CHAPTER 98: SECOND CHANCE? (1)

It all happened too fast for Shelby to comprehend the exact sequence of what occured before the other. All she felt was Ian’s fingers that had been caressing her freeze. He placed a gentle kiss on her, got up and set her down gently on the seat he had just vacated. She could feel the cold air rush through where he had just vacated. She was used to James’ words and found nothing wrong with what he had said then. But clearly, Ian did not like it.

He dashed across the room in what Shelby could have sworn was just one step. But she was not even sure of that. It was Ian’s subsequent actions that seemed to change the whole atmosphere of the room. Absolute silence reigned.

Have you ever had one of those moments where your anxiety took over so fast and quick that you feel your nervous system almost break down? Like when you literally did not know what to feel, but you knew that you had to give a nudge to your brain so that it at least got the other organs moving in your body? Whatever that meant. Yep! That was the exact feeling that ran through Shelby.

James was not anywhere near the list of people that Shelby liked, but he was her mother’s husband, and as much as she hated the man’s guts, she couldn’t stand to see him killed in front of her.

Note that the problem Shelby could see at that time was the act being done in front of her. If, for some reason, he accidentally died somewhere else where she did not witness it, then all she had to do was console her mum....

A small part of her lit up at the prospect of seeing this happen. She took a tight reign of her emotions as guilt ran through her. ’What am I even thinking of?’

Was that near-impossible death about to happen in front of her? She had no idea, but she did wonder what Ian had said to make James’ already shocked demeanour appear as if the shock would kill him before Ian did. One could not blame Shelby’s state of mind at that time, considering what she had gone through with James. If the fates had not been on her side, she might not have lived to even see what was unfolding.

As she watched her husband choke the living daylights out of her step-father, she felt something stir in her. It was like bad-girl Shelby had been awaken. She let her eyes linger on Ian’s forearms that had the veins bulging out because of the pressure he was exerting, and she could not believe that she felt herself get turned on. ’Oh no! Shelby!’

Ian tightened his grip on James’ throat, cutting off his air supply, not seeing the small audience he had, and frankly, he did not care. He just had a small part of him that thought of the fact that he might not like the little one’s reaction. That was the only thing that kept him grounded.

He gritted his teeth and asked, "Tell me one good reason why I should not snap your neck right now! Just one!"

James struggled, both of his hands coming up on Ian’s as he tried to get himself free, scratching the larger hands that were squeezing the life out of him. It was futile for he was like an ant in Ian’s grip.

His face tinged a deep shade of red, and then purple, almost turning blue from the lack of oxygen. He wondered why no one was coming to his aid. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the slightly raised eyebrow of Geneva. Alex just had a stoic face.

’What the fuck is wrong with this family?! They would watch on as their son this did?’

Alex dropped his head in his hand and asked his wife, "Remind me why I wanted Ian back again?"

Geneva placed her teacup down and waited. She knew Ian might not go through with it. ’Might not’, because she wasn’t so sure.

’Just how had James offended Ian? Ian is impulsive and direct but never to the point of behaving recklessly like that! Just what in the world was going on?’

Ian never did things without cause. But Geneva knew interrupting him would have the opposite effect instead. She gripped her hands tightly, waiting... just as Alex did, for they knew him.

They had wanted him back out of his room, so they had to shoulder what he came out with. It had been so long that they had almost forgotten how Ian functioned.

The surprise for Geneva was when she looked over at Shelby and her reaction to the scene unfolding.

James, on the other hand was really in for a surprise because his secret was out. He struggled, as Ian growled more than whispered,

"...Especially when you have tried to kill my wife! And you better say it fast because I may be patient, but my hands are not!"

He opened his mouth as tears ran down his face. On the last string of his life, the trembly voice of Katie interrupted and said,

"M-ma-ster Ian, they are here...."

She thought that Ian had not heard her, but she did not dare go closer nor say the same words again.

Ian brought the struggling man nearer, his gaze still cold and said with a smirk,

"You do not ever touch or even think of touching her again. Do you understand?"

Then Ian dropped James like a bag of potatoes.

James coughed loudly several times, scrambling back on the floor. He tried to suck in as much air as he could, nodding vigorously that he understood. He rubbed his neck sharply in despair. His gaze on Ian did not need an interpretation. He was scared so much that he wanted to disappear, but he was not yet out of his nightmare.

’What the fuck is wrong with him... and just how did he know of this thing. Shelby had lost her memory, and there was no one there that night. What is this? Did she lie? If she did not lose her memory, then did she think that she had a backer now, so she was spilling the beans? Is that what was happening?’ James was not even sure of his own analogy, but he did not know how Ian could have known that.

’I verified that her memory was really lost so.... Is he a freak?!’

Ian opened his hand, and Currey appeared with a handkerchief, which he used to wipe his hands slowly. He turned, and those beautiful blue eyes stared back at him. He winked at her.

Stunned, she blushed. That small act made Ian release a sigh. She was not upset!

He had been enraged and had not thought through his actions, but with that reaction from her, he relaxed to go about his ’work’.

He turned to find a long double line of the workers. Those people were equally scared shitless. Why wouldn’t they? They had just witnessed this as well, and most of them knew of James’ relation to the family. They sent helpless looks towards the older Thornstons, but it did not look like any help was coming from there.

It looked like the fifteen minutes had passed already, and he had not noticed. He handed the handkerchief back to Currey and then spoke out.

"Let’s get some things straightened out first: Who opened the estate gates for James this morning?"

He did not even bother to address him with their relationship. The thing was, Ian did not wait for the answer and just added, "fire him. I do not need anyone who kowtows and sucks up to guests as a gatekeeper. He should know who should come in and who should not!"

Katie bowed and made a quick call. She had seen so much within the span of a few minutes to say anything.

Ian continued, "I’ll ask this question once!"

"Who gave him information about what is going on in here?" He did not need to refer to James as they all knew of whom.

He took a slow, leisurely walk along the long line of impeccably dressed workers. A few were still in their fieldwork gear, though. Some trembled so much that they could not hold themselves up. Suzie was in the line as well ... trembling as if she was about to faint.

’I have to hold up for my mistress’s sake.’ She clenched her teeth tightly and stood her ground even though her eyes glistened with tears.

James was still on the floor, struggling to compose himself but failing miserably.

"Help my father-in-law up!"

It was a bit surprising that Ian had used the ’father-in-law’ term then. Two strong men came out of the line and held James by either arm. Even though he struggled, they did not relent and ’helped’ him onto the chair that had been vacant since it had been allocated to him earlier that morning.

Satisfied, as the men fell back in line, Ian stopped by one man and then turned to Katie, who was not far from him.

"Did you train them?"

"Y-yes, master Ian."

He looked hard at the man before him and asked the question yet again.

"Why did you feed him internal information?"

"I-" The man hesitated a bit, unsure of how to answer the question.

"Did they go through that training? When was he hired?"

Katie answered the question spontaneously.

"Ok." Ian nodded.

Suddenly, his hand snaked around the man’s neck and then, snap! The man fell as the life left him.

Shocked gasps filled the room.

"IAN THORNSTON!"

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