Chapter 711
Chapter 711:
He tossed the cardboard box into the air. Papers rained down on the reporters—memos, photos, useless trash.
He laughed.
Skye froze at the edge of the crowd. She watched him walk away, the sea of reporters parting for him out of pure fear.
That smile. She shivered. She knew it was an act. Julian had told her it was an act. But looking at him, seeing the darkness in his eyes… she wondered if the mask was starting to fuse with the face.
The rain in this city always felt personal. It was a cold, gray drizzle that soaked through wool and dampened spirits.
Sienna’s funeral—or rather, the memorial service Beatrice had forced into existence—was held at St. Mary’s Cathedral. It was a somber affair. The pews were filled with staff, relatives, and people who just wanted to be seen.
Skye sat in the back, dressed in black. She wasn’t here for Sienna. She was here because Harper had asked her to come. Harper sat in the front row, weeping silently into a handkerchief.
Liam was conspicuously absent. His empty seat beside Beatrice was a gaping wound in the family’s image.
The priest was droning on about forgiveness when the heavy doors at the back of the church creaked open. Heads turned. Gasps rippled through the congregation.
Lucian Graves walked in.
He looked thinner, his skin pallid from his time in the holding cell, but he was groomed to perfection. His suit was Italian silk. On his left ankle, visible as he walked, was the bulky black plastic of an electronic monitoring bracelet.
He had been released hours ago—not because of innocence, but because of a catastrophic failure in the evidence chain. His legal team had successfully argued that the digital records seized from the burning manor were fruit of the poisonous tree, obtained without a proper warrant during the chaos. It was a technicality bought with millions, a stark reminder of the Syndicate’s reach.
Skye felt a surge of bile rise in her throat. How? They had the arson link. They had the transfer logs.
іn𝘀𝗍a𝗇𝗍 𝖺𝘤с𝗲ѕs 𝘰𝗇 𝗯𝘦𝗅no𝗏elѕ.c𝘰𝗺
Lucian walked straight down the aisle, ignoring the whispers. He stopped in front of Harper. He pulled a single white lily from his jacket pocket and placed it on the empty pew where Sienna should have been.
“My condolences,” Lucian said, his voice smooth as oil. “She was a loyal employee. It’s a tragedy that Liam drove her to such extremes p>
Harper stood up, her face red with fury. “You get out! You killed her! You sent her there p>
“Allegedly,” Lucian said with a smirk. “The courts will decide p>
He turned, and his eyes locked on Skye. The smirk widened.
Skye stood and stepped into the aisle, blocking his path. “You have some nerve showing your face here p>
“It’s a free country,” Lucian whispered, leaning in close. She could smell his expensive cologne masking the scent of jail soap. “And I have excellent lawyers. The evidence regarding the arson? Circumstantial. The digital trail? Parker’s word against mine. And Parker… well, we both know he’s a bit unstable p>
“You won’t get away with it,” Skye said, her voice shaking with suppressed rage.
“I already have,” Lucian said. “But I’m a businessman. I prefer cooperation over conflict. I know Liam is looking for something. A specific clinic p>