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Chapter 163: Besmirching
🕑 Added 2022-09-13 05:00:03 +0000 UTCWhen Tori had revealed who she told Henrik to send an invitation to, Ilyana and Albert began yelling at once, spooking Alexander who was in his basket next to Tori. The other two teenagers had bombarded her with questions starting with ‘why’ to ‘are you crazy’.
She was not. At least not in extreme means.
Henrik had told her that Annika’s party would have a lot of business associates and their families. It was basically a networking event. When Tori asked why Annika didn’t invite more friends, Henrik had replied that his sister had a few friends from childhood, but didn’t seem to be close to anyone in her current school.
That was why many of the names on the guest list were familiar to them; they were merchants from the guild or people they’ve worked with or heard of previously.
Tori knew Alessa needed contacts within Horizon and thought that by introducing her to other merchants or businessmen, perhaps Alessa could go to them for guidance rather than depend on Adrien. Resettling a person within a new environment could drastically change how a person behaved.
Thus, the move to invite Alessa to Annika’s birthday party was also a strategic move for Tori. For most of the other love interests, Tori found that they were able to be pulled out of Alessa’s sphere of influence with some help. Constantine seemed like the exception, because he didn’t need much help, if any, but Gideon had Piers to influence him. Tori was well aware of the fact that if Piers wasn’t on her side to help her force his brother to question things and assert his loyalty, then Gideon would still be clinging to Alessa.
Fabian still had some connection to Gideon, which Tori hoped would eventually pull him further away from Alessa. Montan was trying to get his life together with her and Axton paving the way, so he had no time for Alessa, while Dimitri, for everything he’d said and done, still had his parents. Tori knew they were trying their best to help their idiot son.
They weren’t doing the greatest job, but she knew they were trying.
Tori had given up on Tom Fields, as Tom had been Alessa’s friend since childhood. That was a bond Tori didn’t think she could, or wanted to, break. As long as Tom didn’t attack her directly, she’d leave him alone.
Tori’s main opponent was Adrien. There was no way she could separate the two easily. Even if there was a way to pull Adrien away, Tori didn’t want to be the one to do it.
She figured she could try with Alessa instead to lower chances of working with Adrien. Introduce her to new, better people; help her get trustworthy resources; not let the people who were depending on her suffer so much.
Tori really couldn’t swallow another orphanage incident.
Ilyana had ranted that she didn’t need to do so much, and Tori had tried to assure her it was fine. It was just one invitation; it was up to Alessa to make sure of the opportunity. Although, admittedly, knowing that Adrien would also be present, there was a high possibility that he could get involved and also make more connections and still be intertwined with Alessa.
At the same time, if their theory that Annika was led to do questionable work by Adrien was true, then Adrien could be distracted with keeping up appearances. The variable here was Adrien.
Tori had pursed her lips and wasn’t sure the outcome would be favorable, though she could at least claim that she tried to help Alessa. About an hour outside of Viclya, Tori decided to drop by Des Champs just to see. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Sonia and the others to report to her, but if there was an escalated conflict, she wanted to step in.
After all, sending Alessa to the Skuldsen’s party was her idea.
Ilyana had excitedly agreed, and Albert had been reluctant, but after thinking about it, also agreed. Tori called Tobias at Duel and asked them to prepare a few simple sheets of cake for Annika’s birthday. At the very least, they wouldn’t show up empty handed.
Tori didn’t expect to arrive at Des Champs to Annika’s declaration and Adrien in the middle of abandoning her.
“I’m sorry to interrupt. We were coming back earlier than expected, so we thought we’d come by. I called our bakers to prepare a cake as a gift....” Tori’s eyes swept over the crowd and settled on Annika and then Adrien and Alessa. She narrowed her eyes and walked forward.
Her face was dark as she approached Adrien. He seemed to tense upon the sight of her. Tori reached forward and ripped his arm off of Alessa’s shoulder before grabbing her and moving Alessa to the side and standing in front of her.
