288.Chapter 288
288.Chapter 288
Malaki, however, remained unfazed, leisurely finishing his meal in the private room. The food wasn’t extraordinary, but it was the best Dylan could offer him at the moment.
Malaki ate steadily, savoring each bowl of food until the meal was finished. When he was done, he slowly rose and made his way downstairs.
As he climbed into the carriage, his thoughts returned to Lady Mowbay’s instructions.
At this point, Lord Dylan already knew the truth about what had happened all those years ago. Malaki thought, ‘I didn’t add a single exaggeration to what I said. The “chance encounter” today was carefully planned, followed by just the right amount of acting, evading, fear, and the reluctant truth revealed.
Everything was done as Lady Mowbay instructed, with no secrets kept. She said it was time for Lord Dylan to know the truth, so today, he learned everything. By now, I should have already returned to the Duke’s estate.
‘Lord Dylan’s always been so impulsive and quick to anger, charging ahead without thinking. I can’t help but wonder if he’ll act the same way this time. If he does, it could ruin Lady Mowbay’s plans and alert the Duke of Mowbay too soon.
Malaki’s concern grew, but what he didn’t know was that after everything Dylan had been through, he no longer acted on impulse as he once had.
Dylan thought, ‘I’ve learned my lesson, especially when it comes to Sophie.‘
So, this time, Dylan didn’t rush to Gabriel’s study to confront him. Instead, he retreated to his quarters.
It wasn’t until after dark, in the dead of night, that he finally moved. He skillfully avoided the newly trained shadow guards, who were no match for him, and silently slipped into the study.
Inside, Dylan carefully searched every corner, every drawer, every hidden compartment. He sifted through the books, but found nothing suspicious.
Just when Dylan began to doubt whether Malaki had been mistaken, his eyes caught the ledger on the desk.
He froze for a moment, then slowly reached out to open it.
At the
very bottom of the pile, he found something that connected to the Padilla family.
That thick ledger contained records of the Padilla family’s assets–far more than just estates, restaurants, and shops. While it wasn’t the entirety of their holdings, at least a third was listed here. Even their former mansion was included.
Dylan’s heart raced with disbelief. He thought, ‘Why? Why are so many of the Padilla family’s assets in Gabriel’s hands? And why aren’t any of the assets listed under the names of me or my siblings? What did Gabriel do back then?‘
‘And Dale… Why would Gabriel say that to him? Had they been secretly working together all along?‘
A sudden thought struck Dylan, and for a moment, his vision blurred, nearly causing him to collapse.
Thankfully, he caught himself on the desk, though he accidentally knocked a few ledgers to the floor.
“Who’s there?”
The sound alerted someone outside.
Dylan thought, ‘This isn’t good!‘
Instinctively, Dylan quickly replaced the ledgers, then leaped out of the window to make his escape.
*****
In the shadow of the night, a figure sprinted swiftly away from the Duke’s estate, several pursuers hot on his heels.
Dylan hadn’t anticipated that while the shadow guards were no match for him in skill, their speed was nothing to
underestimate.
He ran through several streets but still couldn’t shake them off.
“Wait a second, Nolan, wasn’t that Dylan who just ran past downstairs?”
Ross, who had been accompanying Nolan on official business, scratched his head. “Why is he being chased? Could the Duke of Mowbay be trying to drag him back?”
Nolanglanced down, his expression unreadable tab the order. “Go, bring him here.”
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