"Master," Mattheo said as he stepped in while Hector was getting ready and putting on his suit.
The man looked panicked as he handed his phone to Hector.
"What is it?" Hector asked while taking the phone.
"It's Lucille," Mattheo replied, which immediately drew a smirk from Hector.
The head of the Nightwood family placed the phone against his ear, ready to hear whatever nonsense his enemy was about to say. Lucille must have been too desperate to have any other choice but to call his business number.
"Return Elysse," the voice on the other end said.
Hector chuckled instantly. "Request denied."
"She's mine," Lucille hissed. "You have no right over her."
"You and I are the same. Neither of us has any right over her," Hector replied as he sat down on the sofa. "The only difference is our purpose. And I can bet that my purpose is far better for her."
"Everyone knows I love and cherish her the most," Lucille answered.
His voice sounded gentle, but Hector knew exactly what kind of man Lucille Andersen was. Estelle might be fooled by that angelic face and voice, but Hector was not. He knew very well that Lucille was the same kind of person as himself.
"You love her?" Hector scoffed. "Do you love her, or do you just want to take Pandora?"
Hector could sense the man's shock. Pandora, one of the key reasons behind the chaos years ago. The reason behind Estelle's parents' death. Lucille probably thought Hector had stayed silent all this time because he knew nothing about the schemes they had planned.
But he was wrong. Hector was the one holding major control over their lives. He was the ace card that could uncover every buried secret within the Andersen family and use it to his advantage.
"How could you—"
"Lucille," Hector cut in. "You are far behind me. Whether it's Esse or Pandora, you will have neither."
Because the key to controlling both of them was already in Hector's hands.
And now he was simply waiting. Waiting for the right moment to strike back and seize control.
"If you truly want to negotiate, come to the Nightwood residence," Hector said. "Let's meet face to face. Don't just send little fries to dirty my mansion."
With that single sentence, Hector ended the call. A bright smile spread across his lips.
And just like that, the war between them had begun.
***
"Is your back alright?" Estelle asked as soon as she got into the car.
Sandra, who was sitting in the driver's seat, immediately nodded.
"I'm fine," Sandra replied. "Thank you for reducing my punishment."
"No. From the beginning, it wasn't your fault," Estelle said, lowering her head.
Her presence seemed to bring misfortune to everyone around her. But no, the one who brought all this chaos was Hector. If that man had even a bit of sanity in his head, Estelle's life would not have turned upside down like this.
As her mind kept cursing Hector, the man suddenly opened the car door, ready to get in. But when their eyes met, Hector stopped and quickly walked toward Mattheo instead.
Of course, Estelle had no idea what they were talking about. A moment later, Mattheo came back carrying a thick fur coat. Hector took it and then entered the car.
"Put it on," he said as he handed the coat to Estelle.
The girl only glanced at it before turning her face toward the window, treating Hector like he was nothing but air. Seeing her obvious rejection, Hector let out a quiet sigh.
The girl had no idea that the city they were heading to had a cold climate. Wearing only a knitted top and a mini skirt would make her shiver later. And Hector did not want that to happen.
His clothes and Sandra's were not a problem since they were both wearing three-layered suits. Estelle, however, clearly needed something warmer.
"Sandra, what's the temperature in Rayway today?"
Sandra checked her phone before starting the engine.
"Estimated to be below five degrees," she replied shortly.
"If someone gets cold later, I'll stop by a hotel and share my body heat," Hector said while glancing at Estelle.
Hearing that, her brown eyes shot him a sharp glare. Hector knew she was cursing him in her head, but he did not care.
"Give it to me," Estelle said irritably as she stretched out her hand.
Hector smirked as he handed over the fur coat, which Estelle quickly grabbed. She immediately put it on. After that, she leaned back in the passenger seat and closed her eyes.
"Whose fault is it for not telling me earlier," she muttered, which only earned a soft chuckle from Hector.
She had no intention of interacting with Hector, not even a single word. Just seeing him made her feel sick. Remembering what he had done last night made her blood boil. If it were not for her parents' case, Estelle would never agree to come with him.
Fortunately, throughout the trip Hector did not try to provoke her further. He truly focused on his work and even held several meetings along the way.
Even though he was shameless and utterly indecent, Hector still had some self-awareness. He knew Estelle was sulking, and he did not want their relationship to get worse than it already was. It would be troublesome if one day Estelle turned away from him completely.
For some reason, he wanted to keep her bound to his side.
After finishing his meeting, Hector closed his laptop and glanced at his watch. It was already late. The trip to Rayway would take quite a long time. The village sat near the border, surrounded by mountainous terrain that was difficult to access by public transportation. They had no choice but to travel there by car.
Turning his head, Hector saw Estelle curled up against the car window. A smile appeared on his lips as he looked at her sleeping face.
"Master, should we stay at the nearest hotel tonight?" Sandra asked without turning her head.
"I think we should—"
"Ugh... uuhhnn!"
Hector instantly turned and saw Estelle's face twisted in pain. Her hands clutched her stomach tightly, her body bending slightly forward. His heart started pounding as panic surged through him, his mind struggling to process what was happening.
Hector immediately pulled Estelle's small body into his arms. His hand checked her temperature and found something abnormal. Her body felt hotter than usual, and cold sweat covered her temple.
"Sandra," Hector said firmly. "Find the nearest hotel and book a room immediately."
At his absolute command, Sandra quickly searched for the closest hotel.
"Ugh… it hurts… it hurts so much," Estelle whimpered. She sobbed softly even though her eyes were still closed. Her hands continued gripping her stomach.
Pressing his lips into a thin line, Hector pulled her closer onto his lap so she could rest more comfortably. He tightened his embrace to feel her, making sure her heart was still beating.
What was happening? What went wrong?
This morning Estelle had looked perfectly fine. But now her face had turned pale like a corpse. Was it because of the shock from what he did to her last night? Or was something else disturbing her mind?
He grabbed the phone from his suit pocket and quickly dialed Sandro's contact. The call connected, but Hector's focus shattered when he felt something wet touching his thigh.
When he looked down to see what it was, his body froze. The white pants he was wearing had partially turned red. A crimson liquid was flowing from Estelle's inner thigh.
At that moment, Hector felt as if his heart had jumped out of his chest.
"Master, what's wrong?" Sandro's voice came from the other end of the call.
Clenching his jaw, Hector roared, "Get here immediately! I'm giving you one hour!"
For the first time, Hector felt an overwhelming panic.
***