Tick tok tick tok.
It felt like my heart had synchronized with the movements of the clock's second arm. Why? Because it was the only prominent sound in the room. Next to that, the only thing that was louder yet soundless was Mr. Sinclair's intimidating facial expressions, sending many mixed signals. It was so confusing that I couldn't tell whether we were going to prison or receiving a massive reward.
I turned to Frank for an answer. He was more of a mess than me. His face was like a waterfall of sweat. We seemed to be in a heap of trouble. I returned my attention to Mr. Sinclair, prepared to beg him for mercy if things got out of hand.
Mr. Sinclair tapped his fingers on his desk, glaring at us peasants standing before him. "In my absence, something has happened in this house. To say I feel betrayed and angry is an understatement because I am enraged at this treacherous act. I require names, dates, and some serious explanations."
My heart pounded with guilt. He was undoubtedly talking about his wife's affair with their son's live-in doctor. Mary was as good as dead now. There was no hope for her. Frank and I were law-abiding citizens and had never been disloyal to a powerful partner. We also had a decent chance of making it to heaven after death. Well, I could only say that about me because Frank was too materialistic for heaven. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins, making him more hell-material.
"Sir, I have no involvement in this. It's all Amelia. She is the one who encouraged this sin," said Frank, pointing the finger at me. That shameless man had no problem throwing me into the fire pit to save himself.
"You jerk!" I lashed out at Frank. "How is this my fault? I didn't force her to do it. No one asked for my permission. They are two consenting adults who did this for their pleasure and happiness."
Mr. Sinclair's eyes darted from Frank to me. He furrowed his brows at me. "How are you involved in my son's engagement? Are you his fiancé's sister?"
"What?" I blurted out, bewildered. He had been referring to my engagement with Nathan all that time. I covered my mouth in horror. I had spoken so much. Had I accidentally made him suspect more?
Frank pushed me aside, taking a seat on his desk. "No, sir. It's all her fault because she is the fiancé. Her beauty and charms captivated Mr. Nathaniel Sinclair so much that he couldn't wait to inform his father before putting a ring on her finger. Do you want to sue her for this? I am sure there is a prison for love."
I giggled nervously. "Guilty!" I said, raising my hands.
Mr. Sinclair rose from his seat in such a rush that my body shuddered. "So you are the fiancé I have heard so much about from my only loyal servants in this house." He gave Frank a mean side eye as he walked up to me. "Why did you refer to yourself and Nathan as two other people while defending yourself?"
"Uh." I averted his gaze. Was it all I had said? I couldn't remember what had come out of my mouth as I was ready to throw anyone under the bus. "Out of fear, sir. I didn't know how you would react. The engagement happened so soon that I had no time to learn about Nathan's family."
He gazed at me questionably and grabbed my hand without a warning. I felt traumatized until he gripped the giant diamond on my finger. Was he about to snatch it from me?
"This is my mother's ring," he spoke, looking at it with obsessive admiration. "Do you know the value of this?"
"No, sir," I replied, trying to safely slip my hand from his strong and slightly creepy grip. "I have never had a diamond this big to know it's exact worst. The only one I owned before was micro-sized."
"I am not talking about it's monetary worth." He lifted his eyes with a delightful smile. "Are you aware of its emotional worth? It has been passed down several generations. Every bride had a prosperous life full of love and happiness wearing it. This ring symbolizes romance and a promise of eternal love."
Wow. I took a closer look at the precious rock on my ring. I didn't know it had that much significance. Why did Nathan give away such a priceless family heirloom to a woman he wasn't entirely sure about? I automatically blushed at the thought of meaning more to him than what he expressed.
Mr. Sinclair released the ring and warmly shook my hand. "Thank you for bringing light back to my beloved son's life. He had lost himself amid this painful disease. I can't thank you enough." His gratitude made me smile. It was too soon to say anything, but he seemed more sensible, well-put-together, and friendlier than his wife. "I have beef with my wife and everyone else on my property who chose not to inform me about this mindblowing news. Let's go to Mary right now. She is looking after another heirloom that I wish you to have."
As pleased I was to be treated properly by someone in that house, I couldn't allow him to see his wife. She had gone to have a word with Doctor Williams. If I let him go to her at that moment, he would discover her disloyalty himself.
"Sir, she is occupied elsewhere. We should do that some other time. I wish to chat with you. Nathan isn't very chatty. So it's better to learn about this family by myself," I changed the subject.
"Good." Mr. Sinclair adjusted his sleeves. "Allow me to make this easier for you. I will do as I wish, and everyone must happily oblige with me." He linked our arms, forcing me to move and walk with him.