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Zora
I joined Kara and Eloise on the couch, then linked the staff to serve us tea and biscuits.
“What is with Nellie?” Kara asked me, looking curious.
“She was drinking in the lounge of this wing, and we went to say hello. She was very nasty to us. Calling us whores, backstabbers, thieves, name it, Zora. She looked like she was out of it,” Kara said, and I sighed sadly.
“She is unhappy about what happened with Abelardo and believes I was the mastermind behind his arrest. I am officially her enemy now,” I said, and Eloise hissed.
“That is pathetic and silly. What do you have to gain from that? You already have it all. You will be the lady of the north in two months. Darius is indisputably yours. She is silly,” Eloise said, sounding irritated.
“Actually, I did ask her to make sure that Abelardo does not show up at the hearing, and I did imply that I will go against him if he troubles Darius,” I confessed, and Eloise rolled her
eyes.
“So what? The arsehole deserves it and much more. Sometimes I suspect she didn’t give birth to Darius because of the way she is quick to side with Abelardo against him, even if Abelardo is in the wrong, and that douchebag is always in the wrong. I think it is an odd situation. I can understand
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favouritism, but this is too damn much. Screw her. We do not need her as our friend.” Eloise said, and I giggled
Eloise made a lot of sense, but I knew Nellie was Darius’s mother.
“She disagrees with Darius’s policies. She wanted him to get justice for her husband. She wanted him to expand..” I said, and Kara began to laugh, interrupting me in the process.
“Really, who will get justice for all the people her husband wronged? Her husband ruined lives and wrecked homes. Elbert is a hero. I do not care what people say,” Kara said, and I covered her mouth.
“Please do not say things like that. The walls have ears, and we do not want Nellie to have anything against us.” I said, and Eloise laughed.
Just then, Nancy walked in with our tea and biscuits, and I was worried she might have heard Kara. She was about to leave when I stopped her.
“I am sorry for what I am about to do, Nancy, but I will need you to taste the food. A lot is happening right now, and I am just being careful,” I said, and Nancy smiled.
“It is alright, Luna,” she said, tasted our teas, and ate our biscuits.
She stood for about ten minutes before I apologised and dismissed her.
“What
was that about?” Kara asked, biting into her biscuit.
I placed the tea by my nose, and the scent was a bit strong, so
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I put it down and opted to drink the cranberry variation instead of the Sage tea.
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“Nellie hates us, and she was married to a psycho. I do not want to make mistakes,” I said, and Eloise laughed.
“What is wrong with the tea?” Kara asked me, and I shook my head.
“The smell is a bit too strong this afternoon. I wonder if the brand is what we are used to. I will ask Nancy.” I said, and she nodded and opted to take the cranberry variation, too; likewise, Eloise.
“So, who do you think it is?” Kara asked me the real reason they had come.
“I doubt it is Abelardo; I think someone set him up to throw us off their scent. He is the most obvious culprit. It is just too easy,” I said, and Eloise laughed,
“Sometimes life can be easy, and the truth might really be what it is. Just look at how easily we found love again,” she said, and I nodded.
“I am not disputing the fact that he might have a hand in this. Possibly, he did it, but he was too stupid to cover his tracks. It is a possibility, but between Brighton’s attack and this, it does not seem like the same person.” I said, and Kara nodded.
“I agree, but it still does not mean Abelardo is innocent. He might have miscalculated or tried to copy the original crime hoping it would go a certain way,” she said, and it made a lot of sense.
“Abelardo was desperate to take over from his brother. The
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issue with Brighton must have given him the idea to try to replicate the same scenario with an alpha alleged to have teamed up with the enemy of the north. Either way, it would be a winning situation; it would have caused a war or forced Darius to step down.” I said, and Eloise frowned.
“But if Darius steps down, it would leave the Hand’s line and go to the Sidorovs, then the Orlovs. If neither Marcel nor Raphael cuts it, the north will have to choose between Abelardo and Vino to lead them. Neither of them is an alpha, but they would likely lean towards Abelardo.” Eloise said, and I nodded.
“You can put it that way, but we also have to consider Abelardo’s friendship with Larry. Larry is the eldest on the council. He hates Darius and believes Abelardo should take over from him. The man must have assured Abelardo that he would force the council to endorse him. In exchange, Abelardo will be his puppet and wage war, increase the power of the seat and the council and enrich the north,” I said, and they were silent.
“So, how is Darius handling it?” Kara asked, and I could not answer that question because I did not know.
“I think we should investigate this thing like we used to do back in the east,” Eloise said.
“I do not think Raphael would want you to get involved,” I said, and she rolled her eyes. She wanted to do this for the thrill.
Let us bring it up during dinner,” I said to them, and Kara agreed.
decided to tell them what I really wanted.
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“I know this might sound crazy.” I began, and everyone was attentive.
Duchers
“It might even be unnecessary. There might be nothing to it,” I said, and sighed.
“But we need to investigate Nellie,” I said, and Kara frowned.
“Why? The woman is clearly unstable and a psycho, but that would be a waste of time because she would not want to work against her sons. There
is no way she would set either of them up. She is also a victim in this,” Kara said, and I nodded at my
friend.
“I am not asking that we investigate her because of the event. She has no hand in this and can never actively work against her son. But I need to know what she has in store for Darius. She is always quick to side with Abelardo against him, and there is that issue of Darius not wanting to get the revenge she wanted so badly. I need to protect my man from a woman that is hurting and trying to lash out.” I said and sighed.
“He told her to get out,” I confessed, and Eloise gasped.
“And he sided with me against her. You needed to see the rage and scorn on her face when she realised he wouldn’t back her up. She said many implicating things that she only got away with because Darius is her son. There is no way Nellie is going to let what happened today go. No matter what happens, I need to be a step ahead of her, and I need help,” I said, and Eloise smiled.
Just then, I felt nauseous and rushed to the bathroom to
vomit
