Chapter 363 Feeding the Sharks
"I don't know about that, but keeping a distance from all women is the right thing for me to do," Phillipe stated, then looked up at Ethan. "What brings you here?"
"Abella said she wanted to take a walk alone; I was concerned, so I came to check on her."
"Same here."
"Do you really have no feelings for Lola?" Ethan probed as they walked on. "If Abella never returned, would you really not marry Lola?"
"Absolutely not," Phillipe said with certainty. "In fact, a long time ago, I considered calling off the engagement."
He didn't just consider it. He went to call it off.
But that day, he discovered he was engaged to Abella, so he changed his mind at the last minute.
Ethan was taken aback by his admission. "Do you have any idea what calling off the betrothal at the last minute would mean for our families?"
"I'm aware."
It meant a total rift between their families.
It meant that he and Blake would never be brothers.
It meant having an additional formidable competitor in the business arena.
It meant being reproached by his family. The prestige of the Bourbon family and its reputation would all cease to exist.
"But I just can't spend my life with someone I don't love, and I bet none of you could stand it either if the person you treasured ends up meaning less to me than a blade of grass."
Ethan was puzzled. "Is Lola really that terrible? In all these years, hasn't there been a single thing about her that caught your eye?"
"Have you not noticed, Ethan, since Abella returned, Lola hasn't exactly welcomed her with open arms?" Phillipe hinted. "The subtle challenges and probes at the dinner table, not to mention some of her inappropriate behaviors..."
"Phillipe, Lola is my sister too!" Ethan found the words rather harsh to hear.
Before Lola's true identity was exposed, everyone in the Medici family had cherished her for eighteen years.
Not only did Mr. and Mrs. Medici love her, but her five brothers also treated her like a beloved sister, responding to her every wish and protecting the family's little princess as best they could.
She was the princess they watched grow up, and while she might've been a bit spoiled, she wasn't without merit as Phillipe suggested.
It was a lot for Ethan to hear his sister described in such terms right to his face.
Phillipe understood, thinking, “After all, who would suspect a sister of ulterior motives when she'd seemed so innocent for eighteen years?”
“Would you just randomly suspect a family member of being a villain?” He thought.
"Being the 'lady' for eighteen years, and then suddenly losing everything—it's normal for her to feel a gap and seek attention now and then. These are just the whims of a young girl, as long as she doesn't hurt Abella..."
Ethan's words were barely finished when Phillipe cut in, looking him in the eye. "And what if she does cause trouble for Abella, Ethan? Would you not intervene?"
"If she deliberately targets Abella and I find out, I'll certainly step in to stop it."
"What if it happens out of your sight? Or if guidance isn't enough?"
"Phillipe." Ethan locked eyes with Phillipe, a touch of annoyance in his gaze, "Is Lola really that bad in your eyes?"
"You saw what happened with the fruit earlier," Phillipe's voice was firm. "Her intentions weren't pure."
"If I'm not mistaken, she was drawing a line with you."
"I could hear your footsteps from afar, Ethan. Are you saying she didn't?"
"Are you suggesting she said all that on purpose for me to hear?" Ethan's eyes darkened. "It seems she has very low standing in your heart."
Indeed, in Phillipe’s heart, Lola had never really had a 'standing'; she meant nothing.
"You think she has ulterior motives? Has she been hassling you in secret or done something to hurt Abella?"
"Ethan, you just got back, so you might not be fully clued in. When you have the time, you can observe her, and then you'll know whether my words hold water or not."
After all, it was more of a heads-up. Phillipe didn't expect Ethan to be Abella's guardian.
“I’ll protect my girl myself.” Phillipe thought.
"You..."
Ethan wasn't playing favorites between the sisters. He had watched Lola grow up for eighteen years, and he knew her character well. It couldn't be too far off the mark.
But Phillipe wasn't one to smear someone's name without reason, especially not a girl's...
So, what was the issue here?
Was Phillipe overprotective of Abella, or was there some outrageous behavior from Lola that Ethan was unaware of?
Ethan recalled how Lola had playfully asked for his help with serving food and soup at the dinner table, nothing else inappropriate...
The smart ones knew to stay on good terms with their family and not make an enemy of Abella at the very least...
It was a truth Lola surely understood. Without the Medici family, she was nothing, and she'd fall from grace...
Was Lola as foolish and stupid as Phillipe claimed? Did she approach him with hidden agendas, trying to ruin Abella's happiness and being unkind to her?
If not, could someone be pulling the strings behind her actions?
Who could that be?
Seeing Ethan was deep in thought and speechless, Phillipe knew his message was getting through. Ethan wasn't completely blinded by familial love...
In front of their family, Lola wouldn’t step out of line with Abella. It seemed it was time for making her true colors to show.
Elsewhere.
A small knife pressed against the neck of a short-haired girl.
Abella, holding the knife, asked coldly, "Who are you?"
Ever since coming home that afternoon, she'd felt someone eying every move inside the villa. Her people reported no one lurking at the door, but she hadn't been convinced. Going out again, she'd relied on her own skills and caught this sneaky figure.
The short-haired girl wore a mask that only revealed a pair of stunning eyes, which harbored resentment.
She seemed to be a couple of years older than Abella.
Could she be some sort of trained assassin?
So young?
"And who might you be?" the short-haired girl asked with annoyance. Had she not been distracted just a moment ago, Abella wouldn't have caught her off guard, approached her, and threatened her with a knife.
Abella's people hadn't detected her, so she considered her lurking skills to be top-notch...
"I'm the one asking the questions here!" Abella's blade inched closer, her voice as cold as frost, "Who sent you? Or are you here on a vendetta of your own? Speak up, or this pretty little mouth of yours won't be needing to talk ever again."
“Hah!” The woman thought, “What an arrogant girl! So full of herself, this brat!” Her displeasure was mounting.
"You think you can take me out right on the Medici family's front steps?" she challenged, squinting in disbelief. "If you're so tough, kill me now!"
“She’s not afraid of death...” Abella thought.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
