Chapter 64
The floral and slightly fruity smell of amaryllises hits my nose as I enter my uncle’s estate gardens.
The entire area is vibrant, full of flowers and beautifully manicured grasses.
It’s well-kept and eye-appeasing – a complete opposite of the figurines on my estate grounds, which make absolutely no sense whatsoever.
But the thing is: I don’t care enough to get them removed, so I guess they’ll be staying there until they fester and fall off.
When he’d asked me to come to his estate for coffee the other day, I’d had half a mind to refuse him, given his stupid fucking decision of selling Lure.
I can be furious at him, despise him, but at the end of the day, he’s family – the last of it, too – so I couldn’t find it in me to deny his request.
I take a left and enter the lawn, and my hair, along with my lavender summer dress, flow sideways as a bout of air whips by me.
The grass at my feet swishes as it shifts with the wind, and caresses my ankles as I walk further into the lawn.
The sun is right above me, and even though I prefer the gloomier weather over this one, I’m absolutely loving the warmth on my skin today.
“There you are!” says Uncle Chase.
I put a hand over my eyes to shield them from the glaring sunrays, then look ahead.
There’s a set of white chairs and a table set up under the shade.
Various biscuits and macaroons are plated on delicate crockeries, along with a pot of coffee that’s placed right in the center of the table.
Guards are surrounding the area, but they remain a respectful distance away from the setup.
I wave at my uncle, then make my way to him. “Your gardens are stunning,” I say by way of greeting.
“Aren’t they?” He opens his arms for me, so I close the gap between us and hug him.
He places a kiss on the side of my head, and when we step back, he smiles down at me.
He’s wearing beige pants and a red polo t-shirt, and I know it’s a bit darker here, but I can still see the circles around his eyes, and how prominent the creases on his face look.
He seems tired, and I don’t know if it’s because Mom’s absence is getting to him, or if it’s the elections. Probably both, I’d wager.
“You sure you wanna do this?” I ask him. “You look exhausted, Uncle Chase; you need rest.”
“Nonsense. I called you here because I wanted to spend some time with you, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.” He moves behind me, then pulls a chair out for me.
I can’t help but chuckle as I settle down, and when he does the same, I grab the pot and fill our cups with coffee.
“I’m glad you came,” he tells me. “I was of the impression that you wouldn’t want to see me for a while.”
I sigh, then set the pot back in its place. “Make no mistake, I’m still mad at you. And I’m not here for you today, but only for the macaroons you promised me. I am too enticed by them for my own good, and you know that as well.”
He laughs, and his eyes crinkle around the corners. “Well, I’m glad you’re here, regardless of the reason.”
I smile, then grab a lemon cookie off one of the plates before biting into it.
A chorus of birds’ chirping echoes from high above, and I notice a few butterflies flittering around the lawn.
Their black wings, dotted with pink, make for a beautiful contrast against the green around me, and when one of them sits atop a patch of grass near me, I notice that its entire body is pink, with spots of black on the side.
“I didn’t know we had Pink Rose butterflies here,” I tell Uncle Chase, then finish my cookie before grabbing a coconut macaroon.
“Fascinating, aren’t they?” he says before polishing off the scone he was holding. “I’ve seen them quite a few times during my afternoon walks around the estate. I can have one of them caught for you, if you’d like to own it.”
“No.” I face him so fast, that it makes him chuckle in surprise.
“Sorry.” I laugh a little, then shake my head.
“It’s just that I wouldn’t want to cage it.
It wouldn’t be fair to its nature.” I glance at the butterfly again, and its velvety wings shine against the sunlight as it takes off after the others.
“Your mother never had an affinity for these things.”
I look at Uncle Chase again, and he gestures at the table before us.
“Nor these, for that matter,” he adds, grinning to himself.
I finish my macaroon before responding to that. “She always looked at the bigger picture, I suppose, and not the smaller ones that constituted to the entire thing.”
He nods. “She did have dreams that were too bold, even for my imagination.”
“But you still helped her achieve them.”
“Of course I did. She was, and always will be, my family.”
I reach out and give one of his hands a squeeze, then grab my cup and lean back in my chair. Taking a sip of the warm, creamy coffee, I try not to moan at its decadent and nutty taste. It’s strong, and something I most definitely needed.
“What have you been up to these days?” Uncle Chase asks, then exhales heavily. “I’ve been so busy that I haven’t even checked up on you.”
I drink some more of my coffee, then set the cup down.
“You’re good, don’t worry.” I swipe a strawberry macaroon off the plate to my right, and then lift a shoulder at my uncle.
“I’ve been thinking of starting a fashion blog.
Maybe a YouTube channel, too. I’ve got so many ideas I wanna let out, and while I’m at it, I can perhaps help people who are looking for fashion advice. ”
It’s not something I’ve mapped out yet, but I’ve discussed the possibility of it with Julian.
It’s the second-best thing to Lure, I guess, especially because it’ll help me establish myself as a public figure before I can launch my own brand in the future.
Well, that’s what my end goal is for now, at least.