Adrien choked back a yell and looked at her, as if unable to believe she’d done such a thing.
“Countess Guevera-”
“Do you honestly think we’ll let you walk out of this restaurant with an unrelated girl almost half your age?” Tori said in a low, dangerous voice. “Looks like I came in just in time to save her.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd and Adrien’s pale face reddened with indignation. He frowned and narrowed his eyes. “Countess Guevera, I don’t know why you’re implying such a disgusting thing-”
“You know very well why.” A voice spoke up behind him before Tori could answer. Adrien looked over his shoulder and found Henrik inches from his face with a murderous expression. “I don’t care how much you play with women your age, but to target young women who haven’t yet become adults and are over a decade younger than you is disgusting.”
“He’s a decade older than Annika?” Madam Skuldsen, who had come to support her daughter at her side, gasped and looked at Adrien to Annika and back.
Soleil didn’t have any sort of legal restriction on age gaps between partners, but there was social convention. It was generally inappropriate for a large age gap when one of the involved was so young. Child marriages had been banned during the Unification Period and betrothals made between families were considered unofficial and not legally binding. Engagements couldn’t be made official and have contracts involving them done until fourteen, with marriage at the earliest at sixteen.
Even then, too large of an age gap was looked down upon when one of the prospective partners was so young.
With Madam Skuldsen’s exclamation, it was shown that she didn’t know, meaning Adrien and Annika kept it hidden, which hinted that the actions would be frowned upon. The gazes of numerous eyes moved towards Adrien with a glint of suspicion and disgust.
“He looks young, but he’s not as young as you think,” Henrik said, never taking his eyes off of Adrien.
“Von Dorn.” Tori saw him near-by, clutching a woman’s cloak. “Did you escort Hart?” He seemed to snap out of his daze and nodded. “Take her back to Lycée.” Fabian stepped forward and Tori felt a tug on the sleeve of her blouse.
“Countess Guevera, you’re mistaken,” Alessa said in a feeble voice. “Adrien isn’t as you say he is.”
“I don’t have to say anything about him. Look at his actions,” Tori said in a firm voice. “Baroness Hart, you don’t seem to understand. It’s not safe for you with him.” Alarm-filled Alessa’s face and she shook her head.
“No, you’re wrong-”
“No, you’re wrong,” Tori snapped with an air of finality. Alessa’s eyes widened, and Fabian removed the men’s coat already on her shoulders and replaced it with her cloak.
“Alessa, let’s go,” he said in a quiet voice as he tried to take her away.
Alessa shook her head once more and her eyes reddened and rimmed with tears. “This isn’t right. I know Adrien-”
“Did you know that he was leading on a fifteen-year-old old girl who worked in his store? No. You know what he allows you to know. Von Dorn, take her back!” Tori’s voice was cold, and she looked past Alessa to give Fabian a nod. He nodded back and pulled a stunned Alessa back.
“Wait, a moment!” Adrien frowned and took a step forward. “Alessa, don’t listen to them-”
“Are you going to pretend you’re innocent after leading my sister on?” Henrik asked. He heard a choked cry behind him. Tori looked past him, at a tearful Annika who was wiping at her eyes. As wonderful as it was to shut down Alessa’s usual pathetic protests insisting on misunderstanding and besmirching Adrien’s reputation, Tori felt both guilty and pity for Annika.
“Young Mr. Skuldsen, I did no such thing-”
“Then why did you take my sister out for meals alone?”
“She wanted to discuss running a business.”
“Why did you tell her to call you by your given name when none of the other employees do?” Henrik seemed to refuse to accept any of his answers.
“I did not tell her to do such a thing, she started calling me by my given name herself. I didn’t want to be rude, so I allowed it.”
