" Follow me." He instructed, then walked towards the garden exit. I followed closely behind him but made sure that there was enough space between us. I did not want him to hear the vigorously beating heart in my chest.
When we got out of the garden and made our way to the main house, Ryan paused and said to Tom," Take care of them." making my heart jump to my throat. What did he mean?
Tom nodded and said," Follow me, ladies." And I froze because I wasn't sure if he meant that I should follow as well, but then Ryan impatiently told me to keep up with his pace and that's when I saw that, Tom was going to" deal" with my maids.
Some of the young maids looked frightened when Tom urged them to follow him. Tom was a well-known play boy in the kingdom and beyond, but he was most famous for something else as well.
There were rumors that he actually killed his entire household and only left his younger brother, who was from his biological mother, who died giving birth to that younger brother. Everyone else was murdered by him from his father to his step-moms, who were his father's wives and their children, all of them were killed.
Though it was just a rumor, it was further fortified by his battle prowess. He was known as the heartless puppet master because he was merciless, and he toyed with his enemies just before he killed them.
But otherwise, he was a ladykiller, he is famous for dating ladies who have just entered society. They flock around him like moths would to flames.
" Ouch!" I exclaimed as I bumped onto Ryan's back. I was walking behind him absent-minded that I hadn't noticed that he stopped walking as we had reached his study.
" Pardon me, Duke." I said as an apology, but he did not acknowledge it and said," Come in." And we entered his study area.
He sat on his study desk while I stood in the middle of the room with my head down.
" What are your intentions?" he asked me suddenly
I looked up shocked because I hadn't expected such a question from him. I thought we were going to discuss my eavesdropping issue.
" P-Pardon?"
" You don't want to return to your household, you didn't ask my father for a divorce, and lastly, you care for my son. So what are your intentions?" I never thought that Ryan was so expressive and observant. I thought that he did not care about what I said or what I did.
" I-I don't get what you mean, but I like little Jack. He is cute and a lovely son. Though I may be young, I can tell that he is a good child and since I was an only child in my previous family before my mother remarried. I guess little Jack filled in the gap I had as I wanted a sibling to care for." I wasn't lying. The accident that took my father's life also took away the chance I could have had to be an older sister.
My mother was in the car when it happened, and she was expecting a child, though my father died on the spot, my mother was saved, but the physicians said that they could not save the baby. So it was either her or the child, and they put her first
" Then why were you spying on me?" he asked
" I-I wasn't." I quickly exclaimed as I shook my hands in front of my face.
" We were taking a walk, honest. I stopped midway because I heard your voices and I contemplated if I should go back, but then I didn't yout ypu to misunderstand in case you would have seen us go back, so I thought that the best way was to let you guys finish then we would leave after." I said all at once, I did not even breathe in between, I just wanted to explain this matter to Ryan as quick as I could before he plants a seed that I was guilty in his brain.
He looked at me, shocked, and I wondered if there was something on my face, but then he said something strange," You talk as fast as her, and it's improper for a lady."
Initially, I wanted to ask him to clarify, but then I saw that he had a small smile, and his eyes softened a bit as though he was in his own world reliving special memories. I kept quiet as I waited for him to recollect himself. But them, after the gorgeous small smile, Ryan's facial features distorted as though he remembered something so pain that he couldn't breathe, he looked like he was continuously tortured with a knife, churning his insides.
I felt sorry for him, but all I could do was to stand there. It was here that I realized that the death of his wife was tormenting him, though he kept a brave and cold face in front of everyone in society. It was slowly killing him inside. And for me to make him open up to me so that I don't end up like my past self, dead on a porch.
I figured that there must be a reason for him to want to keep his investigation a secret so he couldn't openly investigate her death and since I also knew the pain of a death of a loved one,
I decided to help him, and before I knew I actually shared my thoughts with him," Please let me help you. I can investigate the cause of your late wife's accident for you."