Chapter 96

[Evelyn’s POV]

A toxically venomous feeling seeped through me.

Of course...Why hadn’t I considered it sooner?

I guess part of me didn’t want to believe that people were capable of such horrible things. I knew it sounded naive but from my own experiences, nothing had ever excelled further than petty comments. Not until recently....

Fiona poisoned the tea mixture.

Michael had tried to kill his own Stepbrother in a staged car accident.

And now it was Isabella who was trying to kill Edward by tampering with his medications.

It was enough to make me see red. Granted, it wasn’t like I had any direct proof that Isabella was behind any of what was happening.

But I had enough to speculate otherwise.

From the moment I was told that Isabella was pregnant with a soon-to-be son, I knew that it was all in spite of trying to replace Edward’s position in the family. I just never thought that she would dare to do something as unforgivably evil as try to tamper with my brother’s treatments.

A vicious snarl tore from the back of my throat that could have rivaled Alexander’s.

“She’s been trying to kill him,” I hissed out.

Wendy, thankfully, hadn’t left my side as I was going through this mental hurdle that felt like an extreme punch to the gut. Wendy held onto me as though she were anticipating I would fall to the ground. Honestly, I probably could have.

Had I not gotten there when I did, there was no telling what state Edward would have been in. Hell, he could have very well died and no one would have been any the wiser.

I struggled to take in a normal, regulated breath as my chest tightened with burning anxiety. Wendy’s expression filled with worry.

“Evelyn! What’s wrong?”

“It’s her...She’s the one...” I gasped.

“Who? Who’s the one? Did what?”

I needed to get a hold of myself. As much as I valued the staff that ran the house, there was no telling who could be, possibly, overhearing our entire conversation.

I shook my head sharply and directed Wendy over to a more secluded area of the gardens that I knew not many people ever came around. Taking in several deep breaths I tried to find the words that were cluttering around my mind.

“I have a very, very strong belief that Isabella is the reason why my brother has fallen ill like this,” I said quietly.

I watched an array of emotions scatter across Wendy’s face. She was worried, then shocked, and then finally settled on puzzled. She was probably thinking that someone like Isabella didn’t have the brains to concoct such a devious plan.

“Believe me, she might not look it...But Isabella can be exceedingly vindictive and meddling,” I told her. “Especially when it suits her.”

Wendy’s brows furrowed in question.

“I’m sure you knew that before Alexander and I were married, it was my Stepsister, Samantha, who was originally meant to be matched with him.”

This time, Wendy gave a slight nod. “I remember Fiona and Caroline mentioning something along those lines in passing conversation.”

“Well, it was true. Samantha was, essentially, the one who was meant to be with Alexander. But knowing that Alexander had been deeply injured from the accident, Isabella didn’t want to see her own daughter’s image sullied by such a match. So she switched us around and had it so that I was the one meant to be with Alexander,” I explained.

I could faintly recall all the horrible feelings that I experienced that day in the drawing room. The day that Liam was actually meant to propose to me. That feeling of hopeless devastation felt so long ago in my mind that it practically left me smiling.

“Please don’t misunderstand me,” I started. “When I was first told that Alexander and I were to be married, I was distraught. I didn’t know him—he was a complete stranger to me. All I had to go on was his irrefutable reputation. And even that freaked me out at times. But, having gotten the chance to know him...I don’t think I could imagine my life without him now.”

A gentle smile curved her lips. “I bet she had no belief that the two of you would have made your marriage work out in the end,” she said with a smug tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“You can best believe that,” I said with a laugh. “No doubt, she had high hopes that I would end up miserable.”

Wendy blew out an exasperated breath and shook her head.

“I don’t understand how a mother could wish such bad fortune and ill intent on their own children.”

“Not that I’m trying to pat myself on the back, but I’ve always thought that her disdain toward me was because she was angered by the fact that I was more inept when it came to understanding the systems and protocols while her own daughter couldn’t.”

“You mean she dislikes you because you’re smarter than Samantha?” she asked blatantly.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Pretty much,” I muttered. “My interest and intellect made me an easy target for them to make fun of.”

Wendy patted my hand. “Perhaps so, but I’ve been hearing rumors that Samantha’s own marriage hasn’t been turning out so well.”

I shouldn’t have held any feeling of remorse toward that remark. What Liam and Samantha both willingly put me through—they deserved each other. But in hindsight, I never saw it right to wish that kind of fate on anyone.

“You’re not wrong,” I said. “But, in any case. Isabella is desperate to make her future a successful one by any means necessary.”

“And that would include poisoning your brother,” she said firmly. She hummed in thought for a long moment. “Well, if that is truly the case, then as of right now the only thing to do is find a way to help Edward. It’s vitally important that she doesn’t suspect you’re onto her scheming.”

I silently nodded my head in agreement. She was right. The most important thing was finding a way to bring Edward’s vitals back to where they belonged.

...

Later that evening as we all sat semi-awkwardly around the dining room table for dinner, I was surprised to find Samantha in attendance as well. She looked worn and not her usual glowing self.

I should have known something was up the moment we locked eyes and she hadn’t tried to throw some kind of insult at me.

In fact, both she and Isabella remained noticeably quiet throughout the meal. I did my best to keep my answers, regarding Edward’s status as vague as possible. Wendy was right, I had to keep my cool and hopefully the truth would reveal itself in due time.

When everyone had retired to their rooms for the night, I had opted for a cup of tea and headed toward the kitchens. Right as I made it to the doorway, I heard a pair of feminine voices chatting back and forth to each other.

It was Isabella and Samantha.

“I’ve told you countless times already, I’ve been trying to make things work with Liam,” Samantha whined. “He and I don’t even sleep in the same room anymore.”

Isabella shook her head in disapproval. “Honestly, I thought I taught you better. What you need to do is prove that you’re a worthy Luna. And you can do that by at least proving that you can provide him with a child.”

Isabella held up a small vial of dark purple liquid that I couldn’t identify.

“What’s that?”

“This, my dear, is how you’re going to make Liam fall in love with you all over again. It’s an aphrodisiac that makes even the most strong-willed of people fall to their knees in lust. Give it to Liam and he won’t be able to resist.”

“Where did you get that from?”

She grinned. “I have connections. You’d be amazed what I can get my hands on.”