Chapter 131

Chapter 131

Chase, the butler, carried in the tea tray with careful steps. The moment he entered, he found Elowen sobbing uncontrollably.

He'd worked for the Carnegie family for over thirty years. He'd seen Elowen's devastation when she discovered her husband's affair. He'd witnessed her frantic worry when Archibald ran a high fever as a child. But he'd never seen her like this.

Like someone had ripped out her spine. Like the sky itself had caved in.

"Mrs. Carnegie." Chase set the teacup on the coffee table and lowered himself onto the ottoman beside her. "What did Mr. Wallace say?"

Elowen repeated Lloyd's words. By the end, tears were streaming down her face again. "Now that she's run, what happens to Archibald? The entire project falls on him alone. Thirty-two deaths, minimum seven years in prison... His life is over..."

Chase fell silent for a long time.

"Mrs. Carnegie." After weighing his words carefully, Chase finally gathered his courage. "There's something I'm not sure I should say."

Elowen lifted her head, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"That Mr. Martinez who works with Ms. Branpia—I've made inquiries. He's not your average lawyer. Used to be an investigative journalist. Has a network of reliable contacts, far more extensive than any ordinary firm. The plagiarism case for Ms. Branpia, the way he built that evidence chain so quickly—that was all his doing." Chase paused, choosing his next words with even greater care. "If... if Ms. Branpia were willing to help, if Mr. Martinez's people could look into Allegra's whereabouts..."

"No." Elowen shook her head immediately. "We can't go to Vivi."

"Mrs. Carnegie..." Chase tried again.

"I said no." Tears spilled from Elowen's eyes, but her tone was unyielding. "She finally escaped from Archibald. He locked her up for an entire month, pregnant, trapped in that apartment. She couldn't eat, wasted away to skin and bones. She's suffered enough. And now you want me to beg her for help? What right do I have to ask anything of her?"

Chase remained silent for a long moment, but eventually he couldn't stop himself from voicing the thought lodged in his throat. "Mrs. Carnegie, I know you care about Ms. Branpia. Honestly, so do I. But Mr. Carnegie's situation—if we don't find a solution soon, it'll be too late. Whether Allegra's dead or alive, whether she's in the country or abroad, every day that passes makes things worse. The police have their own pace, but we can search on our own. Every person we add is another chance. Mr. Martinez's connections—the Carnegie family can't compare. This isn't about making Ms. Branpia forgive Mr. Carnegie. It's just... borrowing some manpower, gathering information. Whether we find anything or not, at least we'll have tried."

Elowen clenched her fists.

She knew Chase was right. She knew this was the only path left.

But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Every time she thought of what Vivienne had endured, she felt she had no right to ask her for anything ever again.

But Archibald was her son.

The grandfather clock in the living room chimed four times, the somber sound echoing through the empty space.

Elowen sat on the sofa, tears drying and flowing, flowing and drying.

Finally, as darkness settled completely outside, she slowly stood.

"Prepare the car." Her voice came out hoarse. "We're going to the Branpia Villa."

Preston showed no particular reaction when he saw Elowen.

He didn't hate her.

Throughout this entire ordeal, Elowen had never done anything to wrong Vivienne.

She'd even taken a cane to Archibald when he'd locked Vivienne up, beating him until his back bled.

Preston knew the old woman had her principles. So he didn't turn her away.

"Mrs. Carnegie." Out of courtesy, Preston still addressed her properly. "What can I do for you?"

"I've come to ask you for something." Elowen lowered herself. "I know I have no right to be here, and I know Vivi doesn't want to see anyone from the Carnegie family. But I'm out of options."

Preston watched her silently, waiting.

Elowen didn't beat around the bush. She laid out everything about Allegra's disappearance from beginning to end.

By the time she finished, her voice had dissolved into barely coherent sobs. "That Mr. Martinez who works with Vivi—we've learned he has certain connections. We'd like to ask him to help locate Allegra. The police are investigating too, but we want to do what we can. The sooner we find Allegra, the lighter Archibald's sentence might be. More importantly, as long as Allegra's out there, Vivi isn't safe. The person she hates most isn't my son—it's Vivi. If she finds out Vivi's still in the country, she'll come after her again."

Elowen's tears were unstoppable now.

She forced herself to continue. "I'm not here to ask Vivi to forgive Archibald. What he did is unforgivable. I just... I just want to borrow Mr. Martinez's resources to gather information. Whether we find anything or not, I'll accept it. If Vivi refuses, I'll leave right now and never disturb her again."

Preston remained silent for a long time.

Looking at the tear-stained old woman before him, memories surfaced.

He remembered when Elowen first visited years ago, how she'd held Vivienne's hand and promised to love her like her own daughter.

All these years, she'd kept that promise.

Preston couldn't fault Elowen for any of this. The one who'd lost his mind was Archibald. That wasn't on her.

"Vivi's not here." Preston finally spoke. "But I can have her call you. Whether she helps or not is her decision. If she refuses, you leave and don't come back."

Elowen froze, then nodded frantically.

Tears streaming down her face, she didn't even bother wiping them away. "Thank you... thank you..."

Preston turned and went inside. Moments later he emerged with his phone, dialing Vivienne's number.

After a few rings, Vivienne's voice came through. Preston explained briefly, then handed the phone to Elowen.

"Vivi?" Elowen's voice shook. "It's me..."

She paused, then quickly corrected herself. "I'm... I'm calling because there's something I need to ask of you..."

Trembling, she recounted everything again.

"I understand." After Elowen finished, Vivienne's voice came through the receiver. "I can give you Mr. Martinez's number. Ask him to help with the search—he'll do what he can. But I can't guarantee what he'll find."

Fresh tears spilled from Elowen's eyes.

She opened her mouth to say thank you, but the words felt too inadequate. Instead she asked, "Vivi, how have you been? Is your body holding up? Carrying twins must be exhausting. Have you hired a nutritionist? Are you sleeping well at night? Is there anything bothering you?"