Chapter 71 A DRAWN LINE
The ringing of the doorbell woke me up, and I dragged myself to answer it. It was the delivery man. I had only ordered something for Nancy earlier and couldn’t add extra takeout because it had been urgent.
It was already mid-afternoon, and Jaxon hadn’t left her side once. I figured he had to be starving by now, so I decided to order something in.
I tipped the delivery guy, thanking him, before carrying the food inside. As I stepped back into the living room, Jaxon walked in as well.
He looked terrible.
His hair was a complete mess, sticking out in rough patches, and his eyes held so much exhaustion it almost unsettled me. This trip hadn’t gone anywhere close to what I expected.
“Want some porridge?” I asked, holding up the takeout bag.
He simply nodded before walking toward the dining table, his eyes glued to his phone like the world depended on whatever was on the screen.
“You really need to give yourself a break, or you’ll end up in worse condition than Nancy,” I said, unpacking the food for both of us.
“I’m fine,” he replied flatly. “But we have a bigger situation at hand. The girl from last night died at the hospital yesterday, and Nancy thinks something is off about her death.”
That caught my attention.
“The doctor said she was fine and even told Nancy to get her something to eat. But minutes later, she was coughing up blood.”
He paused, jaw tightening.
“And someone paid her hospital bills. Anonymous.”
That didn’t sit right.
“I want you to look into this once we get back to Hollowmere,” he continued, finally lifting his gaze to meet mine. “I want everything you can gather about that hospital — the workers, the owners, even the founders.”
His voice grew colder.
“And the girl — Zoe. They refused to run an autopsy on her. I want you to dig into her life too. Find out whose family debt she was paying and how she ended up at the mercy of Scorpion and his team. I already sent you the small details I have.”
I studied him carefully. There was anger beneath his calm. Controlled. Focused. Dangerous.
“I understand. I’ll look into whatever you want me to,” I said quietly. “But first, eat your food before it gets cold.”
Right now, I was more worried about him than anything else.
I waited until he took a bite or two before saying…
“And also, the witch is in Hollowmere.”
He paused.
The spoon that was already halfway to his mouth slowly dropped back into the bowl as he lifted his eyes to stare at me. The shift in him was instant. The air between us grew heavy.
“When did this happen?” he asked, his jaw tightening so hard it looked painful, like I had just added another unbearable weight to the load he was already struggling to carry.
“Yesterday. Your father wanted me to let you know that she will be attending the branch opening tomorrow,” I informed him carefully.
The reaction was immediate.
He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, his fingers gripping the strands as anger settled into his eyes like a storm cloud rolling in without warning. His breathing changed. Sharper. Harder.
Maybe I should have waited until he had eaten half his plate before telling him.
“I don’t understand,” he snapped, his voice rising despite his effort to control it. “What does her presence at the opening have to do with me or the branch? I thought moving to Hollowmere meant him keeping her away from me!”
The frustration in his voice wasn’t just about her. It was deeper than that. It was old wounds reopening.
Before I could say anything else, he grabbed his phone and stormed off, his chair scraping harshly against the floor.
Great. Just great.
I stared at the barely touched bowl of porridge in front of him. The steam that had once risen warmly from it had already faded. Slowly, I dropped my own spoon.
I just lost my appetite as well.
Jaxon returned almost immediately, but the frown on his face hadn’t left. If anything, it had deepened, carving itself into his features.
“Book us an evening flight back to Hollowmere,” he said, not sparing me a single glance.
His tone was firm. Decided. Final.
“Oh… is Nancy strong enough to fly?” I asked carefully.
He picked up his spoon again and resumed eating, but it wasn’t natural. He wasn’t tasting the food. He was forcing it down, like it was just another task to complete.
“She said she will be fine.”
I nodded slowly and resumed eating too, though my focus wasn’t on the food. It was on him. On the way his shoulders remained tense even while seated. On the way his jaw flexed with every bite.
He cleared the bowl in record time, as if the faster he finished, the faster he could return to his anger.
Afterward, he poured himself a glass of water and drank it in one go.
“What did you discuss with the boss yesterday night?” I asked, bracing myself for whatever answer would follow. I was expecting the worst.
Instead, his eyes darkened in a different way.
“He wants me to stay away from whatever business involves Ravyn Vale and Falcone,” he said bitterly. “But not on my watch. I’m done taking his nonsense.”
His voice wasn’t loud this time.
It was colder.
“This was exactly what happened five years ago,” he continued, his hand tightening around the empty glass. “And it cost me lives. But this time around, I’m not letting it go. I don’t care what it’s going to cost me.”
There it was.
That haunted look.
That guilt he never truly spoke about.
Before I could say anything, he pulled out two pills — the small white ones I immediately recognized as his sleeping pills — and tossed them into his mouth. He swallowed them down with the remaining water in the glass without hesitation.
He was still angry.
Still burning.
And the worst part?
He looked like a man preparing for war — even if it meant destroying himself in the process.
“I will be going to rest in the study. Look after Nancy and order her something when she’s hungry.”
With that, he left.
Everything is just driving me crazy.
The mere thought of Jaxon starting a war with the boss already made me feel sick to my stomach because I know it wouldn’t end well. It never does.
I managed to swallow the rest of my own bowl of porridge, even though it suddenly tasted bland and heavy in my mouth, before standing up to clear the table. My appetite was long gone, replaced by a thick knot of dread sitting at the base of my throat.
Just thinking about everything already had me exhausted — and tomorrow hadn’t even begun.
I don’t think Jaxon will allow the witch to attend the opening tomorrow, even though she’s supposed to be there — as his mother and as one of the founders and owners. The irony alone is enough to ignite him.
He had already strictly instructed me to reject any transfer workers coming from the main branch — the one the witch now controls.
This is already trouble.
No… this is already war.
And it’s not going to be good for the company’s reputation. Investors will talk. Staff will whisper. The media will sniff around if things escalate.
But I could tell Jaxon was done pretending to be the obedient son.
He was done bowing his head. Done being anyone’s puppet.
As much as I admired that fire in him — that refusal to bend anymore — I knew it was going to cost him. Power struggles like this never come without casualties.
But then again… the line had already been drawn.
And there was no turning back now.