Chapter 44 Suspensions

Chapter 44 Suspensions
Cassius,

" Send them a legal notice with warning that any further misuse of social media will bring them consequences. I won't tolerate their stupidity."
My voice was too calm. The kind of calm born from restraint. The kind that weighed heavily on my spine. I could feel the muscles around my jaw hardening with every word. The room felt warmer than usual, but my hands were cold.

I was fine with people calling me monster, ruthless and cruel. I had lived under those names long enough for them to feel like ordinary shadows. But dragging someone else into my mess created a sharp, twisting irritation in my chest. It felt like someone digging their nails inside my ribs.

" Okay, Your Majesty."

" And put a statement that I have no relationship with Armilia Foxbrown. Just because my mother thought it was okay. That doesn't mean I will allow her."

Julian hesitated for half a second. His brows tensed, his throat tightened, but he swallowed whatever he wanted to say. He simply bowed and walked out, closing the door behind him. The click of the handle echoed louder than it should have. The silence that followed felt stretched thin.

The inner chamber door opened slowly.

Queen Mother entered with footsteps that were sharper than usual. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her scent carried irritation, disappointment, and something darker that instantly tightened my shoulders. My heartbeat steadied, preparing for another pointless argument.

" If you are here to nag about Ms Thorne, you may shut up, Mom. If you didn't try to bring some random woman "

" She is your mate."

Her voice trembled between anger and desperation. My eyelids twitched.

" Mate?" My eyes narrowed until the room blurred slightly around the edges. A bitter metallic taste coated the back of my tongue.

" Since when she turned out my mate? I didn't even feel anything at all to have her as my mate."

" What?" She gasped as if she wasn't aware of this. "Why are you lying? Is it because of that woman? I am telling you. Don't dare to-"

" Your Majesty! It's urgent!"

A guard burst inside as if the ground was collapsing behind him. Sweat clung to his forehead, his breath shaky, fear pouring off him.

My internal anger shifted instantly into cold alertness.
" What's wrong?"The temperature in my voice dropped so fast the air felt still.

Mother sighed dramatically and collapsed onto the couch, crossing her arms as if this interruption was nothing more than a minor annoyance.

The guard opened his mouth, voice trembling.
" Your Majesty. The guards from the dungeon said Lady Jennifer has thrown herself into the Ocean. She killed herself this morning."

My eyes widened. My chest tightened suddenly, painfully, making it hard to breathe for a moment. My stomach dropped like I had been pushed off a cliff. A faint ringing filled my ears.

Mother jumped up so fast the chair creaked behind her. Her complexion drained until her skin looked almost grey.

" What did you just say?" Her voice cracked. " She killed herself?"

" Yes. They said she killed two guards and escaped the dungeon last night. Today, two fishermen saw her jumping into the ocean but couldn't retrieve her body." The guard explained briefly.

A heat and coldness mixed unpleasantly in my body. My throat felt tight. I couldn’t place whether I was angry, shocked, confused, or all three colliding violently.

I looked at Mother with growing disbelief. " What the hell is happening, Mom? Why am I not aware of anything?"

" I..."

" Don't tell me. It's something related to you. You are using me and Miss Thorne to cover this."

Her eyes widened in offense and instant panic.
" You think I killed her and used you to cover this news?"

My jaw tensed. " Isn't it? Mom. This is not the first time you did something like this either."

My voice was quiet, but that quietness carried fire. My heartbeat felt like it was punching my ribs.

She stared at me as if she didn’t recognize me.
" What... What are you talking about? I am your mother. Don't forget that."

" You know what I am talking about. So stop acting innocent. Whatever you do is your matter. But keep my business partners and important individuals far away from this nonsense."

" You cannot speak to me with that tone. I am your mother. Also I have nothing to do with her death. She brought it upon herself. She slept with your father and even with Klint like a shameless Bitch.. Maybe she deserves "

She stopped breathing mid-sentence.

Her hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes widened in horror. Her pupils shrank as she realized exactly what she had just revealed.

I felt my entire body freeze. " Dad was cheating on you?"

My voice barely held together. Something brittle cracked inside me.

My heartbeat went erratic. My throat felt tight, painful. I could feel heat climbing up my neck, throbbing behind my ears.

She turned away, hugging herself, fingers digging into her arms as if she could hold her bones from falling apart. Her breath shook. Her eyes filled.

" Seems like old habits die hard. How long had he been doing it behind your back?"
My tone was quiet but laced with disgust and disbelief.

" I don't know. I didn't have any chance to ask. But I think they have been doing it for ten years."

" Ten years? You mean since she came here?"

" Maybe they knew each other long before we met first."

My jaw clenched so hard I felt a sharp pain shoot up to my temple. I exhaled sharply, the sound harsh and unsteady.

" So soon after you learned about it, her other affairs came out? Publicly humiliating her?"

She flinched visibly. Her breath caught.

" What's with that tone? You think I publicly humiliated her? I didn't even know someone had that video."

" Then who would dare to plant such a video? Nobody has that audacity to collect it."

" I don't know. I don't understand why you are accusing me. I didn't do anything."

Her voice cracked at the end. She turned and stormed out, wiping tears that wouldn’t stop falling.

The room fell completely silent.

The silence felt heavy, almost suffocating. Dust particles floated lazily in the slanted sunlight, and even that felt too loud. My hands were trembling slightly, a tension humming under my skin that I couldn’t shake. My mind raced but every thought collided into another.

Then who did it? Who would dare? Who had access? Who could move without being noticed?

A cold uncertainty crawled up my spine. Just then, my phone vibrated on the table.

A message from Faustina. " Let's talk. Do you have free time?"