Evan remained silent.
He raised a brow and threw a look at the maids, who nodded in understanding. Entrusting the rest into his servants’ hands, he held Nicole’s hand and led her upstairs.
Levant’s angry demands could be heard behind them. “What do you think you’re doing? Let go of me! I can leave on my own! I said, let go of me!”
As he was whisked away from the living room, Levant shouted one last time towards Evan, “I’ll remember this, Evan Seet! You better watch your back!”
Nicole glanced back at Levant as they made their way upstairs. For a moment, she felt somewhat bad for him.
“Do you really have to do it this way? He’s your cousin, your mother’s nephew, after all… “ she asked while looking up at Evan.
“You’re speaking up for him?”
Evan’s reply sounded nonchalant, but she could tell there was a subtle hint of jealousy.
She kept quiet. She didn’t want him to end up doing something reckless out of jealousy. It’s best to not say anything more and risk provoking him further.
“If we showed him hospitality, he’ll come here everyday,” he added.
Only then she understood why Evan did that. He was trying to prevent Levant from crossing his boundaries.
It would indeed become a nuisance if he really were to show up everyday.
I guess it’s better that way then. She quietly agreed.
She shot an approving smile at him and raised a thumb.
Back at the winery, Levant’s face put on a ghastly expression as he entered the house.
Avril could tell that he’d undoubtedly had an awful time at the Imperial Garden.
She walked up to him. “You’re back early! Didn’t they invite you to stay for dinner or something?” she teased.
Levant brushed her off with a warning glare as he continued towards his room.
Unsatisfied by the silent treatment, Avril followed closely behind. “You’ve been chased out of the house, haven’t you?” she mocked.
Her accurate speculation had only added onto Levant’s frustration.
He shot her a death stare. “Mind your own business. You’re surely one to talk… Didn’t you intoxicate yourself and throw yourself into someone’s arms in the middle of the night? You know the consequences if Dad finds out about such an embarrassing deed.”
A look of horror paled her face.
How did he know about that? It must’ve been someone from the Imperial Garden who had spilled the beans.
But who could it have been?
Who would have so mercilessly exposed the ugly truth about her?
“Who told you about that?” she questioned without hiding the rising anger in her tone.
Levant paused in front of the door to his room. He turned around and saw the horrified look on Avril’s face. At that moment, he had an idea. If he were to pin the blame on the man she liked, perhaps it would help extinguish all the adoration she had harbored towards him.
On top of that, she would even possibly start hating him. That way, it could help her let go of her feelings towards that person. That would be a good thing for his sister.
With that, he decided to make the duke a scapegoat.
“It was my adoptive father, the very man you liked, who said it himself,” he uttered plainly as he entered the room and slammed the door shut behind him.
Avril stood on the same spot, flustered by what she had heard. It was Stephen?
How could he have simply told such a thing to another person?
A sudden chill shot through her body. It felt as if a big, ugly scar on her body had been exposed to the entire world, and it had become the center of attention that had drawn criticisms from everybody. She felt suffocated. She rubbed her palms together as her body shivered at that thought.
Stephen Musgrave. How dare you!
She felt a sudden urge to go and confront him, to ask him why would he do such a thing. At the same time, she knew she couldn’t bring herself to do that. It was an embarrassing truth which she couldn’t hide nor deny.
How dare you stab me in the heart like that, Stephen? How could you? I’ll never forgive you!
She turned and stormed out of the hallway. Her mind was filled with so much resentment towards the duke that she hadn’t paid any heed to her surroundings. Suddenly, a heavy jolt snapped her out of her angry thoughts.
She had knocked into another person. It was Tiffany, whom she had once met.
“Can’t you walk properly? Are you blind?” she chided.
Tiffany stared back in an awkward silence.
She was confused and somewhat offended. What’s wrong with this rude woman? Wasn’t she the one who bumped into me in the first place?
As she studied Avril with a quick glance from head to toe, she recognized her.
This woman had asked her a couple of questions when they were outside of Levant’s room the other day.
Could this woman be his wife? she wondered.
“What are you looking at? Didn’t you hear me talking to you? Are you mute?”
Tiffany was pulled out of her thoughts by Avril’s arrogant voice. “I’m sorry,” she muttered softly. She definitely didn’t like the way she was talked down upon, but she wasn’t here to cause a scene. Especially not in the presence of the man who had once helped her.
