Scorned Heir’s Second Life: The Rebirth That Made My Brothers Weep
Chapter 56 Shifting Loyalties
“You fear Alex will shine too brightly and draw Jamore’s attention.” Sadie said. “So you mean to refuse General Hawke’s offer?”
Zephyr countered, “If you were in my place, what would you do?”
“Alex has spent years chasing cocks and hounds, learning nothing, yet the court never eased its grip. The ambush at Aurcum Delicacies and the Skyreach Tower incident both targeted his life. If a reckoning is inevitable, what good is another mask?”
The girl looked innocent and pure as she spoke.
Yet, in those dark, glimmering almond eyes burned a sliver of ruthless steel.
Once, she had prayed for Alexander to seize the destiny promised to Neville.
Now, more than any destiny, she wanted Alexander’s life to blaze with its own brilliance.
Zephyr’s low laugh told her he approved.
The rest of the carriage ride passed without incident.
Back at the Gates Estate, Sadie spoke more gently. “I’m heading to Goldsheen Manor for some sleep. Surely. you can unlock these shackles now?”
Still holding the chain, Zephyr lifted an eyebrow and smiled.
“Why hurry? Madison entrusted you to me and told me to deliver you to your door personally. How could I abandon the task halfway?”
Sadie had no answer.
He wants to step into my quarters. There is nothing there for him. What is he really after?
Dread coiled in her stomach, yet with no way to read his intentions, she kept her face stiff and led the way in uneasy silence.
Zephyr, one hand loosely on the other end of the chain, followed at an unhurried stroll.
“I hear yesterday was your birthday,” he remarked as they passed beneath the covered walkway.
Without looking back, she whispered, “Midnight has already passed. Strictly speaking, my birthday was the day before.”
“Then why didn’t you tell the family, so Grandmother could celebrate with you properly?”
“I could tell you, but then, you would sulk again and accuse me of leeching off your family,” Sadie responded.
Zephyr offered no reply. Instead, they entered Goldsheen Manor, and Sadie guided him into the small front room.
“Would you care to sit down før a cup of tea?” she asked while lighting several lanterns.
She spoke only out of courtesy. A man of his pedigree would never lower himself to drink my humble tea.
21:55 Fri, 15 Aug. ET
Chapter 56 Shifting Loyalties
“I would,” Zephyr answered.
Sadie fell silent. It is the middle of the night. Every maid is asleep. Where am I supposed to find hot water for hunt
She glared at the young man, sprawled like a conqueror in the armchair, waiting to be served. Chains rattled as she shuffled outside to kindle the stove.
When she returned carrying a steaming cup, she found Zephyr idly weighing her money box in one palm
Zephyr glanced sideways, a half–smile tugging at his lips. “Didn’t you swear to share life and death with the Gates family? Why, then, are you already stock–piling money for a getaway?”
Color drained from Sadie’s face. She set the cup down and reached for the box, but he held it high above her head, and even on tiptoe, she could not reach it.
“I am not planning to run,” she protested, voice thin. “I was only counting my coins to pass the time.” Etten ! can hear how weak that sounds.
Hidden beneath the silver lay a map, its escape route already inked in precise detail.
map.
Zephyr lifted a lantern and fed the parchment to the flame. Crimson tongues licked across the and within moments, it crumbled to ash.
He caught the end of her chain and yanked her against his chest.
Leaning close, he whispered, “Since Madison and Alexander have accepted you, I can, with effort, regard you as one of us. But if you dare shatter their trust by fleeing, I will not hesitate to break your legs.”
Shadowy blossoms fluttered across the checkered windowpanes. His voice was as gentle as spring wind rippling a still pond, yet the chill of the shackles seeped into her skin until she shivered.
Sadie stepped back half a pace. “I understand.”
Zephyr’s gaze lingered on the space between them, his narrow eyes clouded with something unreadable.
He straightened, lifted the cup, and took a measured sip. “Hardly fine tea,” he observed, a faint smile blooming across his refined features, “yet it is barely worth a thoughtful taste.”
He tossed the key onto the side table and walked out without another word.
Head lowered, Sadie freed herself from the shackles. Her spirits plunged into a pit as deep as midnight.
Sadie felt an invisible rope tighten around her. Zephyr had bound her to his vessel, and there was no chance of disembarking. Yet, who could swear the craft would never overturn? The thought clattered through her head, robbing the night of rest and leaying every dream thin and ragged.
“Miss Sadie, Lord Zephyr just sent a birthday gift for you,” Katy announced in the morning, eyes sparkling as she offered a brocade box.
“He said it makes up for what he owed and swore it is the very thing you love most!”
Sadie blinked in confusion. Zephyr parting with a birthday present felt as unlikely as the sun rising in the
west.
Scorned Heir’s Second Life: The Rebirth That Made My Brothers
