Chapter 255
Chapter 255
Eileen's POV
The morning sun felt too bright.
I was kneeling in the herb garden behind the Goode estate, dirt under my fingernails, trying to focus on the lavender. The purple flowers were wilting. I should've been here more often.
Moby was perched on a nearby stone, his tentacles drooping like he'd given up on life. Every few minutes he'd chirp sadly and point back toward the direction of Keaton Manor.
"Stop it," I muttered, pulling out a dead stem. "We're not going back."
He made a pitiful sound and slumped further.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I ignored it. It had been buzzing all morning—probably Silas. Or Gavin checking in on Silas's orders.
I didn't want to talk to either of them.
"Miss Eileen?"
I looked up. One of Grandfather's housekeepers was hurrying across the lawn, her face flushed.
"There's a visitor," she said breathlessly. "Mrs. Eleanor Keaton. She's waiting in the parlor."
My stomach dropped.
---
Eleanor was sitting on the cream-colored sofa when I walked in, her silver hair perfectly styled, her green eyes sharp as ever. She looked like she'd walked straight out of a fashion magazine—tailored navy suit, pearl earrings, not a wrinkle in sight.
"Grandmother?" I set down my gardening gloves. "What are you doing here?"
Moby immediately scrambled up to my shoulder, his little tentacles pointing at Eleanor like she was a threat. He was probably worried she'd come to drag me back to the manor.
Eleanor's gaze flicked to Moby, then back to me. "Sit down, dear. We need to talk."
I sat. My heart was hammering.
"You misunderstood Silas," she said without preamble.
I opened my mouth to protest, but she held up one elegant hand.
"Let me finish." She reached into her handbag and pulled out a thick manila folder. "This is what Silas has been doing for the past three days."
She set it on the coffee table between us.
I stared at it. Didn't move.
"Open it," Eleanor said quietly.
My hands were shaking as I picked up the folder. The first page made my breath catch.
Bank transfer records. Malcolm's name at the top. Dates going back twenty years.
"He had Gavin investigate every financial transaction Malcolm ever made," Eleanor said. "Including the 'investment' he gave Emilia twenty years ago."
I flipped through the pages. My fingers were trembling so bad I almost dropped the folder.
Meeting logs between Malcolm and Council members. Money trails through shell companies. Property records showing Malcolm had purchased the warehouse near Mom's lab four months before she died.
"Why didn't he tell me?" My voice came out hoarse.
Eleanor sighed. "Because this evidence isn't enough. Malcolm is clever—every transaction went through third parties. On paper, there's no direct link to him."
I looked up at her. "Then what—"
"Silas needs to find the key witness," she interrupted. "The middleman who helped Malcolm orchestrate everything twenty years ago."
Moby crawled onto the folder, his tiny paw pointing at a name near the bottom of one page: Victor Lane.
"That's him," Eleanor said. "The man who can tie Malcolm directly to your mother's death."
---
My throat felt tight. "But the Council—"
"The Council is dangerous," Eleanor cut in. Her voice was harder now. "Do you understand what would happen if we moved against Malcolm without ironclad proof?"
I shook my head.
"The Council would accuse us of slandering an Elder. They'd use it as grounds to remove Silas from his position—or worse." Her green eyes bored into mine. "Malcolm has allies in the Council. Powerful ones. If we fail, they'll destroy the Keaton family."
My hands clenched around the folder. "So Silas was... protecting me?"
"He's protecting all of us." Eleanor's tone softened slightly. "But yes. Especially you."
I felt like I'd been punched in the gut.
"I thought—" My voice cracked. "I thought he was stalling because Malcolm's family—"
"Silas doesn't give a damn about family loyalty when it comes to murderers," Eleanor said flatly. "He's been planning Malcolm's downfall since the moment you told him what Emilia confessed."
I pressed my palms against my eyes. God. I'd been so stupid.
"I went to investigate alone," I whispered. "I almost got killed—"
"I know." Eleanor's voice was gentle now. "Silas received Gavin's emergency signal while he was in a meeting. He jumped out a third-floor window, shifted mid-air, and ran twenty miles to reach you."
My hands dropped. I stared at her.
"Twenty miles?" I repeated.
She nodded. "In wolf form. He broke his own speed record."
Moby let out a sad little chirp and pressed his tiny head against my palm. Even he looked guilty now.
---
Eleanor stood, smoothing her skirt. "Silas has already located Victor Lane. He's in New Haven right now, preparing to meet with him."
I shot to my feet. "He went alone?"
"Gavin and six elite guards are with him," Eleanor said quickly. "They're prepared. This time, there won't be any mistakes."
I wanted to run out the door. Get in a car. Drive to New Haven and—
Eleanor's hand on my shoulder stopped me.
"Wait," she said firmly. "Silas asked me to tell you—wait until he has the evidence. He doesn't want you anywhere near this."
"Why not?"
Her expression turned grim. "Because he doesn't want you to see what he'll do to Malcolm once the truth comes out."
A chill ran down my spine.
---
Eleanor left shortly after, but her words kept echoing in my head.
He doesn't want you to see what he'll do to Malcolm.
I sat on my bed, staring at the folder she'd left behind. Moby was curled up in my lap, his tentacles wrapped around my fingers like he was trying to comfort me.
"I screwed up," I whispered. "Didn't I?"
Moby chirped softly and nuzzled my palm.
I pulled out my phone. My hands were still shaking as I typed: I'm sorry. I misunderstood.
The reply came almost immediately: Wait for me.
Two words. That was it.
But somehow, they made my chest feel less tight.
---
There was a soft knock on my door an hour later.
"Come in," I called.
Grandfather Marcus stepped inside. He looked older than usual—his silver hair seemed grayer, his shoulders slightly hunched.
"Eleanor told me what happened," he said quietly, closing the door behind him. "Are you all right?"
I nodded. Didn't trust my voice.
He sat down on the edge of the bed beside me. For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
"Eileen," he finally said. "There's something else you should know."
I looked at him. His gray eyes were serious.
"Emilia has been asking to see you," he said. "Margaret says she's... unstable. But she claims she has something to tell you. About Serena."
My whole body went rigid. "I don't want to see her."
"I understand." His voice was gentle. "But Margaret thinks whatever Emilia knows might be important. Something about Malcolm."
I closed my eyes. God. I wasn't ready for this.
"She'll only speak to you," Grandfather added. "No one else."
Moby crawled into my palm, his little body warm and soft. Like he was trying to give me courage.
I took a shaky breath. "Okay. I'll... I'll think about it."