Chapter 577 The Falling Flower
Clifford bent over and said, "Yes, Mr. Hernandez."
Arthur had this weird smile on his face.
Out of nowhere, Elodie asked Clifford to pour her some milk, just to keep him busy.
Clifford saw Arthur's chilling smile and got a bit freaked out.
He nervously asked, "Mr. Hernandez, is something wrong?"
"No." Arthur's face stayed the same as he downed his glass of red wine in one go and set it back on the table.
He stood up slowly and said, "Clifford, get us a new family doctor."
Clifford was shocked, "Mr. Hernandez, did Elara mess up or something..."
Arthur just lifted his eyelids and looked at Clifford.
Clifford suddenly shut up, breaking into a cold sweat. He'd overstepped!
Elara had always been nice, leaving a good impression on Clifford. She often brought him handmade soaps and aromatherapy stuff. They weren't expensive, so he didn't mind accepting them.
Plus, Clifford really liked those little things, especially the aromatherapy. Elara said it helped with sleep, and he used it every night, sleeping like a baby.
Clifford had struggled with insomnia for years. He'd done a lot of bad stuff, so sleeping at night was tough.
Over time, he got hooked on the aromatherapy and felt grateful to Elara.
But Clifford didn't let his guard down because of that. Arthur had raised him to be diligent, and his job was everything to him.
Still, Clifford's attitude towards Elara had softened. Once feelings got involved, mistakes happened, like now; he shouldn't have asked that question.
Feeling regretful, Clifford bowed his head and said, "Mr. Hernandez, I'll handle it right away. Elara's records will be destroyed."
Arthur then looked away and smiled faintly, "I almost thought I needed a new butler."
Even though it sounded like a joke, Clifford knew it wasn't! It meant he had just dodged a bullet!
Luckily, he snapped out of it quickly, saving his own skin.
Every nerve in his body was shaking with fear.
Arthur turned and said, "This time, make sure it's foolproof."
"Yes, Mr. Hernandez!" Clifford's voice was steady and strong.
Once Arthur was out of sight, Clifford's stiff body finally relaxed, and sweat dripped from his forehead like rain onto the ground.
Arthur's message was clear: Elara had made a fatal mistake!
Clifford sighed, feeling a bit sorry for the kind-hearted Elara, but that was it.
Looked like sleepless nights were back for him.
He thought about the little bit of aromatherapy left in his bedroom. He needed to save it, take it to a doctor, and figure out its ingredients to make more.
Arthur walked into Elodie's room. She was sitting by the bed, staring out the window, lost in thought.
Outside, flowers were blooming beautifully.
The basement wasn't like the upper floors; it was hard to keep plants alive down there.
Elodie loved bright flowers, so Arthur had planted a bunch.
These flowers were super delicate; Arthur had to keep an eye on the light and soil moisture. Since they were in the basement, he also had to make sure they got diffused light and proper ventilation.
Arthur put a lot of effort into it, hiring specialists to take care of them, making them look so beautiful.
Even when they moved to a new place, Arthur had people continue to take care of the flowers, keeping them blooming.
Arthur thought about the flowers in the destroyed basements, such a painstaking effort, yet so easily destroyed, just like Elodie.
To destroy the delicate Elodie, all he needed was to lift a finger.
But he didn't want to do that now. Having invested so much, he didn't want to destroy it easily.
"What are you looking at?" Arthur spoke.
Elodie was startled by the sudden voice.
Arthur walked closer, stood by the window, looked at the flowers outside, then looked at Elodie and said softly, "So beautiful."
It was unclear whether he was talking about the flowers outside or Elodie.
Elodie didn't respond, still looking uninterested. She always appeared this way in front of Arthur.
More often melancholic than happy.
"Elodie, are you feeling unwell?" Arthur asked, "I heard from Clifford that you asked him to pour you some milk."
Elodie didn't know why Arthur was asking this, but every question he asked had to be answered carefully, as it was easy to fall into his traps.
When Elodie didn't want to answer directly, she would act out.
"Clifford shouldn't be considered a butler." Elodie suddenly said.
Arthur raised an eyebrow with interest, looking like he wanted to hear more.
"He watches my every move for you every day; you might as well call him a surveillance camera." Elodie sarcastically said, "Do you need to know every time I eat, drink, or go to the bathroom? Why don't I just inform you directly next time, so others don't have to repeat it?"
Elodie controlled her emotions well with these words, sounding just unhappy and throwing a little tantrum. Although sharp, there was no hatred in her tone.
Arthur's eyes darkened slightly; it seemed something big had happened.
Elodie rarely drank milk, let alone asked Clifford to pour some for her. This behavior was clearly unusual, but Elodie hadn't noticed it yet. What happhened could have unsettled her so much?
Arthur thought of the newlywed Harper. It seemed that apart from her, nothing else could make Elodie so distracted.
After all, for so many days, Elodie had convincingly pretended to be someone with only partial memory.
Almost, even Arthur believed it, or rather, as long as Elodie was happy, he didn't want to expose her. But his indulgence didn't mean he was giving her a chance to escape.
Arthur, as usual, smiled and said, "If it makes you unhappy, I'll have him stop reporting. I just want to care for you more."
Elodie knew Arthur's temper; he was always sharp. He would turn on her in bed, and she would be the one to suffer.
Thinking about this made Elodie feel nauseous. How could a man in his forties like Arthur still have such energy in bed, going at it repeatedly with various tricks, never getting tired of it?
