Chapter 570 Burn It Clean
Arthur was no ordinary guy. Expanding his business so much and keeping a balance between two big families? Yeah, that took some serious skill.
The thing about Arthur was, he was really good at hiding just how complex he was.
Francis was flipping through the documents for what felt like forever until something finally caught his eye.
Arthur had properties all over the world, which wasn't exactly shocking. Rich folks loved to invest everywhere, so having a bunch of houses in different countries wasn't a big deal.
But here's the weird part: all of Arthur's properties were in super remote places, with no neighbors around. And he always renovated them to look like castles.
From a business angle, these properties were a total bust. They were too out-of-the-way and not in those scenic spots rich people usually went for. These places could lose half their value and still not get any buyers.
But even when Arthur wasn't living in those houses, he wouldn't sell them. He'd hire caretakers and his own elite guards to watch over them.
Francis stared at the screen, frowning. What kind of empty house was worth all that trouble?
After a long pause, he made a call. "Look into Arthur's houses."
Out in the sticks, Elara knocked on the door of the Hernandez Mansion to treat Elodie.
Today wasn't Elodie's appointment day, but she suddenly had a bad headache. Arthur wasn't home, and the butler, Clifford Hayes, didn't want to take any chances, so he called Arthur for advice.
Arthur didn't pick up for some reason, but Elodie was in a lot of pain, so Clifford had no choice but to call the private doctor, Elara.
Once inside, as usual, Elara needed Clifford to guide her to the basement. The basement had this hidden door with both iris recognition and a password.
Just then, the phone upstairs started ringing. Clifford, thinking it might be Arthur, asked Elara to hang tight while he answered the call.
Elara stood still, not daring to move, but something caught her eye. It was a gift box wrapped in red silk, looking super fancy, with intricate patterns on it. She looked at the pattern, feeling like she'd seen it before. After a moment, she remembered it was the same as the medicinal herbs Elodie had asked her to buy last time.
Elodie had said she missed Dreamlandia, which was why she wanted those herbs.
Feeling grateful for Elodie's kindness, Elara secretly took out her phone to snap a picture of the pattern, thinking she could draw it later and bring it to Elodie next time to help with her homesickness.
Elodie was really pitiful, being locked in the basement by Arthur every day. No matter how comfy it was down there, no one would want to live like that. Every time Elara saw Elodie, she felt like she was looking at a beautiful but broken-winged canary.
After Clifford finished the call, he came over to open the door for Elara. There was a detector at the entrance that would go off if anyone had metal objects or communication devices like a phone. Elara put her phone in the box Clifford had prepared and only took her medical gear inside.
Elodie was lying on the bed, looking really weak and in pain. Elara set down her medical supplies, washed her hands, and started giving her a soothing massage.
"Elara, any news from the outside lately?" Elodie was always curious about everything and loved hearing about the outside world from Elara.
After sharing some interesting stories, Elara remembered something and said, "Madam, the Perry Family is hosting a wedding soon. I heard the bride is also from Dreamlandia, and they say she's very beautiful."
Elara thought Elodie was beautiful too. Even though Elodie was in her forties, she didn't look like a middle-aged woman at all. Her skin was still as smooth as a young girl's.
Elara asked, "Madam, are all the girls from Dreamlandia very beautiful? You are very beautiful too."
The previously weak Elodie suddenly turned around, grabbed Elara's arm, and asked excitedly, "What's the bride's name?"
Elara was stunned, and Elodie, forgetting her own outburst, asked again urgently, "Elara, please tell me."
Elara snapped out of it and shook her head, saying, "Madam, I'm sorry, I don't know her name."
Just as Elodie was about to ask more questions, the sound of the door opening interrupted her. Her expression stiffened, and she lay back down, looking very unwell again.
Arthur had rushed back. Seeing Elara treating Elodie, he didn't interrupt but stood quietly watching. But Elara was very nervous, her palms almost sweating.
No one could face Arthur without feeling nervous. Arthur had this natural sense of intimidation. He didn't need to say a word; just standing there could make people feel on edge.
Elodie felt Elara's cold hands, probably from fear. Without turning around, Elodie said in a not-so-good tone, "Why are you standing there? Go out."
Elara was startled and glanced at Arthur, who looked calm and not at all angry. Probably only Elodie dared to speak to Arthur like that without making him mad.
Arthur seemed to enjoy Elodie's occasional temper, raising his eyebrows and saying, "Alright. You take your time with the treatment."
After Arthur left, Elara dared to speak, "Madam, you are amazing. Mr. Hernandez listens to everything you say."
Elodie sneered silently. If Arthur really listened to everything she said, he wouldn't lock her in the basement.
But she said nothing because Arthur's return made some questions inconvenient to ask. Elara was simple-minded, and Elodie feared that her inadvertent words might harm her. So the less Elara knew, the better.
In the front hall, Arthur looked at the gift on the table, frowning deeply, and asked in a harsh tone, "Who sent this?"
Clifford could tell Arthur was angry, and his heart skipped a beat, his legs trembling slightly. "This is a wedding gift from the Perry Family. I didn't know how to handle it, so I waited for you to decide."
