Chapter 3 - The Gilded Cage
The Kane Manor was an imposing Gothic monument perched on a cliff overlooking the grey Pacific. Instead of the master suite, the orderlies wheeled Edward into a damp ground-floor room that smelled of mildew and neglected books—an abandoned study converted into an ad-hoc infirmary.
""Dr. Vance will be by later,"" the head housekeeper, Mrs. Gable, said coldly as she set down a basin of water. ""Don't touch anything. Don't wander the upper floors. Mr. Richard Kane will have the annulment papers drawn up by dawn.""
""Thank you, Mrs. Gable,"" Clara said mildly.
When the heavy oak door clicked shut and locked from the outside, Clara turned to Edward. The medical equipment here was second-rate: an older monitor, a sluggish IV drip, and no emergency resuscitation cart. Richard wasn't caring for his nephew; he was waiting for him to slip away.
Clara approached the bed. ""Edward?"" she whispered. ""Can you hear me?""
Nothing. His face remained serene, unmoving.
Clara felt a bitter sting of foolishness. Perhaps she had imagined the taps. She was just a broke, orphaned college dropout who had spent the last two winters sleeping on station benches. Why would a billionaire heir choose her to communicate with?
She dipped a cloth into the warm water and gently washed the wedding makeup from his forehead, wiping away the chalky powder the mortuary-stylists had applied to make him look presentable for Richard's mockery. As she smoothed the damp cloth across his jaw, Edward's jaw muscles subtly tensed.
His eyes flickered. The thick lashes parted a fraction of an inch, revealing a sliver of piercing, lucid dark green.
Clara dropped the cloth into the basin with a splash. ""You... you're awake.""
Edward's lips parted slightly, producing only a dry, raspy wheeze. Then, his eyes shifted deliberately downward toward his IV line.
May you like
Clara followed his gaze. The fluid running through the plastic tube was clear, but the small rubber port above his needle had a milky white residue dried around the valve.
Someone was poisoning his drip.