“Why was it necessary for you to tell her that you’d wait for her?” Henrik asked in a sharp voice. Before Adrien could answer, he continued. “Even in the context you claim, it makes little sense to have to wait for her to have a store before guiding her. You claim to have taken her out to meals alone to discuss running a business, so there is no reason to wait for a store. My sister also said that she said she liked you and you reciprocated. You are an adult man with plenty of social experience, which is clear with how you do business. There should be no reason for you to misunderstand her statement. You knew what she meant, and you led her on so she could gather information for you.”
“Not that you told them to,” Tori said with a smirk as Adrien opened his mouth. He looked back at her and frowned. “That’s the key thing, isn’t it? You keep it vague, drop some hints to manipulate them, and lead them on, but if they are caught or no longer useful, you claim that you can’t be blamed because you never directly told them.” She pursed her lips and nodded slowly. “That’s quite a con you’ve got going.”
She saw a brief hatred flash in his eyes as he looked at her, but quickly hid it. He gave her a stern look instead. “There is no con, Countess. I wanted to guide a young fellow merchant to the best of my ability. To think my actions would be misconstrued-”
“Then maybe it’s best that you stop guiding young people,” Guildmaster Skuldsen stepped forward and stood beside Henrik, blocking Annika from sight. “You are no longer welcomed here, Mr. Rosiek. Please leave.”
Adrien glanced around and saw all the curious gazes cast his way. He gritted his teeth and lowered his head, but shook it once.
“You’re making a mistake. This is defamation and as merchants, you should know how that would affect-.”
“It’s only defamation if it’s false,” Henrik cut him off.
“Why are you still standing here?” Guildmaster Skuldsen almost shouted as his eyes reddened. “Leave!”
“What are you waiting for?” Tori asked as she gave him a cruel smile. “Another table to run into? It can be arranged.”
Tori watched him carefully as he took a deep breath and stood up straight. He gave the Guildmaster a small bow of his head and picked up the coat Fabian had tossed over a nearby chair and walked out without a word.
The atmosphere was awkward, as expected. Tori looked towards Henrik, silently asking if he wanted her to intervene. He turned towards his sister and his parents who had gone to try to calm her down, and then nodded.
Tori took a deep breath.
“Esteemed guests, why don’t we allow Miss Skuldsen a moment to gather herself,” Tori said as she took a step forward and made a subtle move to shield Henrik and his family. Ilyana appeared and stood beside her as Albert motioned for the staff who carried in the box to bring it to the kitchen. “I’ve had some cakes prepared for tonight. I hope you all can wait a moment for the kitchen to serve it. It’s a soft sponge with a light liquor, cream, and fruit slices. Please have some as an apology for such a scene.”
Several guests nodded understandably, and Tori glanced over her shoulder. Annika was back on her feet and being led to the back of the restaurant by her mother and brother. Guildmaster Skuldsen remained to try to do damage control with their guests. Tori wasn’t sure if Annika would reappear, but considering the circumstances, she’d act as if Annika would retire for the night to allow the girl a way out.
She looked around the room and found JP nearby. She lifted a hand and quietly beckoned him closer.
“What is it?” he asked as he reached her.
Tori leaned forward and lowered her voice. “How much can you ruin his reputation with tonight’s drama?”
JP raised his brows and thought for a moment. “I don’t know, but I’ll make it a personal challenge.”
He slipped away and Tori motioned for Sonia and Ewan to come closer. “How many people here do you know?” she asked.
“A few. There are some neighbors. We can distract them,” Sonia said. “What about you?”
“I’m going to do some rounds and try to ease the crowd,” Tori replied. She looked down at her clothes. She was wearing her usual travel clothes to the delta and awkwardly stood out in the sea of suits and dresses.
“Countess Guevera.” She turned her head and gave a respectful greeting nod to the flustered Guildmaster. “Thank you for coming.”
She shook her head. “I asked that Henrik invite the Baroness to open her business connections. I should apologize to you for pressing my will into your family’s business at the time.”
“Henrik was allowed to invite his own friends and had a few reserved seats. He told us about Baroness Hart coming for that reason. I heard about the orphanage incident,” the Guildmaster shook his head pitifully. “I can see why you’re concerned that she doesn’t know what she’s doing.”
