"My timing is impable, I see."


    ire looked embarrassed. "You''re the exception."


    Wilbur shook his head. "Don''t exempt me. I''m no saint either."


    He knew exactly what he was.


    Wilbur hade to bring them dinner.


    Although it was takeout, it was from one of the best restaurants in Northcrest.


    The kind of ce you usually had to book weeks in advance.


    Of course, Wilbur didn''t have to, since he was one of the owners.


    He had already eaten, so while Noreen and ire ate, he scrolled through his phone.


    "You''re getting out tomorrow. Any ns? Want to go somewhere?" Wilbur asked them.


    "Sure," Noreen answered first.


    ire gave her a skeptical look. "Aren''t you busy? You''ve already put off so much work these past few days for me. You have time to travel?"


    Noreen hadn''t said anything, but ire could tell.


    To avoid disturbing her, Noreen had kept her phone on silent and never took calls in her presence.


    She only answered the most critical ones.


    ire could still sense the pressure, which was why she tried to sleep as much as possible. Only when she was sleeping could Noreen focus on her work instead of chatting, taking walks, and managing her moods.


    But Noreen insisted, "I have time. I don''t have much experience with vacations, though. Any suggestions, Wilbur?"


    Wilbur grinned. "You''vee to the right person."


    He was an expert at leisure.


    "You n it, then," Noreen said. "Preferably somewhere with a nice climate."


    "Leave it to me. I guarantee the two princesses will have a wonderful time!"


    Later, after ire had fallen asleep, Noreen walked Wilbur downstairs, using it as an excuse to talk.


    "Any news on what happened at the club?"


    Wilbur said, "It was a surveince blind spot, so nothing was caught on camera."


    She had found ire in the changing room, and there were indeed no cameras there.


    But it was a fact that ire had been pushed.


    Seeing Noreen''s frown, Wilbur reassured her. "Even if we can''t


    prove it, we know who did it. We just don''t have the evidence to press charges, But that doesn''t mean we Tet her off the hook."


    "Trust me," he added, his voice low. "Sending her to prison would be letting her off easy."


    Revenge was far more interesting than justice.


    At the Quigley estate.


    After leaving the hospital, Felix drove straight back to the family home.


    But he didn''t go inside right away. He stood outside, smoking for a while.


    During that time, Madeline called him again.


    He ignored it again.


    He had been wrestling with a question for days.


    If he hadn''t confronted ire that day, would this have happened?


    If the baby had been fine, would things be different between them?


    But then he''d wonder why he was even having these thoughts.


    Hadn''t he been nning to divorce her all along?


    He should be happy.


    So why did his heart ache with an uncontroble pain?


    Only when the cigarette pack was empty did Felix finally go inside.


    Old Mrs. Quigley had just finished dinner. When she saw him, her expression turned


    to stone.


    The butler


    Mastached. "Young


    have you had dinner? I If not,


    I''ll have the kitchen prepare


    swoovel?oft


    something."


    Before Felix could answer, Old Mrs. Quigley snapped, "What right does a murderer have to eat?"


    Felix''s face went pale.


    "Go to the ancestral hall and kneel," shemanded, not even bothering to look at


    him.


    Felix silently went to the hall and,


    just as he the past


    had for the past three


    days knelt before the port of hi


    ancestors for four hours.


    >