Chapter 126: All the Jumble

126\. All the Jumble

“What is that thing?”

Leo nearly shouted as he stepped out of the hospital room, followed by Victor, who was bleeding from his forehead.

“What’s wrong, Victor?”

Eirene, who had just arrived at the hospital, looked at the chaos and asked, puzzled. Samuel stood silently in the corner; his head bowed.

“Like father, like daughter.”

Victor muttered coldly, wiping the blood from his forehead as he walked away.

“What happened to his head?”

Eirene asked again, more alarmed now.

“That’s your daughter’s masterpiece… blood runs deep.”

Leonard chuckled, casting a quick glance at Samuel as he delivered the line.

“What? Why? Lucia’s never done anything like this before.”

To Eirene, Lucy was still the sweet, simple little girl she raised.

“Well, she doesn’t like Victor speaking on Samuel’s behalf. So, she started throwing things… just like her father.”

Leonard shrugged, casually revealing what had unfolded in the hospital room.

“Where’s Stella? Did you come alone?”

Eirene tried shifting the topic.

“She’s the one who dragged me here after hearing about Lucia’s kidnapping. She’s reporting to HQ but will be here soon.”

Leonard replied, moving closer to Samuel with a mischievous glint, clearly trying to provoke an emotional reaction.

As Eirene turned to enter the room, Leonard’s voice stopped her, this time laced with seriousness.

“I think she’s starting to figure it out… about Samuel. You should tell her the truth… and take her with you for now.”

Eirene gave a brief nod and glanced once more at Samuel before walking into the ward.

Victor, after getting his wound treated, handled Lucy's discharge. Without speaking much, it was mutually decided, Eirene would take Lucy back to her apartment. Given the child’s fragile mental state and her complete refusal to speak with Samuel, there was no other option.

As things were being arranged, Eirene quietly approached Samuel.

They hadn’t spoken since confronting Caser. Eirene had either spent her time beside Lucy or confiding in Aanya, overwhelmed by the chaos surrounding Beatrix’s legacy.

“I’ll talk to her about you once she’s feeling better.”

She said softly. Samuel hadn’t smiled since. His usual smirk, his sharp remarks, they were all gone.

“It’s a punishment I have to accept.”

He said, voice low and bitter, before attempting to change the topic.

“So… what’s your plan? How are you going to use me?”

He tried to smile, but it was hollow, lacking his usual playfulness.

“Well, if he wins, the tables will turn. He’ll be untouchable.”

Eirene’s words were vague. She hadn’t told Samuel about her father’s will yet.

“He’s not going to win. Don’t worry.”

Samuel’s confidence was striking, almost infectious. For a fleeting moment, Eirene wanted to believe him blindly.

“How can you be so sure?”

She asked, eyes narrowing.

But Samuel simply gave a faint smile and replied,

“I’ve secured Beatrix’s executives… and the lawyers. After the election, get ready for the board meeting. We’re taking everything back.”

He didn’t elaborate further, but in a matter-of-fact tone, he laid out the very strategy Eirene had been agonizing over for days. It sounded so simple when he said it.

Eirene opened her mouth to ask for more details, but at that moment, Stella burst in.

“Eirene! How’s Lucy?”

She was panting, clearly having run all the way.

“She’s fine. We’re just about to take her home.”

Eirene replied, and the two women headed toward Lucy’s room, leaving Samuel behind, alone in the corridor.

Eirene did feel bad for Samuel. She knew how much he cared about Lucy. But a part of her was selfish, if Lucy continued to hate Samuel, it would make winning custody so much easier after everything ended.

She hadn’t yet gotten the chance to tell Stella everything that had happened over the past few months, her inheritance from Alice, the kidnapping, even the twisted circumstances surrounding it all. But to her surprise, Stella already knew. In fact, she had returned early because of it.

When Eirene asked her how, Stella simply said,

“Leo told me,”

then quietly returned her attention to Lucy, offering no further explanation.

Soon, everything was settled. From the window, Eirene could see several guards stationed below. Samuel had gone so far as to purchase multiple apartments on the same floor, placing his men there for extra security. Even the door lock had been changed, and a camera was installed at Stella’s modest apartment entrance.

Eirene kept silent until Lucy fell asleep. Though she was recovering and, as always, didn’t feel pain, she looked exhausted. Her spirit, once defiant and bold, was now quiet and fragile. After taking her medicine, she drifted off without a word.

In the small living hall, Eirene finally had the space to breathe and to speak. She shared everything with Stella in detail. Though Leonard had already told her bits and pieces, Stella had never known the full story.

So, Eirene told her. Everything.

From Samuel’s deception, posing as a gardener just to retrieve some documents, to the day he cheated death just to confuse her. Eirene had barely finished when Stella suddenly interrupted with a shocking truth.

“It was the biggest raid in history,” she said.

“And the mastermind behind it was none other than Carter Beatrix. He was known for his unmatched strategies. That’s also why Samuel’s father’s documents ended up in his hands.”

Eirene stared at her in disbelief. The bond between their families wasn’t as simple as it once seemed.

“Are you saying… my father was involved in Samuel’s father’s death?”

She asked cautiously.

“Not just involved,” Stella replied.

“He was the leading force behind the entire operation. That’s why our country has such low rates of drug smuggling even today. Carter Beatrix is considered a hero, at least in the eyes of the law.”

There was admiration in Stella’s voice as she spoke of him. But Eirene felt a strange pang in her chest. The lines between right and wrong had never been blurrier. Still, she chose not to tell Samuel, and Stella advised the same. Some truths, for now, were better left unsaid.

Sensing Eirene’s unease, Stella gently changed the subject, asking about the Beatrix family and her mother, Alice.

Eirene told her everything she had learned so far about Alice’s past and the inheritance she had left behind. As she spoke of the tragedies that unfolded during Stella’s absence, Stella sat quietly, her expression clouded with guilt.

Knowing that so much had happened while she was away, and that she couldn’t be there for Eirene when it mattered, made her feel helpless. Useless.

“I’ll always be there for you,”

Stella said softly once Eirene had finished. She seemed unsure what else to offer, knowing now that Eirene was not only wealthy but married to someone even more powerful.

Still, Eirene felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted. She shifted the conversation to Stella’s trip, asking how things had gone.

They talked until late, eventually falling asleep in the living hall. The sofa was small and uncomfortable, but the quiet moments they shared were warm and comforting.

For the first time in a long while, they slept peacefully, wrapped in the soft kind of silence that only true friendship can offer.

But unknown to them, Samuel hadn’t just installed a camera or a security system; he had added something else.

In the darkened bedroom, he sat silently, listening to every word Eirene and Stella exchanged. The audio came through crystal clear. His eyes, shadowed by the dim light, held a storm of unreadable emotions.