âMs. Lane had no problem leaving Mr. Seet to die, but Mr. Seet would never do that to Ms. Lane. I believe itâll be hard for the man to part himself from her,â sighed John.
âI get it, but saving Evan is more important now. Thereâs only so much we can do about the other things.â
Davin turned to look at Sheila. âWill you go to the estate with me?â
âSure. Letâs head there now,â the latter replied without hesitation.
Having stayed on the estate for quite a while, John offered to go with the two since he was more familiar with it. He believed that he could be of help to them.
The three were shocked to see Portia and Stephen at war when they arrived on the estate.
They seemed to be fighting over a woman.
âNo wonder you stayed at Wicked Palace for so long! You enjoy the company of the pretty women, donât you? For all the years Iâve been with you, never have you even smiled at me, and I thought thatâs because you only have eyes for Rosalie. Never did I expect you to treat Murphyâs daughter differently! You two arenât really together, are you? That little shit even told me that youâre eloping with her. Is that true? If so, Iâll make sure that youâre ruined, and I mean it!â
The three exchanged looks when they realized Stephen was in trouble and stopped dead in their tracks.
Though, they had never expected Stephen to be in a fight because of an affair.
âThis is nonsense! Weâre done talking here. Go home!â The three could hear Stephen ordering angrily. âIt better be, or youâll never hear the end it! From now on, youâre not allowed to see Avril. That girl is just like Murphy. Sheâll do anything to get you, and if she ever does anything disgraceful, the Musgrave name will be tainted!â
Portia babbled on for a while until Stephen grew impatient with her. Only then did she finally decide to leave.
When Portia passed by the three, she was as embarrassed as she was furious, so she continued to stomp out without a word.
John breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought Portia was going to vent on them, but the woman just walked away.
He had learned that Portia was not an easy person to get along with when he lived on the estate with the amnesiac Nicole and her four children for a year.
Nicole and the children had quarreled with the duchess on more than one occasion.
After the three entered the living room, John introduced Davin and Sheila to Stephen.
Having lived on the estate before, Sheila was no stranger to Stephen, so she went straight to the point.
âWeâre here today to ask for a favor.â
The duke responded in kind, âThis is about Evan, isnât it?â
âYes! So you know about it?â
âAvril was here, and she told me everything. Iâll do what I can for him.â
Davin was relieved to hear him say that, and he asked the man cautiously, âAre you sure you can do it?â
Stephen smiled faintly. âIâll do my best.â
John and Davin then looked at each other. Although Stephen only gave them a simple reply, he seemed sincere. That alone made them willing to believe in his words.
After the three left, Stephen immediately called Nicole to talk about Evan.
When the woman heard how Stephen was ready to risk it all to save her husband, her spirit instantly lifted. The duke planned to threaten Levant with the hospitalized Murphy so that the couple could find a chance to run away.
âThatâs too dangerous, Dad. You donât know that theyâll take the bait for sure. What if it fails?â
âItâs better than doing nothing at all. If this works out, youâll be able to return with Evan. Donât worry about what Levant will do after that.â