âAlright, be careful.â
Avril nodded before sneaking out on her toes, but she bumped into somebody as soon as she got out.
âWhat are you doing here, Levant?â
Levant looked at Avril before shifting his focus to the courtyard. âI could ask you the same.â
Avrilâs heart was beating so fast that she could almost hear it. If Levant goes in, heâs bound to discover that Stephen is hiding somebody inside. Then, theyâll both be in trouble.
Sighing, Avril then raised her voice purposely, âThe Wicked Palace is my home! Wherever I go here is none of your business, Levant!â
She deliberately shouted Levantâs name louder so that the two inside could hear it.
âYou donât usually talk like this. Is there a reason why youâre shouting?â Levant got suspicious of Avrilâs unusual behavior.
âI donât need a reason to shout! Iâll shout whenever I feel like it!â replied Avril with an even louder voice. If the two didnât hear me before, they should now.
Levant shifted his focus away from Avril and started walking into the courtyard.
He could see Stephen calmly enjoying his tea in the living room from far away.
âWhy did Avril come to visit you?â asked Levant after scanning around the living room.
âShe had some questions,â replied Stephen as he glanced at the man.
âAbout what?â
âAbout the grudge between Murphy and me,â Stephen answered calmly before taking a sip of his tea.
Levant looked at the Duke suspiciously and wondered why Avril would care about the past.
âThatâs it?â
Stephen lifted his head to look at Levant with a sharp gaze. âWhat else would there be?â
Levant gulped as he realized that he would not be getting anything from Stephen, so he scanned every inch of the room with his sharp eyes. Somethingâs not right here.
âSearch the room!â
âYes, sir!â
Stephenâs face darkened as he watched the guards carry out their order.
When Levant and his men found nothing, they finally left Stephen alone. Just then, Evan crawled down from the roof and went back into the room.
âLevantâs getting suspicious. Weâd better get out of here soon.â
Evan nodded in agreement.
Tossing and turning, Nicole had trouble falling asleep for she had not heard back from the secret informant she hired to find out if Evan was in the Wicked Palace. The people at Wicked Palace sure are tight-lipped. Would Levant kill Evan if heâs really here?
Although she hated Evan, she didnât want to see him dead. After all, he was the kidsâ father, and his death would definitely break their little hearts.
It wasnât until past midnight that Nicole finally fell asleep, but she had not slept for long before she jolted awake from a nightmare.
She dreamed that Levant had imprisoned Evan and used a gleaming knife to cut the manâs flesh.
In contrast to Evanâs look of pain and horror, Levant looked absolutely deranged with a sadistic grin on his face.
As he continued to torture Evan, the unhinged man merely laughed menacingly as Evan wailed in pain.
Even after waking up from the nightmare, Nicole could still hear both the wail and laughter echoing inside her head.
âEvan⦠â She sat up abruptly, her forehead was drenched with sweat, and her heart was pounding frantically. Could it be real? Could Levant really be hurting Evan?
Feeling helpless, Nicole held her head with both hands. None of this would have happened if Evan had listened to me. That idiot should have stayed away from the Wicked Palace!