“I’m sure that’s clearer now more than ever,” Tori replied. “Please allow me to try to distract the guests. If you wish to see Annika, the others and I will try our best out here.”
“No, no, I am her father. I need to be here. Her mother and godmother will be of more help,” Guildmaster Skuldsen told her. He frowned and lowered his eyes. Tori wasn’t sure if he was more angry or disappointed. “I knew he wasn’t a good person. I didn’t know that Annika was so close to him, but to think he’d go this far...to target my daughter like this.”
“Since we met him and having heard his reputation, I always found it suspicious that he was able to have achieved so much without any backing or existing groundwork. He’d either be some sort of genius or hiding something,” Tori said as her eyes narrowed, recalling his swagger in front of her at the bookstore. “And he’s not a genius.” He’s just a manipulative asshole.
She wandered off and began doing social arounds through various circles. She greeted familiar faces, lamented about the turn of events that evening, and discussed the anger and frustration at Adrien.
Unsurprisingly, many guests did not have a positive opinion of him to begin with. There were those who were jealous of his quick success, but a good portion had their own suspicions about him. Fanning the anti-Adrien flames was almost too easy.
I didn’t think he’d made this many enemies, but I guess since he’s such an amazing merchant, they need to work with him even if they think he’s sus. Tori moved to another table as the restaurant staff was distributing the cake slices.
No one was in the mood, but for the sake of normality and easing the worries of the hosts, they accepted the desserts.
It took some time for Henrik to come out and he also continued to make his rounds, as well as apologize to the guests for the scene. The party ended soon after that, leaving the Skuldsens, a few relatives, and Henrik and his friends.
The small group sat around a table in varying states of exhaustion and frustration as the restaurant staff cleaned up around them.
“How’s your sister?” Tori asked quietly as she slumped back against a chair. Henrik played with an empty wine glass in front of him.
“She really believed that he liked her. He bought her gifts, they talked through the comcry often, and he gave her preferential treatment at work. Even her pay was above average,” Henrik said. “He targeted my sister early on.”
Ewan reached over and patted his shoulder sympathetically.
“Is this the first time she’s liked someone?” Sonia said in a wry voice.
“I don’t know,” Henrik said, gritting his teeth. “But she was sure he was interested and said she wanted to help him. She admitted to digging through my room to look for information on our businesses; I can’t help but wonder what else she tried to do for him.”
Tori knit her brows together. “He didn’t do anything to your sister, did he? Was it all verbal and gift giving?”
Henrik froze for a moment and clenched his hands. “I don’t want to ask.” His face paled and Tori didn’t push it, remembering that though Henrik was Annika’s brother, they weren’t close.
Considering what she knew of Adrien, he wouldn’t have gone past verbal petting and showering Annika with gifts to win her over. No need to do more than necessary to gain her trust. Anything more would be too risky, especially since he clearly planned to use her for information.
However, after she turned sixteen, it would be a different story.
If Annika was still useful enough, who knows what he would’ve done. Tori shook her head and didn’t want to think about it. As pitiful as it was to see a girl’s heart broken at her sixteenth birthday party, Tori would rather have that happen than for Annika to have been taken advantage of further and used against her family.
“Let me get this straight,” Tori said as she sat up and leaned forward, ignoring the notes spread in front of her on the table in the room above Cafe Fortuna where she and Ilyana had gone to study. “Because she was trying to get business guidance from the Cowbastard, Annika let him see supplier contracts for your family’s shops.”
“Not for her two shops, but for the two main stores my family owns: 10th Grocers and Brilliance Specialty Goods,” Henrik said as he sat with his shoulders slumped and his eyes staring at the table in front of him with a dull look. “I don’t know what she was thinking. Our father worked so hard to secure those contracts and now they’re being broken.”
“What about the fee incurred for breaking a contract?” Ilyana asked, looking up from her notebook.
