Chapter 29
Cecily stroked her son's head gently. "I'm not mad. I'm actually happy you came, Griffin. Don't worry, I'll always protect you."
Rowan nodded emphatically. "I'll protect you too, Mommy."
A tender smile flickered in Cecily's eyes. "Have you had dinner yet?"
Rowan shook his head. "Not yet."
Caught up in ditching his bodyguard and concocting plans with Griffin, he had forgotten to eat.
"Then, let me make your favorite pasta," his mother offered.
Excited, Rowan agreed, "I'll help you, Mommy."
"Great. And, Griffin, we're going to be living around here now, so tomorrow I'll take you to pick out your new school."
Rowan obediently nodded. "Okay, whatever you say, Mommy."
Cecily looked at her unusually cooperative child, sensing something odd. Griffin had always been good-natured, but today he was exceptional; he was clinging to her and even offering to help.
Cecily didn't overthink it, assuming it was simply because Griffin missed her a lot after a few days apart.
After dinner, Cecily mulled it over and decided to ring up Larkin. Learning that the child was safely back with Darian put her mind at ease.
...
The following day.
On Saturday, with no school to attend, Griffin stayed within the confines of the Fitzgeralds’ residence, wandering its perimeter to familiarize himself with the lay of the land, ensuring he wouldn't slip up.
To prevent the young boy from facing any further danger, Darian had assigned several additional bodyguards to accompany him.
Griffin stopped in front of a peculiar flowerbed, “Why are there so many roses planted here? They don’t match the rest of the garden at all.”
This flowerbed looked oddly out of place; it seemed to be shaped into a heart.
A nearby servant answered, "Don’t you remember, young master? This spot was initially meant for a miniature amusement park for you, but Ms. Ophelia wanted to plant her favorite flowers instead, so it was turned into a flowerbed.”
Griffin thought of his reticent brother, a man who never fought for anything.
That awful woman had been exploiting this fact and deliberately bullying him. Why should what had been promised to him by his father be given away for that woman to plant flowers?
Hmph.
“Her favorite flowers?”
“Yes.”
“Fine, pull them out.”
“Pull... pull them out?”
“Yes. Wasn’t this supposed to be a mini amusement park for me? A gentleman's agreement is binding. If Daddy promised it to me, then why let her plant flowers here?”
“Well...” The servant looked at Griffin uncomfortably, “If we pull out these flowers, Ms. Ophelia will get upset.”
“Ms. Ophelia,” Griffin reaffirmed, “is a guest, and who is the master of this house?”
The servant bowed his head, “Naturally, it's you, young master.”
Griffin eyed the servant, “Exactly. If she wants to plant flowers, why doesn’t she do it at her own place? Does she not have a home of her own?”
“Well...”
Griffin’s point was indisputable.
“Don't be afraid. Just say that I ordered it. If Daddy gets angry, I’ll take the blame.”
With that, Griffin walked back inside, leaving the servants looking at each other, unsure of what to do next.
They stared at the expanse of roses, which had been tended by people sent by Ophelia for a long time.
If they were indeed pulled out, Ophelia would undoubtedly be furious.
But everyone could see that between Ophelia and the young master, their employer clearly favored the young master more.
Therefore, they could not ignore the young master’s command.
“Do we pull them out?” A servant asked, looking towards the most senior among them.
"Listen, we were just following young master's orders," one of the servants rationalized. "Even if he blames someone, it can't be us."
After that, the servants began to act swiftly.
Ophelia knew Darian was still fuming, but she feared that this incident would only widen the rift between them.
Eager to sort things out, she arrived early at the Fitzgerald residence hoping to see Darian. As she entered the front yard, she yelled in dismay.
"Stop! All of you, stop right now! What do you think you're doing?" Ophelia stood frozen, staring at what was left of her decimated flowers.
The workers were caught off-guard. Their clippers were still in hand and petals were scattered all around them, as Ophelia stormed in.
"Ms. Ophelia... this..." They stammered.
"Who gave you the authority to touch my flowers? Who permitted you to do this?" Ophelia quivered with rage. "Are you all eager to meet your maker?"
Her sharp words made the servants uncomfortable. "Sorry, Ms. Ophelia, but the young master ordered us to do this; we were just following orders."
"Rowan!" Ophelia gritted her teeth as the name escaped her lips.
She strode inside and saw 'Rowan' lounging on the couch, engrossed in his laptop. She was about to knock the computer out of his hands when the eyes of the other servants on her gave her pause. Swallowing her fury, she glared at him through clenched teeth. "Rowan, why did you pull out all my flowers?"
Griffin looked up at her. Ophelia's eyes blazed with anger; her face was twisted in wrath like some storybook witch.
"They were planted where Daddy is building my playground. Is it wrong to clear my space?"
"And you think that’s alright? What gave you the right to dispose of my flowers?"
"My land, my rules. Did you ask for my permission to plant them?"
"Do I need your permission?" Ophelia scoffed disdainfully. Who did this little bastard think he was?
His mother infuriated her last night, and now he was adding to her ire. It was as if he and his mother were a pair of bad omens, hexing her very existence.
Ophelia clenched her molars and took a seat next to him, her face contorting as she grabbed Griffin's hand and twisted it surreptitiously.
"Did your auntie never tell you, Rowan, that you're just a bastard? You aren't your daddy's real son. The only reason you live here is out of charity from me and your daddy. You think our kindness is a right, don't you?"
Griffin felt a sharp pain radiate through his arm, making him shiver slightly.
Glancing down, he saw the cruel woman's nails digging fiercely into his flesh.
Had she always treated his brother the same brutal way?
Griffin wanted to shake off Ophelia's grip, but instead, she pulled him in close, whispering the most venomous words in the gentlest tone.
"Rowan, don't even think about telling your daddy. You know he dotes on me. He'd believe me over you any day. And if you dare speak up, you'll regret it next time."
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