Chapter 121

"Something this big just happened, and you still have time to come here?"

Eloise said as soon as she saw Damien walk in with Verity.

Damien looked confused and asked what had happened.

That's when Eloise realized he didn't know anything at all, so she filled him in on everything that had happened over the past two days.

"No wonder Brad was so desperate to get me back to the Thornton family. Without me, the whole show falls apart." Damien let out a cold laugh.

"I'll look after her for you. You need to get back to the Thornton family now — something's not right about all this." Eloise said, her expression serious.

"I know what to do. I'll leave the rest to you."

Damien told Verity to stay and rest, then walked out with long, quick strides.

Mona happened to pass him on his way out.

"He's that badly hurt, and you're just letting him go like that? How can you be so heartless!"

She was still holding a medical kit — clearly she'd prepared it for Damien.

"His father was just assassinated. Were you going to ask him to stay for dinner?" Eloise shot Mona a cold sideways glance and walked away.

Mona had nothing to say to that. Real father or not, Damien did need to get back to the Thornton family as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the Thornton family had been unable to reach Damien and were worried he'd been silenced — until Brad got word that Damien had gone to Eloise's place.

He immediately gathered several of the elders and put on a show of distress. "You all know what kind of relationship Eloise has with us. Our father just died, and this is when Alexander decides to go to her?"

The elders exchanged glances.

"Could it be that Damien and Eloise worked together to kill Iver?" one of them said — he didn't even bother using the name Alexander anymore.

The others looked at each other in silence. It didn't seem impossible.

Another one chimed in: "He still hasn't come back. Maybe he's running from what he did and hiding out at Eloise's place."

"I didn't come back because I was ambushed."

A low, detached voice cut through the room, followed by the sound of heavy, steady footsteps. Damien appeared in the doorway.

But before anyone could say a word, Damien suddenly stumbled and collapsed to the floor.

Several members of the Thornton family rushed over to check on him.

Damien's return threw off Brad's plan entirely.

He had assumed Damien wouldn't dare show his face at the Thornton family. That would have let him quietly bury both Damien and Eloise. He could have tied them to the family's enemies, brought out the evidence he'd prepared, and locked Damien into an airtight case against him.

After that, the family would have gone after Damien, and if he resisted or tried to run, everything would have fallen into place perfectly.

But he came back.

Should've just died out there. Brad thought bitterly.

When Milo heard Damien had returned, he told Brad to move to the second part of the plan — pin Iver's murder squarely on Damien.

Milo sent Brad a video of Damien entering the Ashford family's property as evidence, and told him to stick to the story: Damien killed Iver, then went to the arena, and afterward returned to the Ashford family. That way, everything would line up perfectly.

Brad showed the so-called evidence to the elders, but they were skeptical of his story and decided to wait until Damien woke up before doing anything.

Damien's injuries were real — there was no faking that. And that alone backed up his claim that he'd been ambushed.

Damien came around quickly. One of the elders asked him to explain what had happened.

Damien walked them through everything — from being lured to a remote location a few days ago, to being ambushed and taken to the arena, all the way to how he was eventually released.

The implication was clear: Brad was behind all of it.

"But Mrs. Thornton says she saw you kill Iver with her own hands," the elder pressed.

"I was badly wounded and locked up in the arena. How could I have just appeared out of nowhere to kill someone? The doctor examined me — I could barely even escape on my own." Damien gave a self-deprecating smile.

"You're lying. You killed Father and then hid in the arena. I only took you in because you were injured." Brad shot back, glaring hard at Damien. "For all we know, you came to the arena to silence me too — so no one could stop you from taking over the Thornton family!"

"And those injuries of yours? You could have faked them yourself. Everyone knows what you're capable of. A few wounds wouldn't slow you down!"

"Besides, by your logic, I should have just killed you and let you take the blame. So why would I let you go? You're contradicting yourself!"

Brad had found the right angle, and it had to be said — Milo's advice to let Damien go had been made with exactly this moment in mind.

But Damien saw right through it. He laughed coldly. "You kept me alive for this exact moment, didn't you? So I'd have no way to defend myself and take the fall for you."

Then he turned to the others and said, "Father had already said he wanted me as his heir. I haven't even been officially recognized by the family, and the heir hasn't been formally announced. Why would I be stupid enough to kill someone right now?"

"I can confirm that," the butler stepped forward at just the right moment. "Mr. Iver Thornton did bring up the idea of naming Mr. Thornton as his heir on several occasions, but Mr. Alexander Thornton turned it down each time."

"You're all in on it together — of course he's going to take your side!" Brad snapped, pointing at the butler, his voice rising.

But the butler calmly reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded stack of papers.

"Mr. Iver Thornton had already written a letter of succession. He just hadn't had the chance to hand it over."

One of the elders took the papers immediately. The handwriting was unmistakably Iver's, and the only heir he named was Alexander.

"That's impossible! It can't be! Why would Father give everything to this bastard?! He doesn't deserve any of it!"

The mask Brad had worn all this time finally slipped. His eyes went red as he jabbed a finger at Damien, looking like he wanted to tear him apart.

Damien smiled coldly. "I'm tired. I'd like to rest now."

He was showing them the door.

Out of consideration for his serious injuries, the others agreed he needed rest, and had the furious Brad dragged out of the room.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?" one of the elders asked, looking at Damien's pale face.

"I have no interest in being the Thornton family's heir, and Brad isn't fit for it either. Find someone from a branch of the family." With that, he closed his eyes.

The elders hadn't expected him to truly want nothing. The Thornton family's wealth was immense — not quite a match for a small nation, but close — and yet he genuinely wasn't tempted.

"Have the security footage in the house reviewed carefully. And look into the servants around Coralie."

"People can lie, but guns can't. If you find the murder weapon and have it tested, you might find something useful."

Eyes still closed, Damien quietly offered two pieces of advice.

The elders had no idea they were being guided by someone younger than any of them.

In fact, they thought Damien made a great deal of sense, and told him to get some rest before they left.

Still, his calm and clear-headed handling of the whole situation genuinely impressed them. It was no surprise Iver had wanted him as heir. He really was a better fit than Brad.