bitterly. ‘After all this, how can I possibly enjoy my first night with Michael?’
The more Willow stewed, the angrier she got. ‘Fine,’ she thought, ‘I’ll just keep everything to myself and refuse to come out.”
Meanwhile, Michael shared her sentiment. He felt so utterly miserable to have such a wedding party. Overwhelmed by either grief or rage, he drank himself into a stupor. He never even entered the bridal chamber. Instead, he went straight to his studies.
Although Willow was lying in bed, her gaze was fixed longingly on the door. ‘Please come in, Michael,’ she thought desperately. “I need your comfort and guidance now more than ever.’
Willow waited until dawn, but Michael never showed up. She couldn’t believe this. Her heart was heavy with hurt and mounting frustration as she lay awake, tears silently streaming until morning.
The Osborne family was in complete chaos, and the Monson family wasn’t faring any better. The scandal had already spread like wildfire throughout the city, and the Monson family had received word well in advance.
To make matters worse, Nona rushed back in the dead of night to deliver the message. Upon hearing the news, Eloise was so enraged she nearly collapsed.
The Duke of Suffield roared, “What an ungrateful daughter!” Of course, he was talking about Athena. He blamed her for ruining Willow’s wedding.
The two brothers, battling their injuries, forced themselves to get up. The four family members then gathered in the hall to discuss the grave matter.
Nicolas’s face was etched with anxiety. “Athena never forgets a grudge. She’ll make sure to avenge herself. The fact that she found Daniel’s corpse proves she’s already got solid evidence.”
As the Vice Minister of the Justice Ministry, Nicolas possessed a razor-sharp instinct for criminal investigations.
Nicolas scrutinized Matthew, who kept his head down in silence, then turned to Eloise, her face pale with fear. He demanded, “What exactly happened here?”
Those two had been acting strangely since they entered the hall. Eloise, usually prone to tears, was deathly pale and utterly silent. Matthew, who was always so lively, looked completely subdued, like a withered plant.
With both of them behaving so out of character, he knew there was something fishy going on. “Speak up!” Nicolas roared, slamming his hand down on the table when neither of them uttered a word.
The resounding thud shattered the oppressive silence in the hall. Eloise shuddered in fright, and even the Duke of Suffield was baffled by Nicolas’s sudden outburst of anger.
“What’s gotten into you? Why are you so angry all of a sudden?” the Duke demanded.
Nicolas’s wounds still hadn’t healed. Even with a soft cushion on his chair, the pain was sharp enough to make cold sweat bead on his forehead. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Nicolas said solemnly, “Father, I fear this matter runs much deeper than it appears.”
Only when the Duke of Suffield heard Nicolas speak in such grave tones did he realize something was terribly wrong.
The Duke of Suffield turned to Eloise, seeing the sheer panic in her eyes. His heart clenched as he pressed, “Tell me the truth. Could it be that you’re involved in Daniel’s death?”
The Duke of Suffield’s question was like a trigger. Eloise crumpled to the floor in terror. “My lord,” she cried, her voice trembling, “I’m innocent! That wretched Daniel tried to assault me, so Matthew only killed him to protect my honor!” Her words dissolved into broken whimpers.
“What?!” Nicolas and the Duke of Suffield exclaimed in unison. Both men sprang to their feet, their eyes wide with disbelief and utter shock.
As if Eloise’s involvement wasn’t shocking enough, they discovered that Matthew was also implicated. This news hit them like a bombshell, leaving both their minds buzzing.
The Duke of Suffield, always so stoic, began to look flustered and panicked. He stammered, “How dare you act so recklessly? Murder demands a life for a life!”
“Even if that despicable wretch committed a crime, the law would have dealt with him. Why did you have to take matters into your own hands, huh?”
Seeing the truth exposed, Matthew remained unfazed.
He slowly leaned back in his chair and let out a disdainful scoff. “It’s just killing a lowborn commoner. Why are you all so scared? Our duke’s estate has Fermin’s backing. Can’t we even handle something so trivial?”
Nicolas gritted his teeth, barely restraining the urge to punch some sense into Matthew. “Don’t you dare forget,” he snapped. “Athena’s already gone to seek justice for that lowborn commoner. The matter has escalated to the Federal Bureau. Even Father will have a hard time covering it up now.”
If it were just an ordinary citizen reporting the case, the authorities could easily dismiss it as an accident. But Athena’s involvement changed everything. She utterly despises everyone in the duke’s estate. Hence, she wouldn’t go easy on them.
Matthew let out a cold scoff, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. “Are we just going to let her trample all over us and lord it over this family? Father, you can’t be so lenient anymore. If this continues, she’ll bring about our utter ruin.”
“Matthew, what on earth are you planning to do?” Eloise’s heart skipped a beat as she caught the chilling glint in her son’s eyes.
In her eyes, Matthew had always been ruthless and impulsive. Panic rising in her chest. She feared Matthew might do something reckless in a fit of rage. She feared there would be no turning back if Matthew’s plan failed.
Matthew had completely lost control of his temper. Seeing Eloise still defending Athena only fueled his rage. “Stay out of this, Mother!” he snapped.
Eloise was about to speak further when the Duke of Suffield cleared his throat authoritatively. He turned to Nicolas and asked, “Nicolas, what’s your take on this?”
The Duke of Suffield had always taken immense pride in Nicolas, grooming him as his heir. He also entrusted Nicolas to make major family decisions.
Nicolas’s brow furrowed in deep conflict. Though he was bitterly disappointed in Athena, the thought of actually taking action against his sister still tore at his heart.
“Nicolas, do you want to see me get destroyed by Athena?” Matthew demanded, his voice tense.
Seeing Nicolas hesitate, Matthew continued to yell, “If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have lost my official post, Joseph wouldn’t be enduring military service, and now she’s even targeting Willow! Is there anything that woman wouldn’t do?”
Nicolas wavered. After a long, heavy silence, he finally spoke up, “After all, we’re still family. I don’t want to take extreme measures. If only we could get her to drop this matter, that would be enough.”
“Did you come up with something, Nicolas?” Matthew asked, his eyes lighting up with hope.
Nicolas gave a reluctant nod. “I do have an idea, but…”
He couldn’t bring himself to say more. The weight of his words made it impossible to continue.
“What’s the ‘but’? Spit it out already!” Matthew urged impatiently.