"Where’s my mother?"
Declan threw the question to one of the passing maids. He had just arrived at the Elsher’s family main residence despite the ti was still in the early afternoon.
"The madam is in the south lounge," replied the maid politely while gesturing in a direction.
Declan nodded slightly before resuming his stride. He walked toward the lounge ntioned by the maid, his steps steady and silent.
The mansion was relatively quiet at this hour. Declan actually didn’t have the intention to drop by, but thinking of the current chaos surrounding their family, he still visited.
Declan slowed down before eventually stopping at the doorway, his eyes imdiately found Samantha. His mother was alone, sitting on the couch.
As expected, she looked lethargic.
Declan knocked on the wooden panel of the doorway, trying to get Samantha’s attention.
"...Dec? Why are you here at this hour?"
A confused Samantha looked up from her phone once she heard the knocking, only to see her eldest son standing at the entrance. Her eyebrows arched.
Declan quietly stepped inside the lounge, his movents unhurried. He understood why his mother seed so surprised to see him at this mont.
"I had a business nearby," said Declan. Lowering himself, he settled on the couch opposite Samantha, "I decided to drop by. There’s nothing urgent left today."
Declan only spoke the half-truth. He did have sothing scheduled near Eldoria Heights, but he still had important work waiting for him at the office. He planned to review them tonight.
Staring ahead of him, Declan’s sapphire eyes collided with Samantha’s. His mother’s usually radiant countenance seed to lose its glow, most likely from the continuous stress related to Stephanie.
From the ruined wedding between Stephanie and Matthias, the spreading of her illicit affair with Leon and recently, about her being coerced into marriage by the sa man she had an affair with.
They couldn’t stop the first two, but fortunately, they managed to deter Leon from achieving his goal of pressuring Stephanie to marry him.
Saying the last Monday was beyond crazy and hectic was an understatent. Even after a few days, Declan still rembered how that day unfurled.
’Insane. He’s insane,’ Declan silently thought as he recalled the previous Monday.
Leon still waited for Stephanie at the courthouse even though Alaric caught them in her apartnt the other day[01]. It was as if he truly believed the blackmail materials would successfully lure Stephanie to him.
Declan’s people monitored Leon from afar when the legal team headed to the police station. The first group reported that Leon only left after hours of waiting, clearly enraged because Stephanie didn’t show up.
At that ti, Stephanie was already hiding in their family residence. She didn’t block Leon as per the lawyer’s suggestion for collecting more evidence.
Still, Stephanie neither answered Leon’s calls nor replied to her ssages.
Another chaos unfolded once the Holt family was notified of Leon’s wrongdoings—his relations to the drug dealer, harming Lariette with the intention to blackmail Stephanie and also, pressuring Stephanie into marriage.
Everything was in shambles.
Leon was currently detained by the authorities. The Holt family tried to bail him out, but their request was denied.
As expected, the Holt family blad the Elshers, yet there was nothing they could do when the Delaney family backed them.
Leon’s father was nothing against Jonathan and Chairman Delaney.
Samantha put down her phone. She was checking the group chats she was a mber of without announcing her presence. Her head throbbed from reading so of the comnts related to the Elsher-Silver-Holt affairs.
"Will you stay for dinner?" asked Samantha, her voice lacking energy, "Your dad won’t co ho early today. Ray is out with his teammates."
Jonathan’s schedule was always hectic, but recently, he seed to co ho way later than usual. As for Rafael, he had to focus on the upcoming gaming tournant.
"I will. Cee is going to visit her parents tonight," Declan nodded, carefully assessing the worn-out look on Samantha’s face, "Mom, want to stroll in the garden? I can accompany you."
Despite everything, Declan was still worried about Samantha. He disliked it when his mother tried to shift the bla on Lariette, but his concerns for her remained.
Declan heard Samantha hadn’t gone out much, even to their courtyard, the sa as Stephanie. Taking so fresh air might help to boost her mood.
Samantha shook her head, waving her right hand twice, "No need. Oh... Why don’t you go see Phanie upstairs? She’s still upset about what happened. Thankfully, she eats more now."
Declan nodded stiffly as he held his disappointnt back, knowing Samantha’s mind was only occupied by Stephanie, as always. Rising to his feet, he turned toward the entrance.
"You’ll strain your eyes if you keep looking at your phone," said Declan as he paused at the doorway, his eyes lingering on Samantha’s face, "It won’t do you any good, Mom."
Declan was aware of Samantha’s bad habit. His mother could be too engrossed in the gossip pools that existed in high society.
Now that the Elsher family was at the center of the current hottest gossip, Samantha’s desire to know what others were talking about them spiked.
Doing so in the long run would undoubtedly worsen her ntal health.
Samantha said nothing. Shrugging, she waved her hand, urging Declan to leave her alone.
Exhaling a sigh, Declan finally stepped out of the lounge. Instead of using the ho elevator, he strode toward the stairs. Stephanie’s room was on the second floor.
Only...
Declan turned to the left once he reached the second floor, walking further away from Stephanie’s room on the right side. His eyes were fixated on the door at the far end of the hallway.
"..."
Standing opposite the closed door, Declan quietly looked up and down. Beyond the wooden door was Lariette’s bedroom, the one she occupied when she still lived here.
Declan clenched his hands before slowly loosening his fists. Hesitating, he raised one hand, grabbing the handle.
For the very first ti, he was here.
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Reference:
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