Chapter 49

PRUDENCE decided to call Chase so they could talk. She didn’t want to keep waiting until Chase spoke to her. Every second she was waiting was agonizing.
She took a deep breath when the call finally connected to the other line.
“Who is this?” Chase asked politely.
“Hi. It’s me, Prudence. I hope you don’t mind that I called you.”
“Prudence.” Suddenly, he sounded so nonchalant.
“How are you, Chase? It’s been a while since you returned home, and I still haven’t heard from you.”
“I bet my brother had told you everything,” he countered.
“Not really.” She leaned against her seat and heaved a sigh. “Julian isn’t telling me everything. They were just small details to give me a heads-up.”
“Good for you then.”
“Chase… I want to see you as soon as possible. We… we need to talk.”
“You can always come here. I will tell the chauffeur to pick you up—”
“There is no need for that. I will ask Julian to take me there.” The other line was too silent for a moment; Prudence thought he had already hung up on her. “Chase, are you still there.”
“Yeah.” He let out a sigh. “I’m sorry for not calling you, Prudence. I—”
“You don’t have to be sorry about it. I understand that things are… a bit rough since your return. Even Julian and I find it hard to catch up.”
“We will talk once you are here. I will wait for you.”
“Alright.”
Chase ended the call.

“WHO is that?” Sybil hugged him from behind.
He was having second thoughts if he would tell her that it was Prudence. Sybil might feel bad or jealous of her. But then, he didn’t want to lie and instill doubt in her mind.
“Prudence phoned me and said she wants to talk.”
He turned to face Sybil and saw how sad her expression was. Chase knew well how she felt about that.
“Come here,” he said as he pulled her for an embrace.
“Perhaps she wants to talk about your wedding,” she said in a muffled voice.
“Hush… There will be no wedding between Prudence and me, okay? I’m going to walk down the aisle only if it’s you that I will marry.” He planted a kiss above her head.
“Really?” Sybil raised her head and met his gaze.
Her eyes told him everything.
“I promise.” He cupped her cheeks and pressed his forehead against her.
But their moment didn’t last long when they heard a sudden knock on the door. Chase strode to the door and opened it. It was one of the butlers.
“Yes, Simon?”
“A letter came for you.” Simon handed him the letter and walked away afterward.
Chase flipped the envelope, but the sender had no name, making him suspicious about it.
“What is that?” Sybil asked when she reached her.
“A letter from I don’t know who.”
His heart was thumping as he opened the letter. And the only thing written on it was the word beware in big, bold letters.

PRUDENCE walked through the hallways of the Whitewood’s mansion until she reached the drawing room. The butler said Chase was waiting for her there. She saw him sitting on the accent chair, looking outside the window as he swirled a glass of whisky.
She cleared her throat and instantly got his attention. Chase turned in her direction.
“Prudence,” he gritted.
Unlike before, he didn’t come to her for a kiss. He just stood in the same spot, sipping his whisky. Well, it seemed that he had lost all his interest in her, or he had no interest at all. Chase was in love with someone else now, and she could see that. His aura had changed since the last time they saw each other before he went missing.
“Have a seat.” He gestured on a chair.
“It’s okay.” She tried to smile. “I don’t think I will need a chair to sit on. This conversation might not be that long.”
He raised his brows and took a sip again.
“What is it that you want to talk about?”
“Chase… we are bound by our families—”
“Unfortunately, yes. That is the sad reality of our fates. But I believe I can still change mine. You can change yours, too… If you like.”
“I don’t have any intentions of changing my fate.”
Prudence’s revenge was her top priority, and she could only do that once she had pleased her boss. He would help her execute her plans.
“By any chance, do you have feelings for me, Prudence? Because I don’t—”
“I don’t have feelings for you, and what you are feeling right now is clear.”
“Then there is no need for you to hold on to this engagement.”
“My family wouldn’t like it if we broke this engagement. I hope you know what will happen if—”
“I’m aware of that, of course. But let me tell you one thing… I will fight.”
“Chase.” She crossed their distance and grasped his arm tightly. “You and I must get married. I don’t care if you make that girl a mistress—”
“She is not going to be just a mistress, Prudence,” he said grimly. “Sybil is much more than that!”
“S-Sybil…?”
Her brows furrowed. Was it just a coincidence? Could it be that the Sybil he was talking about was the same person she knew?
She flinched upon hearing the hinges creak. When she turned in the direction of the door, she saw a woman coming in. Prudence’s eyes widened out of shock.
“Sybil,” Chase said as he walked toward the newcomer.
She couldn’t say a word. Her body seemed to freeze. It was Sybil, the person she wished she wouldn’t see again. Prudence’s hands clenched, and she felt her body shaking when Sybil’s gaze reverted to her. Her cover was about to blow up any moment now. But then, there was no sign of recognition in Sybil’s eyes. What she saw in them was something she didn’t expect—fear.
“Prudence.” Chase snaked an arm around Sybil’s waist. “This is Sybil, the woman I love and the only one I’m going to marry.”
She looked at her from head to toe a couple of times.
“I will look like a total hypocrite if I say I’m glad to meet you,” she said after pulling herself together. Prudence then looked at Chase. “Perhaps I should wait for whatever your father will say about this. I’m leaving.”
She went out of the drawing room as calmly as possible. However, she rushed out of the mansion and almost stumbled on the staircase to get out quickly.
“It couldn’t be…” she muttered under her breath. “How could she still be alive?”