Chapter 115

[Third-Person’s POV]

This was a far cry from how Evelyn appeared this morning.

She looked as pale as a phantom.

Her eyes were slightly pink and puffy from either crying or having been around a lot of dust. Or both.

There was a noticeable tremble in her hands as she held them close to her. What truly startled Alexander was the notion that she wasn’t able to make any eye contact with him—or anything for that matter.

Even her breathing wasn’t as it should be. It sounded as though she was struggling to catch her breath having just run a mile. But no. Something had well and truly frightened her.

“Evelyn!”

Alexander scrambled out of his chair and practically jumped over his desk to get to her. Right as he approached her, he noticed that she tensed up even more. He tried to not take it as a personal offense.

Clearly, something had happened and he needed to find out what.

Gently, he reached out to touch her arms. “Evelyn? Are you alright? What happened?”

He let his eyes search over her for any possible signs of physical trauma. When he made it down to her hands, his stomach flipped.

Carefully, he turned her hands over to reveal scrapped-up palms covered in dust and dried dirt.

“Shit,” he cursed quietly to himself. “Oliver, go and fetch Nina and have her bring in a small first-aid kit, please.”

Oliver nodded and hurried off. While Alexander led Evelyn over to one of the open chairs.

“Okay, Evelyn, you need to tell me what happened,” he urged. “I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

She was trying. Evelyn’s features strained with concentration while she searched for the words that were undoubtedly scrambling around in her mind.

“Door...There was a door...”

Good God. It was like he was playing a children’s guessing game.

“A door. Which door? Where did it lead to?”

She still wasn’t able to fully look at him. Her voice dropped a whole octave lower, sending chills down his spine. “Down.”

It took Alexander a few good seconds to let that answer sink in.

Down?? What the hell does that mea—

Alexander’s eyes went wide. He actually felt his own heart stop beating for a few seconds before it plummeted into his gut. All the blood drained down into his feet.

His voice came out low and gruff. “You don’t mean...”

Slowly, Evelyn finally met his panicked gaze. She nodded her head.

“What on earth were you doing down there? No. Wait. How did you even get down there??” he questioned furiously.

She sucked in a sharp breath and narrowed her eyes. “What I need to know is why you even have a place like that in your house?!”

The two had remained locked in an unbreakable stare-off. It wasn’t until Nina and Oliver came bustling back into the room that they turned their heads away.

Alexander’s mind was racing erratically.

Oh God...What on earth did she see when she was down there?

The front area had always been home to some of the most disturbing instruments his ancestors had come by over the last many decades. He, himself, had never seen a point in using any of them; however, it went without saying that they were still exceedingly frightening.

Meanwhile, Alexander had waited for a whole other topic to come up. Michael.

How much of the place had she seen?

Surely, if she’d seen Michael, there would have been a lot more anger and fury behind her words.

“Oh, good gracious, dear,” Nina tutted. “What on earth happened?”

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a long breath.

“Nina, hand me the kit,” he said.

Alexander knelt down in front of her and reached out for her hands again. He took a few cleaning wipes and gently cleaned up the dust grime.

“Tell me how you hurt yourself.”

This time, Evelyn’s face flushed. Was she really feeling embarrassed? After the horrors of seeing all those monstrous devices, he would think that bashfulness would be the absolute last thing she’d be feeling.

“I tripped going up the stairs,” she admitted weakly. “I heard this horrible noise. I got...Scared. So I ran.”

Once he finished applying the antibacterial salve, he went on to bandage up her hands.

“You have every right to be afraid of that place,” he told her firmly. “Evelyn, what were you doing down there?”

Her shoulder folded inwardly on herself like a child who was taking a scolding from a parent.

“I wasn’t even planning on being there. My intentions were to head to the library. When I turned the corner, I noticed that the door had been opened,” she explained. “Normally, I would have never noticed it except for the fact that it had been opened this time. My curiosity got the better of me and I followed the stairs down.”

God. he couldn’t possibly fault her for that. It seemed to be an honest mistake. Alexander believed every word of what she said. She very likely probably didn’t even know who was currently being detained down there and the only people who had the keys to that part of the house were him and the main head of the kitchen staff.

“Wait. Evelyn, you said that you found that door opened?” Oliver inquired.

She nodded her head and tucked her hands back to her chest. The Beta gave Alexander a pointed look. The two had been working together and shared in each other’s company for so long that they were able to carry out a full conversation without ever having to open their mouths.

Oliver’s look was inquisitive. ‘You don’t think that Michael got out do you?’

Alexander curtly shook his head. ‘Not a chance. The cell doors are even harder to open than the door that’s supposed to be locked.’

‘Do you think she knows that Michael is down there?’

He shrugged his shoulder. ‘There’s no telling exactly what she saw.’

All Alexander was certain of was that it was in everyone’s best interest that the news of Michael still residing within the walls of Kingston Hall be kept a secret.

“Why was it opened if it’s normally meant to be kept locked?” Evelyn asked.

“The staff were probably in the midst of cleaning,” Oliver suggested.

Alexander could have applauded Oliver's quick thinking. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to convince Evelyn.

“Seriously? You’re going to tell me that place was in the middle of being cleaned? Be for real. That place looks like it hasn't been cleaned for several decades. I nearly choked on the amount of dust I inhaled. Tell me the truth.”

“One of the staff must have forgotten to lock it when they...” his words trailed off, leaving her deeply frustrated.

“When they what?” she pressed.

Alexander gave everyone a good hard look before closing his eyes and admitting the truth.

“The staff must have forgotten to lock the door when they had come up from dropping some food and supplies.”

He watched her face pale once more as she stood up from her chair. “You mean there really is someone down there? Who? Who is it?!”

Alexander kept his eyes locked on her. “...Michael.”