“That’s good, sweet pea,” Uncle Chase says, then nods. “I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with the idea.”
I smile at him, then pop the last piece of macaroon into my mouth. “It’ll take a while for me to arrange and set everything up. But yeah, I’m excited to see where it takes me.”
“Your mother would be proud of you,” he muses, then sighs.
I scoff, even before I realize I’ve done it. “She never really cared for my inputs or objectives. She was always too busy doing what she thought was right, and never paid any heed to what I had to say.”
Uncle Chase studies me for a few moments, then places his forearms on the table and leans forward. “So, is that why you had her killed?” he asks so casually that it takes me a minute to fully come to terms with the question.
My entire fucking world turns on its axis as I stare at him in shock, and my heart goes out of control as my breathing accelerates.
I open my mouth, then close it. I open it again, then try calming myself down before I can speak. I’m cold – so cold. My hands, my feet. Fucking everything.
I realize that my delay in responding to him might come off as suspicious, so I swallow and shake my head, pretending to act confused.
“What are you talking about?” There’s a bit of quivering in my voice, but I hope it’s not detectable.
Uncle Chase laughs, and it’s a crude gesture – something very unlike his usual demeanor.
“I’m not stupid, Cignette. You really thought you could get away with having my sister murdered?
Did you seriously think I was that gullible?
” He sneers at me. “I’ve had people looking into the matter since the day of her accident.
And everything my team found out, pointed to one thing, and one thing only…
” He leans in further, then grits his teeth at me. “You.”
My hands are shaking, so I clench them into fists on my lap. “Uncle Chase, that’s not tru–”
“Oh, just shut up already.” He stands, and on instant, the guards around us start closing in on me. They point their guns at me, and one of them grabs me by the arm before hauling me to my feet.
“Don’t touch me!” I pull out of his grasp, then glare at my uncle. “And here I thought this was a casual get-together.”
“Isn’t it, though?” he says coolly.
I hear footsteps, seconds before one of the guards from Mave’s team brings him into the lawn. He has a gun pointed at Mave’s head, and when I try to go to him, he very subtly shakes his head at me.
My breaths are now frosty from how quickly my heart is beating, and my mouth feels all but grimy from how dry it has suddenly gotten.
Ignoring the guns, I turn to face my uncle, and when he gives me a look of disgust, I clench my hands further and take a step towards him.
“She deserved to die,” I say, then blink when my eyes sting. “She deserved every bit of what happened to her.”
“She didn’t.” He gets in my personal space, glowering down at me as I seethe at him. “She didn’t.” His eyes turn misty, and his anger turns to sorrow.
“She laughed at me while her bodyguard tried to rape me,” I tell him, then swallow against the tightness in my throat. “She laughed, and she clapped. She took pleasure in my pleas for help, not thinking for a second that I’m her daughter.”
He seems taken aback by my confession. But it’s only momentary, because his love for his deranged sister soon overpowers any rationality he possesses, and he once again turns into the weasel that he is.
“You could have come to me; you could’ve told me about what she’d done.”
I have to laugh at that. “And you’d do what?
” I snort. “Numerous times I’ve come to you, begging you to talk to her; begging you to do something about her behavior.
But instead of taking any sort of action against her, all you did was remind me that she’s my mother, and then left me to endure her cruelty.
But I’d had enough of it. I cowered, I suffered, and I waited, but nothing changed.
And so, I did what I had to; I took the power into my own hands.
” I bring my face close to his. “I fucking killed her.”
His nostrils flare as he scowls at me. I know he’s itching to hit me, and my God, I wanna see him do it. Because at the end of the day, he’s just like my mother, isn’t he? Spineless. Uncaring.
Self-righteous.
He works his jaw and steps away from me, then nods at his guards.
“Take my niece and her dog inside the estate. Make sure they’re comfortable while I go fetch the rest of my guests for this…
” He clicks his tongue. “What is it that you called it?” He smirks at me, then claps his hands in front of him. “Ah, yes; a get-together.”
I know who he’s talking about, and that does absolutely nothing to calm me down. I wish I could warn Dorran somehow, but my phone is in my dress pocket, so I can’t possibly call or text him without eating a bullet or two.
I glance at Mave, and he looks just as worried as I feel. But when our eyes meet, he once again shakes his head at me, silently asking me not to do or say anything that might get us in further trouble.
It’s too bad I don’t always do what I’m told to do.
“If you hurt him,” I tell my uncle, “I swear to God that I’ll fucking destroy you.”
He grins, because I’ve now erased the last bit of uncertainty he must’ve had by confirming Dorran’s involvement in all of this.
He faces his guards and jerks his head towards the estate’s doors.
“Take them inside. And if they don’t comply, beat them into obedience.
” He bends so that he’s eyelevel to me, then smiles when I lift my chin and raise a brow at him.
“I’ve got to go pay a visit to my friendly neighborhood killer,” he says to me. “But when I’m back, sweet
pea, I will make you pay for what you’ve taken from me.” He straightens and walks by me, leaving me utterly disarrayed.