Elodie pretended to throw a tantrum, "You never keep your promises."
Arthur sat down, hugged her, and kissed her forehead, "When have I ever not kept my promise?"
"You said you'd take me out to have fun." Elodie acted like an innocent girl, and she was very convincing.
In reality, Elodie's inner world wasn't much more mature than that of a young girl.
Half of Elodie's life had been under Arthur's control, in captivity and unconsciousness, with little exposure to people and events, leaving her no chance to grow and mature.
Inside, Elodie was indeed somewhat naive, thinking she could deceive Arthur.
Arthur pinched the soft flesh at her waist and smiled, "You're mad at me over this?"
Elodie felt uncomfortable and tried to dodge, "Don't touch me. Do I not have the right to be angry, Mr. Hernandez?"
She mocked him, but instead of getting angry, he seemed to be in a good mood.
"Tomorrow," he said.
"What?"
"I'll take you out tomorrow," Arthur said.
Elodie was very happy. If she could really get out, she would find a chance to leave some clues outside. She was afraid something might go wrong on Elara's end, so it would be more reliable to take action herself.
"Now that your wish is granted, shouldn't you make me happy?" Arthur's intention was clear.
Elodie didn't want to, but she didn't want to anger Arthur at this moment. So when he leaned in to kiss her, she lowered her eyes and didn't resist.
But Arthur only bit her lip and sucked for a while before letting the breathless Elodie go.
Just as Elodie felt a bit relieved, Arthur suddenly reached out and easily pulled her into his arms.
He whispered, "Elodie, I like it when you're obedient, but I also don't like it when you're too obedient. Do you think I'm very contradictory?"
Elodie thought Arthur was just expressing his feelings and silently cursed him as a lunatic.
He just liked women who were obedient but had a bit of a temper to satisfy his sense of conquest. What low character!
Arthur looked out the window, just as a flower fell.
In the windless, rainless greenhouse, it was strange. The bare branch looked very different from the tightly clustered flowers next to it, creating a sudden sense of loneliness.
Arthur closed his eyes. A flower still in bloom, one he had carefully nurtured for a long time, could wither so easily.
What he actually meant was that he liked Elodie being obedient to him but not pretending to be obedient.
"Elodie, would you lie to me?" Arthur asked.
Elodie's heart trembled, but she pretended to be calm, "Arthur, are you that bored?"
"I hope you never lie to me. Just stay by my side," Arthur said firmly.
He wouldn't give Elodie a chance to leave his side. To achieve this, he had to take some actions.
Elodie felt uneasy but couldn't pinpoint which words caused it.
After all, Arthur's words were never normal. He would suddenly jump from a passionate emotion to another one.
It was like he had multiple personalities, with several Arthurs living inside him, but each one was fundamentally dark.
Just when Elodie thought Arthur was going to press her onto the bed and make love, he suddenly let her go.
Arthur stood up, straightened his suit, and said, "I have some things to take care of. You can go to bed early tonight; no need to wait for me."
Elodie had just sighed in relief when she heard Arthur speak again, "Tomorrow, wear that sapphire necklace."
Elodie immediately panicked, thinking Arthur had discovered something, and became very nervous.
Arthur's expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, "You look beautiful wearing it. I like it very much."
Then he didn't linger and turned to leave.
Only after Arthur left did Elodie dare to reach out and cover her wildly beating heart. That was too close.
Tomorrow, Elodie could find an excuse not to wear the necklace, but she had to find a way to notify Elara to leave immediately.
Elodie didn't know if she could keep up the deception next time.
She considered whether to indirectly ask Clifford about Elara's situation. Elara wasn't as simple and kind as she appeared; she was actually very smart.
If Clifford mentioned it, Elara would definitely be alert and leave immediately, which would be the best outcome.
At this moment, Elodie was actually grateful that Elara was a selfish person. Only such a person could survive under a madman like Arthur.
Arthur walked out the door and got into the car.
The assistant in the front seat handed over a rough embroidery.
The assistant reported, "Elara didn't seem to want to give this away and just threw it in a random trash can."
Arthur looked at the rough embroidery without saying a word, but the bulging veins on his forehead showed his anger.
He sneered, thinking, 'Indeed, nothing is done without calculation.'
Elara had already returned home by this time, and she had thrown away the embroidered piece Elodie gave her.
She had never intended to help Elodie. She had already gotten what she wanted and wouldn't take such a risk.
She would tell Elodie that she had delivered it, but whether it reached Harper or not, she didn't know.
The Perry Family had many servants and was quite chaotic, so it was impossible to verify such things.
No one could prove that Elara was lying.
This way, if Elodie ever got out, Elara could get paid twice.
Even if she didn't, Elara still had the sapphire necklace. This valuable necklace could fetch an immeasurable price if she wanted to sell it.
After all, such high-quality items wouldn't depreciate. The higher the price, the more valuable it became as a collectible.
But before that, Elara wanted to wear it and enjoy the feeling of being wealthy.
Elara changed into a dress she had stolen from a wealthy lady's house last time. The champagne-colored dress matched the sapphire necklace perfectly.
She twirled and danced in front of the mirror, liking it more and more.
It turned out to be so easy to be a noble person. Elara admired herself in the mirror, imitating some of Elodie's movements, pretending to be a socialite.
The effect wasn't very good, but Elara was dazzled by the sparkling necklace.
Elara felt she was really suited to be a socialite and even thought she was no worse than Elodie.
She began daydreaming.
But Elara's dream didn't last long before she heard a knock on the door.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
