Chapter 140

[Evelyn’s POV]

I should have known that Isabella was going to pull something like this. Under normal circumstances, when neither one of our families was out to get us, this whole occasion would have made complete sense. If the situation was normal and decent, an engagement party amongst family would have been a very thoughtful and loving occasion.

But the moment he and I got out of the car, it was as though we had walked into the lion’s den.

It shouldn’t have come as any surprise that Samantha would be there with Liam. She was Isabella’s daughter after all; however, what the hell was going on with Liam?

The guy looked like he hadn’t slept in days. I’d never seen him so bad. It wasn’t as if Liam was ever careless with his own health. Yet, he looked terrible.

I didn’t care about anything he had to say to me. Just the fact that he was nine sheets to the wind, which was likely the only reason why he was able to speak to me in the first, was enough to set me off.

No matter.

I left the room without so much as a glance or word to anyone else and headed toward my brother’s rooms.

I was relieved to see that there was still a guard at the door. With a curt nod, he allowed me to enter. My eyes were instantly pulled to the far side of the room where Edward was still lying in bed.

Unlike the last time I was with him, my heart lifted with joy. He looked ten times better than he had weeks ago. More than half of the color he’d lost before had come back.

He looked more alive than ever.

I made my way over to check his most recent charts and was pleased to see that he was making full progress in practically every facet. It reminded me that I still needed to reach out to the doctor Oliver said a while back.

Things had become so hectic, that I kept forgetting to call.

If I manage to survive this evening, it will be the first thing that I do when I get back home.

I carefully took Edward’s hand and brought him up on all the current happenings.

“If you can believe it, I’m getting married again—to the exact same man as before,” I laughed. “I know, it sounds a bit odd when you think about it. But, Alexander and I have gotten to know each other really well these past few months and now we’re looking to basically have a redo.”

I reached out to brush part of his hair out of his face.

“This time, we’re going to make sure that this wedding is just about us and not some pre-made arrangement.”

I swallowed back the painful soreness in my throat, thinking about the possible chance that Edward may still not be fully recovered by the time the wedding came around. Nothing would have made me happier than to see him present and fully in control of himself.

...

Before I headed to the dining room, I’d swiped a copy of the doctor’s number for me to use later on. I thanked the guard at the door for his vigilance and reminded him to continue only allowing the doctor to see my brother.

While I walked, I felt this grueling sensation that I was being watched. A feeling I had, unfortunately, become accustomed to.

I snapped my head around to find that it was Liam. He was half-leaning against the wall with yet another drink in his hand. He looked minutes away from falling flat on his face.

“You think you’re so much better than everyone else now, don’t you?” he slurred.

I rolled my eyes up to the ceiling and let out a sigh. “For God’s sake, Liam. You’re drunk. Why don’t you tell Samantha to have someone drive you home?”

He immediately blocked me right as I tried to walk past him. My nerves were starting to coil and my stomach was churning in knots.

“Let me pass,” I said coldly.

“Why do you get to be happy when everyone else is miserable?” he asked bitterly.

“You seem to forget that you created your own misery.”

Liam scoffed and cursed under his breath. “Oh, for fuck sake! You’re still harping on that aren’t you?”

“I can assure you that you aren’t even a thought in my mind,” I countered back.

This time, I forcibly pushed past him and headed to the dining room. I quickly spotted Alexander and took my spot next to him. He must have sensed that something had gone on as he placed a hand over the top of my thigh.

I leaned over to quietly speak to him. “It’s fine.”

“Are you sure? I saw him leave the drawing room before and I nearly followed after him,” he said.

I nodded my head. “I just want to get this over with.”

A few moments later, Liam sulked out from the shadows and joined the table. No one really acknowledged the fact that he’d been gone.

The staff began bringing out the first course. My appetite had eluded me since I realized that Caroline had been invited. I nudged my salad around the plate, hardly making a real dent in my food.

“So...” Caroline’s voice felt like nails being dragged down a chalkboard. “A second wedding. How wonderfully unexpected. I’m curious, though. What is it that you hope to gain after this one?”

Both Alexander and I turned our heads and gave Caroline a questionable look.

“What does that mean?”

The older woman arched her brow and smirked. “Well, considering that the first wedding was purely based on a pre-made match, I’m curious to know if there will be another large payout as a result.”

Every muscle in my body went stiff as stone and my blood ran cold.

This bitch...

“What payout?” Alexander questioned.

My heart skipped several beats. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Isabella jumped into the conversation.

“She means the money that came from the Alpha King when Leonard and I agreed to have one of our daughters marry the Kingston Family’s Alpha,” she explained.

All the air had stilled in my lungs as I felt Alexander turn his head to look at me. I mentally slapped myself for not choosing to tell him about the setup sooner.

It sounded a lot worse than it was.

“Yes,” I affirmed. “The same money that you and my father held over my head as a threat against stopping Edward’s treatments.” My anger started to simmer beneath my surface. “The same treatments that you tried to tamper with which nearly caused my brother to lose his life.”

Isabella’s eyes went wide for a brief second. She tried laughing it off as though I was merely making it all up.

“That’s preposterous,” she claimed. “How on earth would I manage to even do that?”

“Because you have connections,” I responded pointedly. “I heard you tell Samantha that the same night you handed her that aphrodisiac.”

Leonard glared at his wife in shock. “You did what?”

“Shut up, Leonard!” Isabella hissed. She turned back to glare at him with pure disdain. “You have no proof that it was me who tried to kill your useless brother.”

I clenched my jaw. “Not yet. But when I do, it’s you I’ll be coming after.” I pushed out my chair from the table and stood up. “This evening is over.”