511 Chapter 511
511.Chapter 511
Sophie’s eyes snapped to the door of the study as she heard those words.
She wanted to say, “No, it’s impossible.”
She had hidden there. How could anyone possibly find her?
Gabriel commanded, “Bring it up.”
Even Gabriel, usually composed, showed a hint of urgency in his voice. After all, that thing was crucial to the survival of the Duke’s estate. If it were truly lost, the estate would be finished,
But the guard kneeling there looked conflicted, hesitating before speaking, “We found the ledger, but… it’s been burned”
“What?”
“Burned?”
Both Gabriel and Sophie’s expressions shifted in disbelief, their voices rising in unison.
“Impossible. This can’t be happening.”
Sophie, ignoring the pain in her body, scrambled to her feet and rushed toward the guard, shouting, “Where was it burned? Where?”
The guard quickly replied, “It was burned outside Lord Matthew’s room, and to destroy the evidence, they set fire to the room as well.”
Matthew gasped, “What?”
Now, it was Matthew’s turn to go pale.
Soon, the entire Stonor family had moved from the study to Matthew’s courtyard.
Upon arrival, they were met with a horrifying sight. It wasn’t clear who had started the fire, but within such a short time, Matthew’s room had almost completely burned down.
The flames were raging fiercely, and it was impossible to get close enough to put them out.
“Damn it, who the hell did this?”
Matthew cursed furiously. He had thought tonight would be no concern of his, but it seemed he was the one suffering the most damage.
Gabriel looked up at the raging inferno, and with a single breath, he could smell the strong odor of kerosene in the air.
This was no accident. Someone had deliberately destroyed it all,
Unfortunately, the fire in Matthew’s room was too intense to approach. Gabriel turned to the guard and asked, “Are you sure what you saw burning outside the door was the ledger?”
The guard nodded, saying, “Yes, several of us searched, and we all saw it. It was definitely the ledger.”
Gabriel pressed further, “Did you manage to see anything written on it?”
At this question, Gabriel’s gaze sharpened, a subtle danger flickering in his eyes.
The guard, oblivious to the threat, dutifully reported, “The writing was smudged, but I vaguely saw something like ‘three families‘… I couldn’t make out more.”
Benedict turned his eyes away, no longer looking at the guard.
He knew his father would silence him.
“Three families? What three families?”
Matthew gritted his teeth, muttering, “Could it be that three families under the Duke’s estate did something stupid, and now they’re trying to steal the ledger from our house?”
Gabriel didn’t even acknowledge him. Instead, his eyes flicked to Sophie, who had collapsed by the door. She looked utterly devastated, and he was now certain that the ledger the guard spoke of was the one stolen from them.
Yet, something still seemed off.
Who had coerced Sophie into stealing the ledger and then ordered its destruction?
Was it simply because they knew it couldn’t be taken away, so they had to burn it?
Or was there some deeper reason?
Gabriel couldn’t guess, but for now, it didn’t matter
Although they hadn’t recovered the ledger, the fire might still turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
511 Chapter 511
But handling the Padilla family’s assets would now be a much bigger hassle
And then, there was the thief who had infiltrated the estate,
Gabriel ordered, “Search everyone in the estate. If anyone is found suspicious, kill them on siget
That night, the Duke’s estate was filled with the heavy scent of blood.
No one could sleep that night.
When everything was over, Benedict returned to his room.
Benedict took the handkerchief from Manson and coughed into it.
When he removed it, there was a clear stain of blood on it.
“Sir, you must stop worrying so much. You need to take care of your health, Manson said, helping him sit down.
Benedict shook his head, saying, “It’s fine. Whether I live or die depends on finding that supposed antidote. If we don’t find it, I’m dead either way,”
Whether I die today or tomorrow makes no difference to me.
Benedict spoke in a flat tone before looking at Manson and asking, “Have you taken care of the things I asked you to? Manson nodded, saying, “Don’t worry, it’s hidden. No one will find it.”
“That’s good. You don’t need to tell me where it’s hidden. The estate is on high alert. You can’t take it out. Just act like tonight never happened. Find another opportunity to send it to Eliza later.”
Manson nodded again.
“By the way, the guards… You need to make sure their families are taken care of. Best send them away… to Hasen City. Don‘ t let my father find out,” Benedict said, his words slurring as he began to drift into sleep.
His body was failing him, and his mind was weary,
Manson said, “Yes, I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry,”
Manson carefully helped Benedict lie down, tucking him in, then said, “I’ll take care of everything. You just need to rest.” After watching Benedict fall asleep, Manson quietly blew out the lamp and slipped out of the room.
While he slept, Sophie, on the other hand, couldn’t sleep at all.
“I need to go out, I need to go out!”
Sophie cried, kneeling at the door, shouting at the guards, “You bastards, get out of my way! I need to leave!”
If she didn’t leave now, she’d die in this place.
Sophie cried out, “Father, Father, please! Let me go!”
Sophie screamed by the door all night, and even Gabriel, wanting some peace, couldn’t ignore her. He had to grit his teeth and endure, watching to see what Sophie would do next.
Finally, Sophie threw herself at his feet, clutching his clothes and sobbing, “The ledger is burned. Please, let me go. I’ never come back. Pretend I was never here. Let me go, please.”
“No!” Gabriel’s refusal was firm and unwavering.
He would never let Sophie go until she revealed who had been behind the orders.
But Gabriel didn’t expect that after hearing his words, Sophie’s eyes would harden, and she’d say, “Fine, if you won’t let me go, then I’ll die here tonight.”
Whether she died now or later, it didn’t matter anymore. She had nothing left to fear.
Sophie turned and ran straight for the red wooden pillar by the door, not hesitating for a moment before slamming into it.
Subscribed
♡