“Several of the suppliers said that they would pay them. The contracts are renewed every three years and the penalty would be at least a three to six months’ worth of compensation, which was designed to allow us time to find a replacement supplier, as well as a flat fee to end the contract before it expired. The problem is, especially for the specialty goods store, many of the suppliers are difficult to replace.” Henrik lifted his hands and ran them through his disheveled hair. “Family farms that make specialty preserves, unique workshops all around Horizon, and specialty artisans....”
“How much is the Cowman willing to pay them?” Ilyana knit her brows together and shook her head. It baffled them all.
“I don’t know,” Henrik said helplessly. “Every three years, when the contracts are renewed, my parents make a point to look into the market value of the goods, any changes in the cost of the production, and then discuss with the suppliers. We ask them to use our own transportation arrangements so we can get a favorable contract from a transportation agency for bulk work, but I don’t see that as a major reason to break the contract. In fact, some suppliers prefer it as they don’t have to worry about the transport logistics.”
Tori let out a small ‘tsk’ sound. “Now I want to know what he offered them.” She sighed and leaned back against her chair. “Are all of your suppliers breaking contracts?”
“No, but enough that it becomes a problem. Some of them aren’t breaking contracts, but have let us know that they don’t plan to renew.” Henrik rubbed his head. “Why did my sister show him those contracts? She knows that they’re confidential and essential to the family business.”
Both Tori and Ilyana looked at him with sympathy. Tori reached over and patted his shoulder. “How are your parents taking it?”
Henrik shook his head and bit his lips. “How else can they take it? Their daughter ruined the businesses they spent years building.” He let out a bitter laugh. “A lifetime of work destroyed because my sister thought a man was interested in her.”
“She made a stupid decision in sharing, but being led to believe someone loved her when they only wanted to use her isn’t her fault. She was manipulated and taken advantage of,” Tori told him. “Unfortunately, there isn’t much legal recourse I can think of in this case, as Annika willingly exposed vital information and he approached the suppliers to poach them. As long as he’s not coercing them somehow, it’s up to each individual supplier to decide their course of action.”
Henrik took in a choked breath. “I know. We’re helpless unless we can get new suppliers, but even then, the specialty shop will lack half of the products until we can find them. That’s the best-case scenario. Who knows if other suppliers won’t break or renew their contracts?”
“Your parents have a lot of contacts,” Tori said, patting his shoulder comfortingly. “They’ll be able to find other suppliers. I’m sure of it.”
Henrik nodded. “I just can’t help but be worried-”
“Henrik!” The door burst open, and they turned towards it. Ewan, who had been downstairs to pick up snacks, rushed in with a frantic expression.
Tori frowned and stood up. “What’s wrong?”
Ewan’s face was pale as he looked across the table at Henrik. “Uncle Erik collapsed!”
“What!?” Henrik shot to his feet. “When? I just talked to him a few minutes ago!”
“I don’t know, Auntie tried to call you, but she couldn’t reach you. Luckily, I was downstairs-”
“Ewan, where is the Guildmaster now?” Tori said as she and Ilyana hastily packed their things.
“They’re at their house. My mom went to call a doctor,” Ewan said. Henrik staggered forward.
“Ewan, go flag down a carriage to take you and Henrik to his house. Ilyana and I will follow in SIG One. We’ll bring your snacks with us so you don’t have to come back and can return to La Garda later,” Tori said as she rounded the table and helped steady Henrik.
Ewan swept beside her and propped up Henrik’s arm over his shoulder. “Do you need me to carry you down the stairs?”
“I’m fine...I’m fine...I just....” Henrik blinked and shook his head. “What happened in the last ten minutes?”
“Ilyana finish up here, I’ll make sure they get downstairs all right,” Tori said. Ilyana nodded and she focused on packing their things as Tori and Ewan helped Henrik downstairs. Once to the ground floor, Tori sent Ewan to wave down a carriage and had Henrik sit on a chair to wait.
