Chapter 258 Atonement by Death
"No, Mr. Radcliffe didn't send me to find you. Actually, he didn't want me to come at all. But now he's stuck under King Cappadocia's orders, so he can't stop me. I came to find you on my own," Alaric said, looking serious.
Nora wasn't buying it.
Alaric was Mortimer's right-hand man. No way he'd go against Mortimer's orders just to find her.
"I get it, you don't trust Mr. Radcliffe right now. And you don't trust me. But there are things you need to know, whether you believe them or not," Alaric continued.
"Fine, spill it," Nora replied coldly.
"Ms. Foster, you probably already know that Magnus and Soren were sent to the countryside, right?" Alaric said, looking guilty.
Nora's eyes darkened, and anger flared up inside her.
They were the ones who did it, now he had the nerve to bring it up!
"Sending them away was my call. Mr. Radcliffe had no idea. He wanted me to make sure they were well taken care of, but I thought it was unfair. He was always looking after other people's kids and getting targeted by Isaac. But you never saw that, you always took Isaac's side. In a fit of anger, I sent those kids to the countryside to make them suffer a bit," Alaric admitted.
Nora's face was stormy, but she stayed silent.
"Everything I said is true. If you don't believe me, ask Magnus and Soren who took them away," Alaric insisted.
Nora sneered, "With someone as loyal as you, why would Mortimer do it himself? Asking them won't prove anything."
"Think about how Mr. Radcliffe usually treats them. Don't you trust him at all? And Magnus's attitude towards Mr. Radcliffe shows how well he treated them. If he was just putting on a show for you, he wouldn't keep it up behind your back. Plus, you can ask Magnus and Soren what they think of Mr. Radcliffe. Kids are the purest beings. They can tell the difference between real affection and fake better than adults," Alaric argued.
Nora was silent, thinking, 'Mortimer did treat Magnus and Soren well before. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't harm them. He's good at hiding things, so it's possible he tricked them into thinking he loved them.'
Alaric smiled, "Ms. Foster, Mr. Radcliffe is smart and careful. If he really couldn't stand them, would he just send them away? If he wanted to harm them, it wouldn't be as simple as sending them to the countryside. He'd have gotten rid of them for good, not left such a big risk and given you a chance to find them!"
Nora's expression changed, and she started to struggle internally.
If Mortimer really wanted to harm Magnus and Soren, he wouldn't have just sent them away. Maybe she had misjudged him?
"I've told you the truth. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. I can't make you believe me. But think about everything Mr. Radcliffe has done for you over the years. If you throw all that away because of one mistake, you're being pretty ungrateful," Alaric said.
Nora clenched her fists. She knew she couldn't ignore all the good Mortimer had done for her because of one mistake. But her kids were her bottom line. If Mortimer hadn't hurt her kids, she could forgive him for anything.
"Ms. Foster, because of my bad decision, Magnus and Soren suffered, and Mr. Radcliffe was misunderstood by you. I came here today hoping you and Mr. Radcliffe can clear things up. I'll do anything to clear his name, even if it means my life!" Alaric said, a determined look in his eyes. He pulled out a dagger and aimed it at his heart.
Nora's eyes widened. Without thinking, she kicked his wrist hard.
The dagger clattered to the ground.
Alaric looked at Nora in shock. "Ms. Foster, why did you stop me? Don't you want revenge?"
Nora's face was stern. "If you want to die, do it somewhere else. Don't die at my store's entrance, scaring my kids and hurting my business. Anyway, I don't want to be a suspect." She turned and walked back into the store.
"Ms. Foster, I'm telling the truth. Sending them away was my idea alone and had nothing to do with Mr. Radcliffe!" Alaric shouted after her.
Nora didn't respond.
Alaric frowned, unsure of what Nora was thinking. He stood there for a while, picked up the dagger, and left quietly.
When he reached a less crowded place, he called Mortimer. "Mr. Radcliffe, Magnus and Soren are back with Ms. Foster. They're still wearing masks when they go out, so Isaac probably doesn't know who they are yet. And I told Ms. Foster that sending them away was my idea alone..." He paused, then added nervously, "Mr. Radcliffe, did I make things worse? Will Ms. Foster think you sent me to take the blame? Should I find a place to kill myself to atone? Will she think I did it out of shame, or that I took the blame for you?"
Mortimer was silent for a moment, then said, "Don't even think about it. If you want to atone, live well and work for me to make up for your mistakes."
Alaric's nose tingled, and tears streamed down his face. "Thank you for your forgiveness. I'll never disobey you again!" He really regretted his moment of weakness that caused so much trouble for Mortimer.
Mortimer didn't respond and hung up. He stood by the window, his eyes cold as he looked at the sky outside. "It seems I can only use that method."
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