The old man raised his hand, about to strike again, but ra darted forward and blocked him.
No one knew how she slipped past the men in ck holding her back.
She crouched in front of Dn, her hand gently cupping his cheek, eyes full of worry. "Does it hurt?"
Blood still stained the corner of his lips, but he managed a small smile and shook his head.
A wild, furious energy burned inside ra. She wanted to scream, tosh out. "Alright. If being the heir makes you this miserable, then don''t do it."
She tried to pull Dn away, but suddenly a dozen men in ck drew their guns, pointing them straight at her and Dn.
ra froze, her expression turning cold.
The old man''s voice was quiet but deadly. "If he''s not the Ferguson heir, he''s not one of us. Outsiders can''t enter the family crypt. If you try, you''re asking to die."
ra wanted to curse him-how could he be so utterly heartless?
But she couldn''t take the risk. What if these men really fired? The old man had been cruel enough to hurt his own wife. Killing his son clearly meant nothing to him. All he wanted was a perfectly obedient heir-a pawn to move as he pleased.
Her hand fell away from Dn. Then she heard the old man say, "Dn''s already lost consciousness. ra, do you even know what I gave him? Without the antidote in an hour, he''s dead. Where do you think you can take him? You really believe a girl from a small family like yours can protect him? That you deserve to stand by his side?"
ra barely registered the insult-her only concern was Dn.
He really was about to pass out.
She held his face, voice soft but urgent. "Dn, can you hear me?"
Dn forced his eyes open, sweat pouring down his face. When he saw her, he managed a weak smile.
ra''s heart twisted painfully. She red at the old man. "What do you want from me? What will it take for you to let him go?"
The old man''s gaze was icy. "ra, you still don''t get it? You have no choices today. Do what I say, and Dn stays the Ferguson her. Disobey, and you both die here."
Everyone in the Ferguson family was stunned. They''d always thought the old man doted on Dn, always supported him. No one expected he''d be this ruthless.
Some people looked on with anticipation, even excitement. Others were worried— Dn was, after all, the best of them.
ra knew she couldn''t waste another second. She let go of Dn and stepped back. "What are you nning to do to him?"
The old man, Looked at her with pure indifference. That''s not your business. You have no right to meddle in Ferguson affairs. Besides, didn''t Aaron tell you? The boyfriend
you cared about most died because of Dn. I doubt you believed it. Dn hasn''t been back to Palm Baytely-you must''ve noticed
something was off."
ra stayed silent. She''d sensed something strange about Aaron showing up that day-now she realized the old man had sent him as a warning.
A wall of men in ck closed in on her, done with talking.
The old man walked away, heading out to greet the other families arriving for the memorial. "Take him to rest. Tell everyone he''s heartbroken and needs time to recover."
ra was forced out by the men in
ck, not through the main
entrance too many people wereing and it''d be hard to exin. They took her through a side door. The old man clearly had no intention of letting her leave freely today.
The moment they stepped outside, barking exploded nearby.
The men fired their silenced guns, but ra kicked the weapons out of the closest hands, and the rest were bitten on the wrists by Milo and Buddy.
Charles screeched up in a car, pulling right in front of her. “So? Was that cool or what?"
ra dove through the window, her voice steady. "Get Milo and Buddy out of here."
There were way too many Fergusons around today if things got messy, there''d be no fixing it.
She''d told Charles to wait nearby in case things went sideways. She hadn''t expected to actually need the escape n.
The car sped off, leaving the Fergusons far behind.
Charles nced over. "Where''s Dn?"