It didn’t take long for a carriage to come, and Tori was still talking to Mr. Novak on the comcry to bring SIG One to Cafe Fortuna.
The two teen boys left first, and Ilyana waited downstairs with Tori for both Ewan’s snacks and the carriage to arrive.
They didn’t reach the Skuldsen’s residence until it was dark, but could see JP and Sonia’s horses tied in the small courtyard before the house.
As they approached the house, they could hear the yelling coming from inside. The wooden door was partially open and as they slowed down and reached the door, Henrik’s anger-laced voice reached their ears.
“...do you think we avoided working with him and hate him for no reason? He’s a liar and a cheat, Annika! You knew what he did to Tori’s vest designs two years ago and I know you know that Mom and Dad told you about the bricks!”
“He said they were accidents!”
“Accidents? If you don’t believe me about what happened at Lions Gate’s grand opening, then you can ask other people. It’s no secret what happened! It wasn’t an accident. He went out of his way to pretend he didn’t steal them!” Henrik raged on.
Tori gently pushed the door open and saw a small crowd gathered by the parlor entrance and past them, Ewan was holding on to Henrik to keep him away from a red-faced, sobbing Annika.
JP was trying his best to calm Henrik while one of Ewan’s older sisters tried to get Annika to calm down.
“He tricked me! He promised to help me and said he really liked me!”
“That’s not good enough of an excuse for you to betray Mom and Dad like this!” Henrik shouted. “This isn’t some ridiculous romance novel about forbidden love between two families that you read about! I can’t even look at you right now!”
“Henrik.” JP frowned and stood in front of him to block Henrik’s view of Annika. “We need you to focus. Uncle is trying to rest upstairs, and he doesn’t need to hear this right now.”
Henrik grit his teeth and let Ewan pull him back. Long strands of dark blond hair fell over his face as he grit his teeth.
“What happened?” Tori heard Ilyana whisper and looked over at her and Sonia.
“Uncle Erik passed out for a few seconds, but his legs weren’t steady. He was awake, but shaken when Henrik and Ewan got here,” Sonia said. She told them that she and JP were just finishing riding practice when Henrik’s mother called, asking if they knew where Henrik was as he wasn’t answering. Ewan’s mother got ahold of Henrik first through Ewan, so the twins rushed to the Skuldsen’s house at once knowing Henrik would go there.
“Do you know what caused him to pass out?” Ilyana asked, almost hesitantly.
Sonia let out a low hiss. “I’m not sure of the details, but Uncle wanted to try to use the rent from other shops to keep the two main stores afloat while they looked for new suppliers.”
Tori and Ilyana’s eyebrows shot up and Tori looked at Sonia with disbelief. “Is the rent amount not enough?”
“I think so. There were five small stores in the twelfth and thirteenth districts or something.” Sonia lifted her arms, at a loss. She wasn’t a merchant and didn’t understand any additional details.
“Then why is Henrik so angry at his sister? What does she have to do with it?” Ilyana asked.
Tori shut her eyes. “Please don’t tell me....”
“She sold them to the Cowman.”
“What?” Ilyana nearly yelled. Tori lifted her hand to the bridge of her nose and squeezed.
“She sold him the property? That bastard has the deed?” Tori asked with just a little hope that she was wrong. Sonia nodded.
“Uncle didn’t find out until two of the renters came to make a fuss, asking why they were being kicked out of their shops.” Sonia concluded.
Tori looked back into the parlor. Ewan had released Henrik, but Henrik was seething by the window with his pale fist against the wall. He was trembling and Tori wasn’t sure how to react.
Deeds in Soleil had the owner's name on them, and the owner had to fill out the paperwork with the buyer to transfer ownership. However, it was common for families to put multiple names of family members as the owner, usually young children. In case something happened to the parent, the property would be secured for them, and this could not be contested.
Kasen had told Tori it had something to do with war orphans. The marches were strict about keeping wills and trusts to ensure that those left behind would have at least something to provide for them through a grim time.
