Chapter 197

[Arthur’s POV]

I stared back at the man who, for the better part of my life, was never really present.

I suppose in a way, Aaron was just as much absent in my life as he was for Liam. I hadn’t ever really considered that we shared something so personal in common.

Something in my gut was telling me that there was another reason why Aaron chose to come all the way out here to talk. It wasn’t as though this was a normal occurrence between us. The man always made some kind of remark that he had more important things to do.

“Is that all you wanted to tell me?” I asked curtly. “If so, I have to head back to class.”

Aaron’s expression became resolute. I leaned down to grab my bag and headed toward the door.

“Arthur...”

I stopped to glance over my shoulder.

“I should never have assumed that you were nothing more than a clone of Cecilia,” he said. “I heard about your midterm grades and I’m proud of you. You and Liam. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been trying to study with all of this insanity as well.”

I felt a strange clenching in my chest. Why was I so affected by hearing something so simple as the words ‘I’m proud of you’?

“There is a lot I know I need to make up for. Much like your mother, I’ve been blinded by my own pride,” he said quietly. “And I also wanted to let you know, I’m having Cecilia removed from the manor.”

I snapped my head back around and stared at him with wide eyes. “What? Really?”

“What she tried to do was disgustingly inexcusable,” Aaron snarled. His gaze softened. “And just so we’re clear, I would have done the exact same if it had been you in that hospital bed, Arthur.”

Again, I felt that unexpected shock of emotion coursing through my chest. At that moment, I wanted so badly to tell him the truth regarding my relationship with Ella. But now wasn’t the time. Not when Cecilia was on the brink of possibly losing her mind.

...

[Ella’s POV]

I was nervous when Arthur went off to the Administration Office. My mind immediately raced right to the thought of it being Cecilia. Would she be so risky as to show her face here after what she almost did?

I tried to not let the situation worry me, knowing that Arthur would easily fill me in on the details later on. Any chance I had at actually focusing in class went out the window as soon as I sat down, anyway.

My head was still filled with thoughts about the bonding discussion I had with Liam and Arthur. I didn’t entirely know what to make of their reactions. They both seemed a bit perturbed by my suggesting that we bond sooner rather than later.

I knew, deep down, that I shouldn’t be using such an important matter as a precaution. It should have held significantly more meaning and deserved to happen in its own time when all three of us were ready.

But all I could think about was how dangerous Cecilia was. She was willing to end Liam’s life...What else was she capable of?

...

Several weeks had gone by and it was nearly the end of the semester.

When Arthur told me about the sudden meeting he had with Aaron, I was shocked as well as secretly pleased. I was glad to see that the man was willing to listen to me and give his other son a chance.

Aside from that, things had been rather calm...It left me feeling horrifically unsettled. I should have been grateful that nothing bad had happened since Liam was attacked; however, I found myself more on edge than ever.

It didn’t seem like Cecilia was the type to give up. Aaron had certainly warned us all enough times that the woman wasn’t to be underestimated. Yet, it seemed like she had dropped off the face of the earth.

With something as big as the Winslow name and reputation at stake, there was no way that she would remain hidden during such a crucial time. Arthur was still on the fence about continuing his position in the trials and Liam was well on the mend.

The two of them had tried countless times to reassure me that nothing bad was going to happen. I was desperate for a distraction, otherwise, I was fairly certain that my nerves were going to give out.

Thankfully, Olivia and Bonnie were quick to pull me into their study group. At least twice a week, the group of us met at the library to work on projects and any sort of study guides we needed for our final exams.

That evening, when I had enough of books and notes, I waved goodbye to Bonnie and Olivia and headed back to my dorm. Right as I turned the corner, I caught something out of the corner of my eye.

My stomach rolled while my heart leaped into my throat.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered.

The hunter. Instead of looming in the shadows, he was leaning up against an expensive-looking car in normal attire.

I growl rolled from my throat.

“Relax, I’m merely here on an errand,” he told me.

I sneered in disdain. “You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve even standing there. What, are you getting paid to chauffeur me around now?”

His expression remained impassive. “Mrs. Winslow wishes to discuss an important deal with you.”

Well, at least he’s not making a big show of things. He did look a lot less threatening without that dagger dangling off his hip.

I had no desire to speak with Cecilia, but I wasn’t about to find out what the woman would do if I refused. I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and sneered.

“Fine. But this needs to be quick.”

I slid into the passenger seat and took out my phone. I debated about sending a message to Liam and Arthur, mainly because I didn’t want them to freak out.

But what if this turns out to be some kind of trap?

There was a very likely chance that notion was possible. In the very back of my mind, I knew something like this was bound to happen at some given point...

My anxiety started to ramp up when I noticed we weren’t heading in the direction of the manor. Instead, we pulled up to some random, abandoned-looking building.

I quickly got out and followed the hunter through the side door. The place was terribly lit and absolutely filthy. Clearly, no one had been there in quite some time.

We came upon a room with a worn table and two chairs. Sitting there was Cecilia, who looked as run down as the rest of the place.

“Miss Belmont, how nice of you to join me,” Cecilia said tightly.

“Mrs. Winslow.” I hesitated to sit down. “I was told you wished to discuss a deal?”

She pursed her lips into what I could only assume was to be her attempt at a smile.

“Well, it’s not some much a deal as it is an ultimatum,” she pointed out.

I narrowed my eyes. “Is that right?”

“I’m going to give you until the end of the week to bond with Arthur,” she stated. My heart slammed violently in my chest.

The end of the week?! That was in two days.

“Or what?” I asked through gritted teeth.

“Or, I’m going to send my hunter after someone who won’t escape his blade so easily. Your mother.”