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“What do you mean?”
Thorpe tucked his brother into bed, casting a hopeful glance at Noella. “Not the place to talk. Let’s not disturb his rest; we’ll step outside.”
“Okay.”
Once outside the room. Thorpe began to explain. “The guy is locked up, alright. After we got him out of Heartfelt Orphanage, your cops nabbed him not long after. I can only give you the location of the jail. Whether or not you’ll get to see him or hear what you want, that’s not my concern.”
Noella wore a mask that concealed her face, her slightly furrowed brow the only visible sign of her emotions. Her eyes were striking, with an icy sheen like a goddess descended from snow–capped peaks, untouched by the world’s filth.
“Fine, but you better not be lying to me.”
“Relax. A promise is a promise. And hey, if you ever feel like joining our anytime!” Thorpe seized the moment to make his pitch.
crew, you’ll be welcome
The illness plaguing Hollis was so severe that even renowned international neurosurgeons wouldn’t dare operate. Thorpe had risked consulting with underground doctors, yet not one could guarantee success. Only the enigmatic Phantom Surgeon Lunaris had managed to pull his brother back from death’s door.
It was no wonder Thorpe wanted her on board with Cerulean Whale; she could be their ace in the hole.
Suddenly, a warm hand wrapped around Noella’s slender waist from behind.
The heat from his palm was comforting on her delicate frame and Noella could feel the strength. of his grip.
Palmer stood there, a cold and deadly aura about him, glaring at Thorpe. “Mr. Thorpe never learns to read the room. Since that’s the case, Abyssal Organization will be sure to extend a warm welcome to our friends from Cerulean Whale.”
Thorpe’s face paled! This was a threat from Palmer!
Meeting Palmer’s warning gaze, Thorpe couldn’t help but scoff in response. “Does Abyssal Organization run Harmonia Country now?”
“You’ll find out soon enough if we do,” Palmer said coolly, guiding Noella away from Fortress Hospital.
Palmer reluctantly released the sweet softness of his fiancée from his embrace, not understanding the magic she wielded that made him never want to let go.
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If she weren’t so young, he’d marry her this instant.
Palmer opened the car door for Noella and buckled her in. “Granddad called, wants us to pick them up from the hospital. Heading back to Imperial City now?”
It was indeed time for the elderly gentlemen to be discharged, and Palmer’s phone had been bombarded with calls early in the morning because Noella didn’t pick up their calls,
“Sure, but this isn’t the way back to Imperial City.”
Palmer smiled, a warm spring breeze in his demeanor. “I’m taking you somewhere special. The granddads can wait a little longer.
Considering the amount of time they had already spent at the hospital, a little more wouldn’t
hurt.
“Where?”
“You’ll see soon enough. Besides, Beckett said to take you out for some fun, no rush.”
Beckett was concerned about Thorpe’s men still lurking in Imperial City and had been busy dealing with them. By the time Thorpe realized what was happening, his entire Harmonia network might be uprooted.
Palmer drove into a rustic countryside, the luxury of his car clashing with the dilapidated surroundings like an unwelcome intruder.
They stopped in front of a yard, and Noella immediately recognized it as the Lambert ancestral home where she’d grown up!
A new sign hung at the entrance, announcing the new name: Verdant Garden!
Maddox, spotting the,car, jogged over to greet them. “Ms. Noella, welcome back! And this must be your fiancé? Come on in!”
Noella was clearly surprised by Palmer’s choice to bring her here.
The courtyard’s osmanthus trees were in full bloom, their fragrance enveloping the area in at heady scent, soothing and delightful. She noticed even the path to the front door had been
renovated.
“Maddox, who fixed the road?”
Maddox puffed up with pride. “On your orders, of course. We used Mr. Lambert’s donation! Best materials only. The village’s got internet now! With the leftover funds, we’re planning to buy solar panels for the community!”
The village’s perpetual poverty stemmed from its remote location, making Palmer’s drive there quite challenging. If it weren’t for the recently repaired road, only ox carts and helicopters could make it in!
Pushing open the gate, they saw a rocking chair swaying beneath an osmanthus tree.
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“Mrs. Lambert’s casket is here in the yard, under the osmanthus,” Maddox explained, discreetly wiping away a tear.
He and Old Mrs. Lambert had grown up together, and it pained him to see her pass away after a lifetime of hardship that seemed for naught.
“Your grandma… she was lucky to have such a wonderful granddaughter. Life has its own justice. Your dad… I mean Mr. Lambert, he was her karma. The ungrateful wretch! After she took him in and raised him, he repaid her like this.”
Maddox shook his head with a mix of anger and sadness.
Noella was taken aback.
Could Vincent really not be Old Mrs. Lambert’s own flesh and blood?
“Maddox, what are you getting at? Vincent isn’t my grandmother’s biological child?”
“Ah, it’s all ancient history now. Back in the day, your grandmother had a child, but tragically. the little one passed away. Heartbroken, she took in an orphan nobody else wanted–that child was Vincent.”
Realizing he’d spoken too much, Maddox clapped a hand over his mouth and, despite Noella’s prodding, refused to divulge more. With a wave and a chuckle designed to brush off the gravity
of his revelation, he made his exit.
Noella watched his stooped figure retreat, her mind swirling with confusion.
Vincent wasn’t a true Lambert? How had she never known this all these years? Old Mrs. Lambert had never mentioned it once!
Palmer gazed at Noella standing beneath the osmanthus tree, her dress speckled with the delicate blossoms as if she were in the midst of a glorious lilac shower. She appeared like a fairy straight out of a painting.
And yet, she moved with such an effortless grace, her gestures brimming with a wild elegance. The evening breeze lifted her skirt, revealing her shapely, alabaster legs that gleamed in the fading light.
Palmer’s breath hitched, and he reached out to brush away the lilacs that had settled on Noella’s shoulders and hair.
His voice, gentle and enthralling, carried the rhythm of a waltz. “Would you mind showing me around the place? I want to see where my fiancée grew up.
His voice was soft as a feather as it grazed Noella’s ear.
“Did you bring me here just for this?”
Palmer took her hand, his laughter a soft whisper. He was tender and considerate as he carefully explained his actions. “On one hand, I wanted to see where my little girl spent her childhood. On the other, now that we’re back, it’s only right to come home and show your
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grandmother that you’re doing well.”
