2/2 Chapter 0307 I poked at the strawberry topping and said, âHello, Elizabeth.â
âHello, Mrs. Black,â she teased.
âSo, you saw that,â I replied, equally amused.
âThere was a lot of power behind the word âwife,â wasnât there?â Elizabeth said. âI think they actually made him mad. Iâve never seen Alexander mad before.â
âDonât exaggerate,â I said. âThey annoyed him, and he let them know to back off. Thatâs all.â
âWell, I hope Damien would defend me with the same vigor if he were annoyed,â Elizabeth replied.
âIâm confident he would,â I said.
There was a long silence from Elizabeth that made me wonder if the call had disconnected. A glance at the screen confirmed it hadnât. âAre you still there?â I cked.
âYeah,â she said. âLook, I wish I was just calling to tease you about the press conference, but thereâs serious news I need to discuss with you.â
My heart sank. âWell, thatâs not good,â I muttered. âHas something happened?â
âYou spoke to my father yesterday,â she said. âSo, Iâm sure this wonât be a complete surprise, but I wanted to let you know that both David and Archer Gray were arrested this morning.â
My heart stopped beating.
I stared at Elizabethâs name on the screen, but I wasnât really seeing it. I wasnât seeing anything. What she was telling me didnât feel real. I knew it was coming, but I didnât expect it to be so immediate.
Which was ridiculous. Iâd heard the king give the order myself, but still...
âYouâre sure?â I asked.
âPositive,â she replied. âTheyâre being held in my fatherâs private custody. He doesnât want a public outcry on their behalf, so heâs trying to keep things secret. I wanted to make sure you knew, since it wonât be in the news. I wanted you to know, so you could rest a little easier.â
A nervous laugh escaped my lips, and I shook my head. âNo I canât,â I said. âBut Iâm relieved to know that things are happeningâ
progress is happening.â
âElla, you sound strange,â she said, concern evident in her tone. âI know this must be a lot to accept.â
âIt is,â I agreed. âAnd Iâm sorry if Iâm concerning you. Please donât worry about me. Iâm going to be just fine. Iâm just not sure what this means.â
âHow so?â
âI mean, they have other allies. I feel like itâs going to be obvious that this has something to do with me. I donât know what to expect. I mean, Amanda wasnât arrested, was she?â
âNo,â Elizabeth said, her voice tense. âThere wasnât enough evidence against her.â
âThat makes sense,â I said softly. âThank you so much for letting me know, Elizabeth. Iâll talk to you soon. I just need a few minutes to process all of this.â
âTake all the time you need,â she said sincerely.
1/2 ****). +25 BONUS Chapter 0809 Thank you,â I said before ending the call.
This was it, then. It was all really happening, and yet I felt like I was in more danger than ever.
There was so much more going on here. Iâd have to rely on lexanderâs resources until there was enough evidence against Amanda to act if only I knew what those resources were, or where they came from.
A renewed sense of frustration overcame me. Alexander had promised me that he would tell me what was going on, that he would open up and reveal the truth, but he still hadnât done it. I spilled my guts to him, yet he kept his secrets. It didnât seem fair.
Just as the heat of my anger was reaching a boiling point, beard the front door lock click open, and Alexander stepped in.
I jumped to my feet and stormed towards him, my anger getting the better of me.
âWe need to talk, now!â I declared.