Chapter 84 Maroon
After carrying the heftiness of William’s madness, Arabella blurted everything to Helena.
At first, she found it extremely hard to believe. Her gentleman brother?
The one everyone praises, the one who sacrificed their whole life for his sibling could be this… selfish?
“Th- This can’t be true, Arabella.” Helena shook her head in denial, refusing to accept such a side could exist in him.
“You can’t create such a fake scenario about my brother. William can’t be a freak,”
Arabella only showed a shaky, victorious smirk, “I knew you would say this.”
Grabbing her purse, Arabella started taking out the list of things she brought along to prove herself innocent and expose her brother’s dark side.
“That is why, here. Look, what I got. Remember these hoops? William’s favorite?”
Helena’s jaw dropped, picking the hoops, “Didn’t they disappear five years ago?”
“And this scented tissue packet, the only ones I use. And take a look at this bracelet,” Arabella smirked hysterically.
Placing all her things that magically disappeared in the course of years and were found in William’s possession, some of them were oxidized too, displaying their old lifespan.
Helena’s eyes overflowed with appall, her hands began to shake, unsure whether to touch the things.
“This… this can't be,” Helena gulped and to worsen her state, Arabella showed Helena the strap of her bra that seemed worn off slightly.
“And this maroon bra? I got drenched in rain, changed in your house and never found this again. It was my favorite, remember?”
Helena’s jaw dropped, she remembered that moment clearly and it flashed before her eyes…
“Where could it have gone, Helena?” 19 years old Bella whined.
Going through the laundry of the Grayson household set together for washing while searching for her most favorite bra.
The helpers were confused at what the girls wanted now but let them do whatever they wanted.
“I don’t know, Bella. I saw it too. Maybe the helpers misplaced it?” She sighed, helping her friend in searching.
“It was the best one. It was soft, lacy, full coverage, and so comfortable. I spent 200 dollars on that pair, there is no way I will lose it in just two months,” Arabella panicked as it was way out of her budget but she loved it.
But, why did she love it? It was William’s favorite color- Maroon. He liked laces in fabrics- It was lacy.
Since she announced she would move on from William, to tell Helena she bought it because William likes it was unfavorable.
Helena would hit her head to knock some senses into her.
“Argh, not even the bra but the panty too,”
As the girls were skimming through, Luke saw them, arching an eyebrow along with some frustrated helpers.
“What happened?”
“We don’t know, Sir, they said they need something in the laundry,” Their head maid shrugged.
“Them and their shenanigans,” Luke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, utterly baffled at their new adventure in the laundry and entered.
“What are you girls doing here?”
At that time, Arabella was holding Luke’s shirt accidentally to move it out of the way but Luke saw it and smirked playfully.
“Ah, Luke! You scared me!” Helena scolded, waving her hand and going back to the searching as he approached steadily.
Resting his hands in his pocket, he waited for Arabella to let go of his shirt and she subconsciously didn’t, being careful as their clothes were worth more than her yearly salary.
“Where-”
Before she could continue, a hand grabbed her wrist, halting her action as she turned and saw Luke arching an eyebrow handsomely.
“If you want my something, you can ask me directly, you cute cat,” Luke spoke teasingly, bending forward to incline his head to Arabella’s.
“Huh…?”
Realizing she was holding his shirt and he understood wrongly, she shrieked and threw it at Luke’s face, making him stumble and fall on top of her.
His one hand beside her, face extremely close to the point of their breaths blended. Helena stopped, contemplating their position.
Arabella held the hem of her dress at the unforeseen proximity, Luke was staring at the flustered woman intensely, drying his throat.
His eyes cascaded down, inducing a strange sensation but to his dismay, none of it meant anything to her.
Never thought about Luke in another context until Helena suggested after all.
Instead, she got angry and glared at him.
“Like hell! I am looking for my thing!” She hissed, hitting his chest and pushing him off as he fell on the ground, dragging him to his senses.
“Oh,” He was slightly disappointed.
Helena arched an eyebrow, giving him a questioning look. She saw her brother’s reaction.
Luke gave her a gaze ‘it’s nothing’ and regained his posture.
Clearing his throat, slightly abashed, he mumbled, “Then what are you looking for?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“Maybe I could help?”
“Come on, Bella, I will get you a new one,” Helena sighed, helping Arabella to stand and not make a mess.
“And besides, what is wrong with your memories nowadays, Bella? You have begun to lose things after things,” Helena scolded.
“I don’t know. I put them on the table one second and on the other, they are not there,” Arabella frowned, getting worried, “I don’t know what is wrong with me,”
“But, what is that? I can get it for you if it is that important,” Luke suggested out of courtesy. Helena smirked.
“N-No!”
“I mean, Luke can,” Helana suggested.
“Hey!”
“What? Is it jewelry or a scarf?” Luke asked innocently.
“Whatever it is, it’s maroon,” Helena giggled as Arabella hit her shoulder.
“Stop it, dammit!”
“So can I find it or not?” Luke asked once again but with her face turning red, Arabella shouted, “No, you can’t!”
“Fine, you don’t have to yell,” Luke groaned, rolling his eyes.
“Whatever,”
“You better consider it an offering to the ghost of my household now,”
Helena laughed as they all got out of the laundry after Arabella got her remaining clothes back.
Luke was holding his chin, speaking to himself.
“You weren’t wearing anything maroon when it was raining yesterday but yeah-” And it clicked him, “But, your strap–”
“Luke!” Arabella shouted, throwing her shirt at his face to shut his mouth before she could feel more embarrassed.
“Okay, sorry, sorry,”
“Get lost!”
Arabella shouted as he held her shirt but something wicked hit him as he checked her shirt and commented.
“At least that’s not maroon-”
“Luke!”
“Okay, okay, I am leaving!”
Laughing, he placed her shirt back on the couch and ran back to him after leaving her as a blushing mess.
After that scene, Luke fired all men for the laundry, thinking one of them stole it and like hell his dignity would allow that to happen.
Unaware it was his own brother behind such madness…