Leo looked upon his half-brother and found him studying Leo, already plotting the next twist.
“These,” Leo pointed at the sheet of paper that Winston was passing to Bridget, “are your clear instructions to the author of that article about what it should say and how to word certain aspects of my alleged relationship with Miss PJ.”
Bridget took that sheet of paper, and she didn't even have to read. The blood drained from her face, and she slowly turned to her son.
“I see that you recognize the handwriting, Bridget,” Leo continued. “After all, what kind of mother would you be if you didn't recognize your own son’s letters?”
“I have quite the collection here. I even managed to find the note that the Duke of Greyhaven got at that garden party, and that led him to a secret meeting with Prim at the maze.”
Leo took one piece of evidence after another and left them on the table as if she were dealing gambling cards.
“And yet I think the beginning of the end started with this,” Leo said and pressed one last paper on the table.
Winston was the one who moved faster and grabbed that piece of paper with him. The more he read, the more his eyes widened.
“That is theleakedcorrespondence between Prim’s family and me.”
Winston was the first one to snap out of it. His face was red by the evidence and the story they so clearly painted.
“You became smug, Aaron,” he said. addressing his half-brother head-on. “And arrogance is usually how thugs and criminals are punished.”
Aaron got up and looked over his father's shoulder to look upon that piece of evidence himself. He too got pale.
“Do you recognize that paper, Aaron?”
Aaron showed a remarkable sense of self-restraint at the mounting evidence in front of him.
“I know you ordered a batch for your bachelor's pad here in Mayfair. Oh, I know what you will say, it is just a piece of paper,it proves nothing. I thought the same thing, too, until I started contacting people. And what would you know?”
Leo paused for dramatic effect.
“There were three batches that were sold in the whole of London,” Leo said maliciously.
“I want you to take a wild guess on where one of those batches is. In Aaron’s study, of course.”
“Nonsense,” Aaron decided to finally speak up. “This proves nothing.”
“Perhaps on its own it doesn't look like that much of an evidence. When combined with that particular color of ink that you insist on using, there shouldn't be any doubt in anyone's mind about who wrote the fake letter.”
Leo paused again. Winston was still struggling to come to terms with the mounting evidence against his son. There was no way that he could deny what had happened, and it wasn't his style to run away from problems.
“A rare type of paper, that particular cobalt ink that you use when you write, all these were evidence of your crimes. Arrogance was your downfall. You thought you would get away with it forever.”
Leo walked around the little table looking like a big cat, a lion, a panther that circled its prey.
“When I read that supposed letter penned by me, and I got to that phrase ‘Not any concern of the Mildenhall estate’, that was the moment that I knew without any reasonable doubt that it was you coming after me, Aaron.”
Aaron was positively in flames, his body swaying slightly as if the energy was drifting away.
“No… that’s not possible,” Bridget was the first one to react. “Aaron, tell him this is nonsense!”
Aaron didn't respond, he kept his eyes strained on me. I was, after all, his main enemy.
“Aaron,” Bridget demanded. “Please, tell me this isn't true. You couldn't have done this.”
“and yet,” Winston added, “the evidence suggests that he very much is the culprit in this whole scheme.”
“This can be true. How can this be true?” Richard was struggling to grasp reality.
