Chapter 11 Confronting a spider
In the private cabin, once his father and brothers were all seated, Eric pulled out his phone and sent the email he had typed out before in the afternoon.
“Please check you mail, I have sent you something,” he said, and they complied after a few glances at each other.
As his father and brothers read the message, their expressions grew increasingly serious, brows came together quickly as they absorbed the information he had sent. The tension in the round became as heavy as the gravity of the situation. The email contained crucial information he had gathered from Lily. They were surrounded by government agents, suspected of aiding and funding terrorists in the Middle East, and this was a plot orchestrated by Lilac’s family.
“Keep reading,” he urged them, and they returned to the email. He had talked about the bank accounts and their secret project that was like a nail in the coffin.
“What do you mean by this?” Mr. Black asked.
“Is this a joke?” Harris said.
“Is this why she asked for a divorce?” Damien’s words made Eric’s face darken.
“She claims to have found out this morning,” he answered.
"And you don't believe her?" Harris asked.
“I am not accusing her of things. We know her enough to understand that she is easily used. Is the divorce out of guilt?” Eric sneered.
"Your relationship is non-existent, huh?" Damien said looking at his eldest brother deeply. Something told him his brother would regret this.
“It doesn't matter. She has already been poking holes in the narrative all day, so I know she is trying to fix this. She wants us to play ignorant of what is happening. She will handle the rest. Whether I believe her or not will be determined by how well she fixes this,” he said.
"Or you could fix this yourself," Harris said with a frown.
Eric ignored hsiw words and spoke up, his voice was cold and somber, mirroring the mood in the room. “What concerns me is the timing of all this. We can't have suspicion come out about us that is why I am going with her plan instead of using my way. It is time to announce the Luminos project. We sacrifice it before our deal will The new government administration is done. The most important thing is that we are not forced to reveal the Luminos project, but reveal it ourselves,” he said. He was not afraid of the room being bugged with listening devices, as he had brought in a specialist to sweep a few rooms before time.
His father and brothers nodded in agreement, their expressions grim as they processed the information. They knew the stakes were high, and they understood they were under attack at this moment. They could not allow outsiders to get a hold of their weakness..
“What do you plan to do, just play ignorant?” Mr. Black asked his son.
“Lilac is going to spin this as a badly done frame job.” Eric continued, his voice becoming hard as he spoke. “She had already talked to the agent involved, making her suspicious of the bank account. We suspect even the accountant has been taken in.”
His father and brothers exchanged looks, “This is what you have been doing since this morning?”
“What?” he asked.
“For a moment, I just thought you would be handling you failing marriage,” Harris said.
“We all know how she got into this family. Don't side my forget the dirty truck she and her family pulled,” he said coldly and the others decided to drop the topic. It was his marriage anyway. He would be the one to regret if it goes up in flames.
“This is a risky game she is playing. It is a gamble. All we have to do is pretend to be as ignorant as possible," Eric said.
“And if it fails?" Mr Black asked his son with a raised brow.
“I do it my way. Besides, she wanted out of the marriage, right? There are many creative ways she can leave," Eric said, his eyes flashing a dangerous glint.
The party continued to swirl around Lilac as she conversed with Cathy, the music and laughter providing a lively backdrop to their conversation. However, her attention was suddenly diverted as her sister, June, approaching her from a distance. She almost let out a smile when she saw her. She was finally here.
“Lilac, I need to speak with you,” June said, her voice low and urgent.
Lilac nodded, suppressing the coldness in her eye. “Of course, June. Let’s find somewhere private to talk,” she said.
They made their way to a secluded room away from the hustle and bustle of the party, the sounds of laughter fading into the background as they closed the door behind them.
Once they were alone, June wasted no time in getting to the point. “Lilac, where is the gift we sent to Mr. Black?”
“Why do you want to know, June? What’s going on? Is it important?” Lilac asked, raising an eyebrow, a chill flashing in her eyes.
June’s expression fell so fast, it was frightening, “Just answer the question, Lilac. Where is the gift?”
Lilac rolled her eyes at her, “I don’t know, June. Eric said it was in my father-in-law’s cabin. Why are you so interested in it? Why are you so interested in where things are kept here?”
Lilac raised a brow, waiting for her response.
Before June could form the words, Lilac interrupted her. “Actually, there’s something I need to tell you. I thought I would wait till after the party but, what the heck… I’m getting a divorce.”
"What?!” she exclaimed. She froze and stared at Lilac as though she had heard the most ridiculous story ever told. “Lilac, you would divorce Eric? How is that possible?"
Lilac held her sister’s gaze. “Why can’t I divorce him? You know how we got together in the first place? Did you actually think we would last? Or were you waiting for us to break up at the right moment?” Lilac asked, her voice laced with a slight sneer, “We are announcing it tonight.”
June straightened like a pole when she heard this.
“You can’t. Are you even listening to yourself?”
“Why?” Lilac asked offhandedly.
“Just don’t do anything you are not told to do tonight!” June insisted. “we..the family and I are doing this for your own good. You know that,”
These words, she had heard them a thousand times over. These were the words that got her to where she was right now. For her own good? She felt the need to scoff.
“It is my marriage, not yours. Stay out of it!” Lilac sneered.
June’s face reddened as anger pulsed through her veins threatening to burst forth and burn Lilac. But her anger needed no threat. June was never one for self control. Her voice rose sharply as she exploded in rage..