Edmund quickly greeted Natasha. “Ms. Natasha,” Abigail greeted her too. Back when her father used to work for the Harmons, Abigail had her fair share of interactions with Natasha. She found her to be a thoughtful, caring, and gentle person who would occasionally give her gifts. It wasn’t until Natasha went to Swinton to further her career that the two rarely met anymore.
“Abigail, I haven’t seen you in two years! You’ve grown up into such a beautiful young lady!” Natasha praised with a light-hearted chuckle.
“You’re the beautiful one, Ms. Natasha. There are countless ladies in Millsburg who envy your beauty.” Abigail looked at her with admiration. Few could match Natasha’s beauty and elegance in the whole of Balerno, much less Millsburg.
“How sweet.” Natasha tapped Abigail’s nose adoringly before looking back at the ruins behind them. “It seems like your house has been completely torn down. Why don’t you go back with me to the Harmon estate and stay there for a few days? It’d be a good opportunity for us to catch up too.”
“It wouldn’t be right to trouble you like that, Ms. Natasha. We’ll just find somewhere else to stay for a few days,” Edmund declined.
“It’s almost New Year’s; where will you find a place to stay at a time like this? Besides, we have plenty of empty rooms at the Harmon estate, and you’re familiar with the place too. What harm. will it do to stay there for a couple of days?” Natasha didn’t see any trouble with that at all.
“Well…” Edmund found himself in quite a dilemma!
“Ms. Natasha’s right. If you’re not going, I’ll go myself!” Abigail huffed.
“Don’t hesitate, Mr. Robinson. Come on, get in the car. There are so many of us waiting,” Natasha urged.
“In that case, I’ll have to trouble you then, Ms. Natasha.” Edmund looked around, and in the end, he nodded. It wouldn’t be right to decline such a generous offer. If he refused any longer, it would come off as impolite.
After getting into the car, the four of them quickly left the village. Half an hour later, they arrived at the Harmon estate. Edmund and Abigail couldn’t help but sigh when they saw the familiar sights through the car window. Having worked for the Harmons for so many years, the estate was akin to their second home.
After taking Edmund and Abigail to their lodgings, Natasha led Dustin to Hector’s study room, and they stood outside the door.
“Why have you brought me here, Natasha?” Dustin couldn’t help but wonder.
“There’s something my dad would like to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s something to do with our marriage.” Natasha smiled coyly.
“Don’t spout nonsense.” Dustin shot her a glare. Nothing was official between them yet, so how could they be talking about marriage? It definitely wasn’t going to be so soon!
“What? Do you not wish to marry me? Or is it because you still have feelings for Dahlia Nicholson? “Natasha asked, subtly probing.
Dustin cleared his throat awkwardly. “If Mr. Harmon wants to meet me, I’m sure he has something important to discuss. We’d better go in now.” Seeing that the conversation was veering into dangerous waters, Dustin swiftly pushed the door open and went in.
“Hah! Just wait till I get the chance to stake my claim on you! I’d like to see how you’ll deny my hand in marriage then!” Natasha thought to herself as she bit her lip. She followed him in soon after.
Inside the study, Hector was quietly reading a book, and the room was still brightly lit. It was obvious he hadn’t slept the entire night. “Oh, you’re here? Have a seat.” Hector put down his book and poured them each a cup of tea when he saw them enter.
“Mr. Harmon, is something the matter? Why did you call me here?” Dustin asked tentatively.
“I heard from Natasha that you gave her a call yesterday, telling her to watch out for the Dark Lord What was that about?” Hector cut straight to the point.
“It was Azalea. She gave me information that the Dark Lord is now in Millsburg. It’s highly likely that he’ll strike again during New Year’s,” Dustin said solemnly.
“It’s three days away from New Year’s Eve. So you’re saying the Dark Lord will appear again in three days?” Hector seemed deep in thought.
“That’s right.” Dustin nodded.
“Sounds like the Dark Lord isn’t planning on letting us have a peaceful New Year’s celebration!” Hector narrowed his eyes ever so slightly as a murderous gleam flashed in his eyes. After fighting and scheming against each other for so long, it was finally time to draw an end to things.