Usually, Clifford would stash external items in a special storage room and only distribute them after checking with Arthur. But today, Arthur had attended the Perry Family's wedding. Thinking the Perry Family was just trying to get on Arthur's good side by sending the gift, Clifford didn't think much of it and placed it in the living room.
Seeing Arthur's expression now, it seemed like this wasn't so simple.
Clifford stammered, "Mr. Hernandez, what should we do with this?"
Arthur frowned, puzzled as to why they would send a gift to his house, which was quite far from the Perry Estate. He looked closely and noticed there were patterns on it. He examined it for a long time but couldn't see anything special.
But being naturally suspicious, since he couldn't figure it out, he decided to make it disappear.
"Burn it," Arthur ordered.
Burning someone else's wedding gift was pretty inappropriate. But with Arthur's command, Clifford had no choice but to comply. "Yes, Mr. Hernandez."
As Clifford carried the heavy gift, wondering what was inside, Arthur called him back. "Check if the Perry Family sent this gift to every household or just to me."
Clifford responded, "Understood, Mr. Hernandez."
At that moment, Elara came out. Arthur inquired, "What's wrong with Elodie?"
Elara replied, "She just hasn't been exercising enough, which has caused some chest tightness. She needs to exercise more and keep a positive mood, and it will improve. I'll come back the day after tomorrow to treat her."
Arthur nodded after hearing this, and Elara respectfully took her leave.
At the front door, the Hernandez Mansion's car was waiting to take Elara out. Just as she was about to get in, a piece of red silk suddenly floated to her feet. Elara took a closer look and realized it was the wrapping silk from the gift that had just been on the table.
Not far away, there was a faint smell of burning. She looked over and saw Clifford seemingly burning something.
Elara guessed that the gift had probably been burned. She sighed, feeling it was a pity. The silk looked top-notch, and the gift inside must have been very exquisite.
Before getting into the car, she picked up the silk and stuffed it into her medical bag, thinking she could show it to Elodie next time.
In the study, Arthur's subordinate was reporting, "Mr. Hernandez, should we recall the guards from Northfield? Since Ms. Murphy is now with the Perry Family, do you think we need to send someone to investigate them?"
"Withdraw the guards from Northfield for now, and there's no need to investigate the Perry Family." Arthur paused, "I don't want to strain relations with them over such a small matter."
Arthur had previously ordered the execution of Harper after receiving news of Audrey's death from the guards. But the first attempt failed. He had planned to find a suitable opportunity later, but Harper unexpectedly married into the Perry Family.
The Perry Family was a major family in Emerald Isle. It wasn't worth it for him to take action over such a trivial matter. Since the Perry Family had taken Harper in, and Vincent Perry doted on her, Arthur decided to put the assassination plan on hold and just keep an eye on things for now.
Arthur walked into the basement bedroom, and Elodie stared blankly at the garden outside the window, not even noticing his entrance. He slowly walked up behind her and placed a diamond necklace around her neck.
The diamonds sparkled brilliantly under the light, clearly top quality and very expensive. He kissed her earlobe and asked in a deep voice, "Elodie, do you like it?"
Elodie felt the cold touch but had no interest in even looking at it, nor did she want to humor him.
Since she woke up, Arthur had been trying to please her in various ways. They were all kinds of valuable gifts, but each time Elodie took them off, she never wore them again. Arthur thought Elodie simply didn't like the styles, so he kept sending different ones.
No matter how exquisite the design, Elodie always remained indifferent. Arthur was losing patience, his tone turning cold, "Why aren't you happy? Elara said you need more exercise. Shall I accompany you for a walk in the garden?"
As he spoke, he reached out his hand, only to have it slapped away by Elodie.
Arthur's expression instantly changed, his face turning cold as he grabbed her chin, intending to reprimand her. But Elodie turned her face, her beautiful eyes filled with a moist glow, more beautiful than the diamond around her neck.
This sight softened Arthur's resolve. He sighed, "Elodie, only you can treat me like this time and time again."
He loosened his grip slightly, lowered his head, and tried to kiss Elodie, but she avoided him. Before he could speak, she said with reddened eyes, "Arthur, I'm not your pet. You always keep me locked up here. I don't want to live in this confined environment."
Elodie stood up and pointed outside the window, "This garden is big and beautiful, but do you know how many steps it takes to walk around it?"
Arthur didn't understand what she meant and squinted at her.
"Eight hundred and thirty-six steps!" Elodie shouted, "You tell me to go for a walk, but what can I see? I've even counted the leaves on the trees! Do you know that staying in the same place every day makes me feel suffocated?"
Elodie's angry outburst didn't change Arthur's expression. He calmly said, "Do you want to go out?"
Elodie knew she couldn't always be forceful. Occasional assertiveness could give Arthur a sense of challenge, but he still preferred obedient women.
She plopped down on the bed, grumbling, "Anyone would go crazy staying here all the time."
Arthur's frown eased a bit at Elodie's complaint. He stepped closer and said, "In a few days."
"What?"
Arthur said, "In a few days, after I finish my business, I'll take you out."
Elodie blinked, unable to believe what she heard, and asked excitedly, "Are you serious?"
Arthur didn't confirm or deny it. Elodie, feeling anxious, pressed on, "Arthur, is it really..."
Before she could finish, Arthur leaned in.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
