abcnovels
Chapter 146 146 Withhold
Chapter 146 146 Withhold
Chapter 146 Chapter 146 Withhold
Monica's flickered dangerously as she growled; "Watch it Nora. . ."
"Watch what?" she taunted; "You're suck a fuckin' hypocrite. Don't you see you've put us all in the spotlight?! We do not have the political pull or wealth, or men that they have! We've been managing ourselves quietly for ten years! And now, you've gone to make a big splash?!"
Her loud voice ceased.
The great hall- large and looming, suddenly felt a lot more encompassing. An ensuing silence, more sinister than midnight calm, followed as both sisters glared at each other with burning eyes. The adversity saturated the atmosphere.
Nexus, seated opposite the two of them, with his head bent forward and with a subtle look of amusement on his face, kept his eyes on the older sister.
The blonde's chest was actively heaving and dropping as she pumped forceful gasps of air into her lungs. Her oval shaped blue eyes were mad with suppressed fury. Her arms and shoulders were poised behind her- tense- ready to throw it down.
Nexus slouched further into the wooden chair as understanding flooded his mind. The corner of his eyes found Madeline's, and he knew she had caught on as well.
Nora was lashing out from a place of full blown fear.
She knew she was the weakest of them all. She knew she would be expendable in this battle. And the towering effect of this facts were rampaging inside her- triggering her outburst. She had lashed out at Monica not only because she was scared of a retaliation, but because Monica had also proven she was the exact opposite of afraid.
Once again, much to Nora's chagrin, Monica had shown how strong she was. And for her, that hurt twice as much.
A few tense moments crept by in snail-like timeline. The whole castle- not just the great hall, had gone deadly quiet. Every lonely corridor, every stairwell seemed to colectively hold their breaths.
Finally, at the head of the table, Madeline's eyes shifted slightly. Her fingers dropped from her chin, curling down towards the table. And her voice, cold as ice, cracked through- shattering the ominous silence;
"If both of you are done with the dick measuring contest, I suggest you take a seat. . ."
Silence.
"Did I stutter?"
No movements.
"NOW!!!" she thundered.
Nora and Monica- still glaring at each other, began to slowly lower themselves onto the seats. Gradually descending down in slow motion- as if in a competition of who would be the first to comply.
Madeline place both her hands on the table. The rays of sun struck her yellow locks from behind, lighting her hair and her throne-like chair;
"You both disappoint me," she announced contemptuously; "Here we are, in a defining moment, and you're bickering like a band of baboons- embarrassing me in front of our guest!"
Monica lifted her gaze to Nexus- openly scowling at him.
"Yes Nora, you're right, the threat is very real, and it had a face- Paul's. However, Monica has single handedly eliminated that threat for good. One nuisance has been handled. . ."
She paused, tapping her fingers on the dark wood;
"Listen, I know I've not been around to perform my duties properly as a mother, and as a result, you both had to grow up fast. . .maybe too fast. . ."
She heaved her head up, chest out- pressing out her full breasts forward;
"But I am here now. I am assuring you that if you do as I say, no harm will come to any single one of you seated at this table by the hands of the Howard family. As long as I am still alive–"
Her voice choked ever so slightly. Nexus picked up on it and looked at her- just in time for him to see the glance that she shot him.
For a fraction of a second, her mouth twitched and her eyes dimmed as though she wanted to say something. But the moment passed- vanishing along with the supposed message.
"–nothing will happen to you lot."
"How can you be so sure?" Monica asked.
"Because baby girl, in war, the personality of the enemy is the central target. . .and I just so happen to know Fitch very very well. . ."
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Lady Russell didn't come out for dinner that night.
And as Nexus lay in bed, fingers locked under his head, clad in night robes, and looking up at the ceiling with his eyes sunken in deep thought, he pondered on that look she had shot him at the table.
The satin sheets rustled under him as he turned over, this time, facing the open window, gazing out into the darkness, observing the stars, and yet not looking at them at the same time.
'Madeline, Madeline,' Nexus chanted; 'What were you trying to tell me huh?'
Restless, he turned over to the other side again, kicking against the sheets like it was a turning tide, and grasping the feathered pillow.
He forced his mind to settle- trying to recall the exact expression on her face in that moment. Suddenly, Nexus' thighs stiffened. His eyes flipped wide open, and his back arched as he jerked upward- shooting his upper body forward into a sitting position.
He got it!
The expression on her face! It was a call for help!
Carefully, in slow movements, not wanting to lose this train of thought, he swung both legs off the bed. Placing both arms by his sides, he pushed himself towards the edge, and hanged his head low between his shoulders;
"She wants my help. . .that's right, she wants to enlist me as a major player in this fight against the Howards. . ."
His eyes lit up as the puzzle pieces began to fall in place together;
"Wait a damn minute," his eyes narrowed, putting a slight quirk in his brows; "Don't tell me she's been planning this from the jump. . ."
He remembered how hard she had worked to convince him to stay. The gold, the offer to recommend him to a profitable clientele. He also remembered Nora telling him that she had purposely left the castle that day- just to look for trouble at the Howard estate.
His brows deepened even further as he slithered his feet into his slippers.
He pushed himself upwards- leaving a butt print on the feathered bed. He began to pace up and down the room with his arms folded at his back, and his robes flowing behind him.
His swanky new quarters was a lot bigger, and a lot classier than his previous lodgings.
On the fancy dresser, seven candles burned in in a bronze candlestick holder- branching out, and spreading a warm glow across the room.
Plush exotic carpets lined up every square inch of the floor. There was even a private study- complete with a shiny desk, a comfortable chair, some drawers, and a well designed bookshelf that arched over the small space.
But Nexus' mind was far away from all that. One single question was thumping away in his skull- threatening to drive him mad;
"Why did she stop at the last moment? Why didn't she follow through and just asked at that time? She's not a woman who's afraid to go after what she wants- so why?"