For it was there I’d met Ursuline.
It was there I had fallen in love.
We had been a bloom poking through the cracks in the concrete, something beautiful in spite of all the ugliness surrounding it.
When Ursuline pulled to a park in front of the main entrance, they heaved a shaky breath.
I placed a hand over theirs. “We’ve got this. You did your research, and Frederick doesn’t deserve to escape, not after everything he’s done.”
Ursuline bobbed their head in a nod. They traced the side of my face, the touch feather-light. “Thank you for doing this with me.”
“You’re stuck with me,” I said, a grin rising to my lips. “Even though I’ll warn you, I’m needy.”
“Maybe I love that about you,” Ursuline said as they cracked the car door open. “Maybe I love everything about you, Elrich Durand.”
With that, they snagged their briefcase from the back seat and exited the car, and I took my cue and did the same. Each step toward the front door echoed, and despite the bright sunlight beaming down on us, I couldn’t help the chill that raced down my spine. When I’d first come to this place with my parents, I’d had no idea what awaited me.
However, the trials and tribulations had led me to being here, with the love of my life.
Ursuline lifted their fist and knocked. We waited, a hum in the air between us that all but vibrated.
Then the door creaked open.
Ernest, the butler, stepped into view. When his gaze landed on us, he paled. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve got a legal summons for Frederick Triton,” Ursuline said, cracking open the briefcase. “If you wouldn’t mind fetching him.”
“Right away,” Ernest said as he rushed from the entrance like his tailcoats had caught on fire.
“Who’s here?” a familiar voice sounded, and I chewed on the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood.
Arielle peeked out the doorway. Her face grew tight and angry, the most I’d ever seen from her in my entire stay at Triton Manor. “Haven’t you both done enough?”
“Did you know?” I asked, the question one that had lingered with me. “What your father was doing?”
Arielle glared at me, hatred shining in those eyes that were once always light and carefree. “Don’t be naïve, Elrich.”
Her response settled in my gut. The comment was so similar to things my parents had said my entire life, how I’d missed so much of what was going on around me because my head was in the clouds.
“You’d better get used to figuring your own life out, navigating situations yourself,” Ursuline said, their tone sharp. “Your father can’t evade his crimes forever.”
Arielle opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, a looming shadow drew our attention.
Frederick Triton strode forward, looking like he’d bring lightning down from the heavens to strike us where we stood. Today he was on two legs, a different pendant around his neck. But the slip with the old one had cost him his reputation.
“Is it wise to show up at my doorstep, given you’re in breach of your contract?” Frederick rumbled, casting a dark glare in our direction.
Ursuline stared him down. “You’ll find, given my family was not protected, that I’m not in breach in the slightest. That agreement ended the second they passed. Funny how long it took for the news to travel to me.”
Frederick glared back at them, brimming with unspent violence. “Go, Arielle,” he said. “I’ll deal with this trash.” She shook her head and slipped away as quickly as she’d arrived. Frederick crossed his arms. “Have you returned back to your apartment?”
“Heard it’s a bit too crispy for that,” Ursuline responded coolly. “Though I’d rather live there than where you’ll be headed.”
“Ernest mentioned a summons,” Frederick said.
“Right,” Ursuline said, passing over the file that they’d pulled from their briefcase. “A certain business, Liquidium Industries, is under the spotlight right now. And there are a host of angry businesses who’ve been fooled by the shell corporation for years. If you follow the financial trail, it sure looks like Triton Industries has been receiving undisclosed payments from the company for as many years.”
“Get out,” Triton growled, his face darkening. “Get out of my sight.”
