Chapter 96 Through the garden
CHAPTER 96: Through the garden
Lily
“Come in,” Silas’s heavy voice reverberated from the other side of the door.
I took a deep breath, and pushed the heavy door open. It creaked open, and I stepped into the office, my heart performing a frantic, uneven rhythm against my ribs as the sheer weight of the tension in the room hit me.
Silas was standing beside the window, his expression, stern and hard like it was carved from granite. Chancey was leaning against the bookshelf. His eyes softened a little the moment they landed on me. Their presence was so imposing that my nerves skyrocketed instantly. I felt like a small vulnerable bird that had accidentally flown into a storm.
Chauncey straightened. “Lily.”
“You forgot this on the table,” I whispered, stepping toward him, holding out his cellphone.
After Silas had gone after him, I saw that he had forgotten his phone beside his untouched plate.
He checked the pockets of his leather jacket for the phone but found nothing. He then reached for the device with a look of genuine surprise, his fingers brushing mine for a fleeting second.
“I didn't even realise I’d left it behind. Thank you, Lily.”
I smiled, still rooted to the spot, my fingers twisting the fabric of my skirt.
I was worried about him, and wanted to ask him if he was okay. His beautiful eyes still held that fractured, stormy light that I saw at the dining hall, no matter how he tried to mask it with a smile.
Claudia.
That woman had spilled poison into the air. I had already decided I didn't like her. Whether or not she was his twin, I didn't care. She was someone who carried a jagged edge that seemed designed to draw blood.
I glanced nervously at Silas, who looked like he wasn't interested in anything we were saying, but wasn't ready to leave the room either. The silence was tense and unbearable.
Chauncey must have sensed my reluctance to speak in front of his brother, because his expression softened marginally as he slipped his phone back into his jacket.
“Would you care to go on a walk in the garden, Lily? I could use the air,” he smiled.
My eyes widened in surprise. “Yes,” I blurted out, the word escaping before I could even process the surge of happiness that followed. “Of course. I’d like that very much.”
Silas shot a sharp, questioning look at his brother, but Chauncey simply shook his head. “I need to clear my head, brother. I'll be back soon. Give me twenty minutes.”
Silas nodded, his gaze critical as the younger Rutherford opened the door and waited for me to leave first.
The garden was a sprawling sanctuary of manicured hedges and blooming roses, and a bunch of other flowers that I didn't know.
Chauncey shoved his hands into his pockets, and closed his eyes briefly, deeply breathing in the crisp, cool air. “It's always beautiful here.”
I didn't care about the garden. Vera had been begging me for a long time to join her on walks here, but I had always refused.
I smiled. “Yes. It is,” I replied, falling in step beside him while so many questions burned in my throat.
We walked in silence for a few minutes, while I stealthily stole side glances at him—at the way his eyes and the tiny diamond studs in his nose caught the light. His skin was healthy and polished, glowing in the midday sun. He smelled heavenly too, and I had never seen anyone wear a slicked man bun so well.
Chauncey Rutherford was just handsome— a work of art. He was quite older, but he was much more attractive and appealing than the sweaty, acne-faced, hormonal jocks back in high-school.
Plus he was a Rutherford. He was powerful, influential and wealthy, just like Silas, and I wanted all of that too.
After a few minutes, I finally found my voice. “I’m so sorry about what happened back there. In the dining room. It was quite... intense. Does…this happen often?” I asked hesitantly.
He glanced briefly at me, then focused straight ahead. “Don't worry about it,” he sighed.
“But you're obviously still affected.”
“I’ll be fine. Besides, you weren't the one who lit the fire. Actually, I should be the one apologizing for losing my temper. For storming out like an angry child,” he added with a small apologetic smile at me.
I beamed back at him. “It's fine.”
“If I stayed, it might have been worse.”
He stopped by a stone fountain and looked at me, his gaze searching. “You really want to ask, don't you?” he folded his arms against his chest.
“Ask what?”
“The question you've been dying to ask since my sister opened her loud mouth. Who was Sam?”
I felt a hot flush creep up my neck, a bitter spark of jealousy igniting in my chest despite my best efforts to suppress it. “You’re right. I was quite curious,” I admitted, trying to sound casual. “That's if you don't mind,” I added hastily.
He shrugged. “It's okay. Besides, it's all in the past now.”
“What was she like?”
“She was my fiancée, and she was once the most beautiful woman I had ever seen,” he said, his voice devoid of its usual warmth.
I was so tempted to ask him who was currently the most beautiful woman to him. It had to be me, though.
“She broke up with me,” he continued. “She chose a career in Europe over a life here…with me. And that was that. She mailed me the ring and hopped on the plane.”
I gasped softly. “That must have hurt.”
“The worst period of my entire life.”
I could still hear the pain in his voice. My own jealousy, threatening to choke me. I was envious of a woman I didn't even know…over a man that wasn't even mine—yet.
“Did you love her a lot?” I asked, the words feeling like shards of glass.
He stared at me. “Yes. I loved her so much that I was going to marry her.” He shrugged. “I was a fool to think she wanted the same thing,” he replied. “I thought she was the one.”
“And now she's back?”
He nodded.
“Well, I think she’s a fool,” I blurted out, the heat of the moment overriding my filter.
His brow rose high in amused surprise.
“I'd never let you go if I were your girlfriend. I’d never choose anything or anyone over you.”
As soon as the words left my lips, I stilled. The air between us suddenly felt charged, and I realized with a jolt of terror that I had let my feelings slip.
Now he might scold or avoid me.
I waited for the distance, for the cold, crushing rejection, fearing that I had destroyed the only bridge I had to him.
To my surprise, he let out a light, melodic laugh. My gaze snapped up to him as he reached out and patted me fondly on the head; like an adult would a child, the gesture so brotherly it made my heart ache for an entirely different reason.
“That was really sweet, Lily. You have a big heart… just like your sister.”
I forced a smile, feeling relieved but profoundly unhappy. It was a bittersweet moment. He saw me as a child. He didn't see the woman who wanted him to be hers, regardless of the years between us. I had graduated high school, and was turning nineteen in a few days, I was not a child.
Before I could say anything else, his phone buzzed.
He pulled it out, “Excuse me, one sec.”
He answered, his tone shifting into a professional steel as he spoke to the caller who was definitely from his team.
I stood close enough to overhear the conversation. They needed him at the exhibition immediately. Something about some of the clients wanting to meet with him personally.
When he hung up, I feigned ignorance, tilting my head. I smiled, close-lipped and looking innocent. “Is everything okay?”
“The gallery,” he said, checking his watch. “I have to go. My presence is needed for a final walk-through amidst other things.”
“Really? Could I... could I go with you?” I asked, my voice hopeful. “I've never actually been to an art gallery or a real exhibition before.”
Chauncey looked at me, and for a second, the “charming” version of him returned. He smiled, nodding with little to no hesitation.
“Won't you rather get some rest?”
“No. Jetlag. I'm kind of restless, actually.”
“Okay. Why not?” He shrugged. “It’ll get you out of this house for a while. Come on, let's go.”