After Jeffree hopped out of Jared''s car, he wasted no time calling Eden.
"Hey, Edie! You''ll never guess what I did. I totally messed up ra''s project. You should''ve seen her face-she looked like she just sucked on a lemon. There''s no way she''s gonna be unting herself around me anytime soon."
Eden, sporting some serious dark circles, actually felt a spark of satisfaction at the news. Ever since that party, she''d been holed up in her room, refusing to eat or drink, trying to block out the thought of Dn and ra getting cozy. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and she wished ra would just vanish into thin air.
The housekeeper had knocked earlier, but Eden hadn''t responded. Now, Simon was knocking, his voice cutting through the silence.
"How long are you nning to stay locked up in there?"
Eden ended the call, wiped her tears, and opened the door.
"Simon."
Seeing her swollen eyes, Simon handed her a tissue. "Why are you so upset? Dn cares about you. If there''s another woman in the picture, you should be happy for him."
Eden felt lost for words. To the Fergusons, she was Dn''s little sister, and having feelings for him was off-limits. Simon''s eyes flicked with understanding, and he turned away, his tone cool.
"Besides, Grandfather''s been resting since the whole thing with Mom. If he found out about this, Dn would have a lot of exining to do. Don''t make a bigger deal out of it than it is."
A light went off in Eden''s mind. Right, if Grandfather knew, ra would be toast! He had high hopes for Dn, and expected any woman by his side to be of high society standing. ra didn''t fit the bill at all!
Quickly, Eden changed and rushed downstairs.
"Simon, I''ve got something to do. Don''t wait up for dinner."
Simon watched her leave, a cold smirk tugging at his lips.
Eden drove straight to the Ferguson estate. Lately, Ada had been stirring up drama about Michael''s cheating, which left Walter fed up and refusing visitors. Eden was let through the gates but couldn''t get into the main hall, so she resorted to shouting from outside.
"Grandfather, the gossip about Dn and ra is everywhere! You need to step in or ra''s going to ruin him!"
"Grandfather!"
"I''m doing this for Dn''s sake!"
After an hour of shouting, her voice hoarse, the main hall doors finally opened. The estate had a serious vibe, and Eden wiped her tears as the butler led her upstairs to the study.
Walter had been keeping to himself, ying chess and practicing calligraphy, avoiding people. Eden burst into the study and knelt before his desk.
"Grandfather, did you hear about ra forcing a kiss on Dn at the party?"
Walter''s hand paused, spilling a drop of ink on the paper. He quickly regained his calm, asking, "Did Dn say anything?"
Eden bit her lip, clenching her hands.
"Dn''s leg isn''t great, so he couldn''t fight back, but Aiden pushed ra off. Grandfather, ra''s already messed up my brother''s life. We can''t let her do the same to Dn. My brother''s been a wreck over her, and I swear she''s just toying with the Ferguson men. Plus, she met with Cousin recently, and he''s been seriously injured. I wouldn''t be surprised if ra''s behind it, trying to take down the Fergusons!"
Eden was fired up, her chest heaving. Walter calmly set down his pen and gestured for the butler to call Dn.
Dn was at home in Palm Bay, staring at a shirt in his closet as he answered the call.
"Father."
"Dn, what are you up to?"
The shirt''s cor had a faint lipstick mark, the front wrinkled. Dn brushed his fingers over the sleeve, his tone t. "Just at home."
"I set you up on dates, and you say none of the women interest you. You''re not getting any younger, so don''t keep making me set these up."
"I know."
The shirt carried a soft scent.
"I don''t want to hear any more rumors about you and ra."
"Father, there''s nothing between us."
He lowered his gaze, sniffed near the cuff, his eyes shadowed. "I don''t like her."