“The death of a loved one could get even uglier,” Kasen had said.
Typically, when the child turned sixteen, their name would be removed, and things would be rearranged amongst the adult children in a formal will and trust. This was more a concern of the wealthy and upper classes, as it often involved money and property. Henrik’s family happened to fall into that as a well-to-do merchant family and had numerous properties, however small.
If Annika was able to sell the stores because her name was still on them, then it was likely done just when she turned sixteen and had the right to sell them, and before her father could remove her name.
It had to have been planned to work out so well.
“How many shops did she sell? All of them?” Tori asked in a low voice as she silently cursed Adrien.
“The four that had her name.” A dry voice came from the stairs and Tori and the others looked up. Madam Skuldsen stepped down with a pale face and swollen red eyes. Her hand gripped the banister and Ewan’s mother helped her down.
“Auntie, how’s Uncle?” Sonia asked.
Madam Skuldsen lifted her hand and nodded as she reached the ground floor. “He's tired, Sonia. This has been quite a blow to him.”
“Mom!” Annika called out from the parlor as she saw her. “How’s Dad? Can I see him?”
Madam Skuldsen hesitated. She looked at her daughter with strange eyes and was quiet. She opened her mouth, but no words escaped her thin lips. Tori could only see the disappointment in her eyes as she lowered her head and shook it.
“He’s still shaken and must rest. Give him time to rest,” Madam Skuldsen told her.
She didn’t look her daughter in the eyes and Annika’s gaze dropped shamefully.
“Mom, did Dad say what we should do? Should we contact our attorney? File a complaint with the Estate Commission?” Henrik asked as he moved closer. He reached out to help his mother take a seat on a sofa.
Madam Skuldsen seemed at a loss. Those shops were things she and her husband spend their lives building. While they both came from small local merchant families, they weren’t by any means wealthy. They were what Tori would consider ‘mom and pop’ shops.
The couple had taken their savings and sunk it into buying a store to run of their own. During that time, they lived with Madam Skuldsen’s older brother and sister-in-law to save money. It wasn’t until Henrik was born that they moved out to an apartment down the street.
They worked hard to achieve what they have, and their daughter blindsided them.
Tori could only sit on the foot of the stairs by the foyer with Sonia and Ilyana, lost in her own thoughts.
Adrien had manipulated Annika so easily; Tori was sure he was doing the same to Alessa somehow. Even if he wasn’t, he had the capacity to.
Tori thought back to when Gideon had told them how Alessa and Adrien met. Alessa had saved Adrien’s life. His carriage had lost a tire or something and rolled off the road and into a ditch. He was injured. Luckily, Alessa and her father had been passing by on the way to Horizon for Alessa to start school.
She saved Adrien.
But what happened to Adrien’s driver? Did he go for help? Did he abandon Adrien? Gideon didn’t have answers for this and said he never asked.
With that in mind and having witnessed the amount of deceit Adrien would do for contacts and information in order to grow his business empire, wouldn’t it be possible that the entire accident had been set up?
He could’ve been targeting anyone on that road, as it did lead to Horizon and travelers were likely to have some money.
Tori suddenly shuddered.
The more disturbing scenario would be that it was a set up, but Adrien was targeting Alessa from the very beginning.
A dull throb pulsed through her head and she lifted her hands to press against her temples. A droning noise filled her ears and she grit her teeth.
“Tori?” Sonia called from her side and Tori could barely hear her over the droning noise. “Are you all right?”
A child swept through her, and the droning stopped. Her head was clear, and she could no longer feel that dull throb. She looked at her arms and reached down to grasp the cuff of her jacket and pull her sleeves up.
The back of her arms were covered with goosebumps and Tori felt her stomach sink.
“Oh no....” Instinct was very strong in the marches. Her family told her to listen to her instincts.
“Tori?” Ilyana reached over and touched her head. “What’s wrong?”
Tori’s eyes were fixed on her pale hands. “Don’t tell me I need to save Alessa Hart.”
