Evan and John almost reached the study when they saw Stephen exiting his study and headed in the direction of the tea room of the Musgrave Estate.
âFollow him.â
Stephen brewed some tea after entering the tea room. Then, he took a cup of tea with him to the window. He sipped his tea and stared into the distance as though he was waiting for someone.
Even though Stephen rejected to see Evan earlier, he knew for sure that Evan would get to him, given his obstinate character.
The tea room was a good place to meet him. There was no one to interrupt their conversation.
Before he even finished his cup of tea, Evan and John appeared at the door steps.
He leisurely put down his cup of tea on the table. Yet, he didnât address the two of them.
Stephen acted as if he didnât notice his uninvited guests.
John furrowed his brows. What does this old fella have in mind? He coughed purposely as if to remind Stephen that there was someone else in the room.
Stephen poured himself another cup of tea before raising his head to look at the two of them.
âIs there anything I can help you with?â Stephen sounded nonchalant.
Evanâs eyes darkened. He sat down on the chair opposite Stephen in a brusque manner. âAre you sure you donât know what I am here for?â
Why doesnât my wife remember anything? Why is she now the fiancée of Levant? I need an explanation!
Stephenâs lips curled up. He replied with an indifferent tone, âI do not know.â
John was irked by Stephenâs indifference as if nothing had happened.
He uttered, âSir Musgrave, why didnât you want to meet Mr. Seet? Also, why couldnât Nicole recognize Mr. Seet at all?â
John had a feeling that Stephen was the mastermind behind everything.
Stephenâs eyes drifted to John and Evan. âAre you done with your questions?â
âYes. Now please answer our question!â Evan was desperate to know what happened to his wife.
However, Stephen only smiled. âNow itâs my turn to question you. Nicole was all fine when she left with you earlier, but how did you lose her in such a short period of time? What happened? Arenât you supposed to take good care of her?â
Evan was speechless.
His expression was grim. âItâs all my fault for failing to keep her safe.â
âMr. Seet, donât blame yourself. You couldnât have seen it coming. It must be that evil witchâSylphiette and Levantâs doing!â
âNo, I insist that it is my fault. Sir Musgrave, I am willing to accept any punishment.â
Stephen scoffed. âIâm sure all of us donât want such a thing to happen to Nicole. Anyway, Nicole now remembers nothing from her past, and that includes you.â
Evan froze in his place.
My dear Nicole has forgotten all about me?
Sheâs really forgotten about all of the precious memories we had together?
At that moment, Evan could feel his heart hollowed out and his blood seeping out of his body.
âHow did she lose her memory?â
âShe was already in this state when she got back. I tried acupuncture on her but it didnât work.â
Stephen deliberately left out the fact that Murphy had the cure and his promise to Levant.
There were two reasons. First of all, the chances of Evan obtaining the cure were slim. If he actually went to Murphy, he would be risking his life. Stephen didnât want this to happen as he knew that Nicole would surely wish that Evan were safe and sound.
Secondly, he made a promise to Levant. Stephen was afraid that Levant would harm Nicole if he told Evan the truth.
After much rumination, Stephen decided to keep Evan in the dark.
Evan paused for a while before setting his steely gaze on Stephen. âIâll look for the best doctor for Nicole. Please let her leave with me. No matter how big of a price I have to pay, I will cure her.â
Stephenâs face twitched a little. If he allowed Evan to bring Nicole away, Levant and Murphy would certainly make him pay the price.
Furthermore, there was only one unique cure for Nicoleâs amnesia, and it was in the hands of Murphy.
Thus, there was no way Stephen could give Evan his green light to take her daughter away.
With that in mind, Stephen sneered, âYou canât even take good care of Nicole when she was well. I canât let her go with you this time. Also, itâs not like Nicole will want to go with you.â
Stephenâs words reminded Evan of Nicoleâs forbidding attitude towards him earlier in the morning.