Chapter 113

[Third-Person]

As much as Alexander would have happily given into another round of lovemaking with his wife, he chose to opt for simply holding Evelyn close while he lathered the two of them in clean-smelling body wash. He worked the soreness and tension in her aching muscles one section at a time.

Evelyn let her eyes shut. Several small sounds escaped her as she found herself melting back into his hands. Her head lolled back onto his shoulder.

“Please,” she hissed.

She could feel his own growing arousal and tried pushing back into his hardening length. But Alexander swiftly grasped her by the hips and locked her place.

“Ah, ah,” he tsked. He pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek. “I know you’re too sore for anything right now.”

Evelyn hadn’t argued which meant that he was right. She was still too tender but he was more than happy to care for her this way.

When they were finished getting ready, Alexander and Evelyn made their way to the dining room for breakfast. As usual, the staff were filtering about their daily routines as though nothing was different.

Yet, to Alexander, it was as if everything had changed. Changed for the better.

There was no fighting the smile that kept trying to tug at the corners of his mouth every time he stole a glance at the woman beside him. For Christ’s sake, Evelyn was practically glowing.

He had no idea how he was going to get any work done. It was becoming far too tempting to swipe her off her feet again and take them back to the bedroom.

God, get a hold of yourself.

They sat down at the table and fell into a comfortable silence and ate. The morning had been utterly perfect.

However, his thoughts from much earlier were determined to make a comeback. So much about Edward’s story was not sitting right with him. Alexander felt like he shouldn’t be prying too much into it, knowing that it would surely upset Evelyn.

But he had to know.

“Evelyn?”

“Hmm?” She glanced up from over the rim of her tea to look at him.

“I know you’re not entirely comfortable talking about your brother,” he started. “But there are just a few things that aren't sitting right with me.”

She gently nodded her head, prompting him to go on.

“He said that his motorcycle had been side-swiped by a car. After the accident, what happened to the car? The driver?”

Evelyn placed her tea down and took a moment to think. “We were told that he died on impact from hitting the building.”

“I see,” he commented.

Alexander tried to mask his feelings of ultimate dread. Was it too much of a coincidence that the driver behind the wheel in his car accident case had also died amidst the crash?

An ugly feeling was churning in his gut. This next question that was lingering in the air was going to either amount to something far more sinister or it would dissolve his worry to nothing.

Either way, he needed to know.

“Where exactly did the accident occur?” he questioned.

She tilted her head and took in a steady breath. “Um, it was just outside of the next town over...Hollygrove, I believe the name was.”

His whole body went still. His heart slammed frantically in his rib cage while he hid his wild panic behind his usual stoic mask.

Fuck.

Hollygrove.

Yes, it had been the same sight of the crash that made headlines all across the country. What was wild was that in the midst of the whole initial investigation, Alexander couldn’t recall hearing much about any of the other casualties. He’d told his solicitors to take care of any damages that occurred.

What if one of them happened to be Evelyn’s brother?

Of course, there were still a number of potential factors that needed to be fact-checked. Yes, it was coincidental that the location was the same for both incidents. But about the time? Had both been a part of the same tragedy or were they two separate occasions?

“Are you alright?” she asked him softly.

Alexander shook off the mild daze that he’d slipped into. He didn’t want to burden her with any of these thoughts, especially if he wasn’t fully sure that they were connected. What would be the point?

Edward was doing better and Michael was still securely locked up where he couldn’t do any more harm.

“Everything’s fine,” he told her with a smile.

“So, what are your plans today?”

He sat back in his chair and rolled his shoulders. “Well, now that we have the evidence against Michael, Oliver and I are going to discuss how the whole case should be brought to the Royal family’s attention.”

And in my spare time, I’m going to have every piece of news that covered the car crash collected so I can run through it and confirm whatever worries I may have.

Evelyn nodded her head. “Please, feel free to let me help you with this,” she told him. “Even if it's just to run through your argument, I don’t mind hearing it all.”

Warmth flooded his chest. Alexander unconsciously reached out and cupped her cheek. His heart clenched as he felt her press back into his hand.

“Thank you,” he said. “I’ll keep that in mind once things are finalized.”

Suddenly, a worried look crossed over Evelyn’s face.

“What is it?”

“What happened to Michael after that night?” she asked coolly.

He was not about to tell her that Michael was currently locked up in the darkened cells of the house. There was no telling how she was going to react to either bit of news. Most likely, not well.

“I had Oliver make sure he was placed in a secure area so that he isn’t able to do any more harm,” he explained.

She nodded her head, seeming satisfied enough with that response. Alexander let his nerves ease for the time being. Once he got his report in order for the case, things were going to get easier.

[Evelyn’s POV]

I tried not to reach too much into the whole situation as to why Alexander was asking about Edward’s case. It was actually sort of sweet that he wanted to know about the specifics since so few people really didn’t care to acknowledge the whole matter.

I could tell the wheels and gears were turning inside of his head while we spoke. Something was bothering him. But I really tried chalking it out to be about the upcoming court case against Michael, so I didn’t question it.

While Alexander headed off to his office, I decided to make my way toward the library. While things were trying to get back to their normalcy, I wanted to place my focus back on my tea blends and plants. I was eager to look up new infusions that could help restless nerves and help people keep their focus.

As I rounded the corner, I stopped.

Where did that door come from? Has it always been here?

I stared at the large metal door that stood at the far end of the hallway. My brows furrowed in question as I slowly approached it with a bit of wariness. My thoughts were frantic.

Clearly, it’s been there the whole time. It’s a damn door!

But what did it lead to?

As I got closer, I noticed that it had a large padlock on the front above the handle. Perhaps I never noticed the door being there because it had always remained closed and unnoticeable.

However, this time...It was open.