NovelEnglishFredric was suddenly damp with a cold sweat on his back.
Jelena had given him the chocolate. Thank God his daughter had snatched it away, shielding him from a nasty fate. Otherwise, he would have devoured it without a second thought.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtNow, he figured the Stirling family would have probably prepared for his funeral.
"Other than Sheryl, we don't have a common enemy, do we?" he mused. "Do you believe it wasn't Sheryl herself, but someone impersonating her?" Aurelia replied, "A grand conspiracy is brewing. Once we're off the board, Leopold is next. If something happens to you and Leopold, who stands to gain the most from the Stirling family?" Fredric shuddered. "Are you suggesting someone is plotting a coup? Why not go straight for Leopold then? Why us first?" With a sardonic chuckle, Aurelia said, "Go after Leopold directly? Who'd take the fall? Leopold has been targeted before but they never succeeded, so they start with those closest to Leopold. In addition to Leopold, Jessica's favorite son is you, Fredric. If anything happened to him, she'd hand the reins to you. The perpetrators wouldn't meticulously plan just to dress someone else for the ball. They'd want to remove any obstacles first." Fredric's composure was slipping. He took a swig of bourbon and said, "If Leopold and | are gone, it leaves just Raines and Arnold.
Mama would never pick Arnold, which leaves Raines." Slamming his hand on the table, he nearly jumped out of his seat. "Raines wants to be in charge? Impossible! | never saw that ambition in him. He's been the most laid-back among us." Raines did seem laid-back, but that might just be a facade.
She had discussed it with Leopold and they had agreed not to bring up the impostor theory yet. Because there was no concrete evidence to prove Raines was Geoffrey in disguise. It was all still conjecture.
"People change," she said. "Haven't you noticed Raines acting differently since he returned?" Fredric darkened his face and didn't want to believe Raines could be so ruthless to strike at him with lethal intent.
Back in the day, Arnold and Leopold had fought fiercely, but they never went so far as to wish death upon each other. Could Raines really be that bloodthirsty and terrifying? As Fredric stewed in silence, Aurelia continued, "Right now, we're just speculating without evidence. But if you think about it, your affair with Jelena could've been a setup to get you and Sheryl divorced. Then, Sheryl was impersonated to wipe us out. Everyone would believe Sheryl revenged herself for being ousted from the Stirling family. She'd be the perfect scapegoat, unable to defend herself." Leopold picked up the thread. "Fredric, if someone is after you, you need to be extremely cautious from now on." Fredric was astounded.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAt the time, Fredric had found the situation odd. Nobody in the high society didn't know his nor dare drug him.
It was a trap all along! After thinking twice, the troubles did start when Raines returned.
If it wasn't Raines, Fredric couldn't fathom who else would want to erase him and Leopold.
No one outside dared harm the Stirling family.
"What the hell has gotten into Raines? What could cause such a drastic change? He's not... mentally ill, is he? He never showed any signs when we were kids." Leopold shook his head, replying, "No clue. Elfreda has gone missing too. | had plans to bring her back, but she's vanished."
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