CHAPTER 270: AUGUST VISITOR

The stranger staggered in, trailing the storm behind him. His breathing came in ragged bursts, every inhale sharp with panic, and water cascaded from his coat in dark rivulets, pooling on the polished floorboards. The lamplight etched harsh hollows onto his face, cheeks sunken, jaw shadowed with fresh bruises, eyes ringed in sleepless purple. For a heartbeat, Ken thought he was seeing a ghost.

But recognition thudded inside him, steadying his pulse even as his senses sharpened to a razor’s edge. He knew this man. He had seen him in photographs and glimpsed him at distant gatherings: always lurking behind Ophelia Welhaven, standing at the periphery, never the subject of attention. Just a pale shadow, always present but never acknowledged.

"Edward?" Ken’s voice was a thread, barely audible over the hiss of rain.

Edward’s gaze lifted at the sound, a muscle stuttering in his cheek as he attempted a smile. "So you do remember me, stableboy."

Bella, standing frozen by the door, looked between both men. "who is he?"

"Ophelia’s husband." Ken answered wryly.

Edward’s mouth twisted into a half-laugh, strangled by a cough that wracked his frame. "Husband. That’s what people call me. The obedient one. The fool who keeps her secrets in that glass palace she built."

With a trembling hand, he slapped a sodden envelope onto Ken’s desk. It landed with a wet smack, leaking water onto the papers below. "I know who you are, Stuart. And I know what she is planning."

Ken’s jaw tensed, but his voice remained steady. "Then talk. Otherwise, I’ll throw you out myself."

Edward’s eyes flickered with something raw. For a moment, the wildness slipped away, replaced by stark terror that seemed to hollow him out.

"You think this is business," he rasped, voice barely more than breath. "It’s not. It’s survival."

He limped closer, the weight of his words dragging him down. "You loved her once, didn’t you? Maeve. And she loved you back. That’s why Ophelia hated you, she’s always hated anything she can’t possess. You had something she could never steal, and she’s spent years resenting it."

Ken’s insides twisted. "You have no idea what you’re talking about."

Edward’s smile was a grim slash. "I know more than you think. I know what she’s buried, and what you’ve uncovered. I know what you are doing, in secret. And I know what happens to people who cross her."

Bella edged nearer, eyes darting between the envelope and Edward’s pallid face. "What’s in there?"

Edward’s voice dropped to a whisper, so low Bella had to lean in to catch it. "Proof. Everything you ever suspected and things you never dreamed. The fires. The bribes. The disappearances. The threats." He broke off, glancing over his shoulder, as if expecting Ophelia herself to materialize from the shadows.

Ken watched him carefully. "Why come here? Why now?"

Edward’s next words were flat, heavy with resignation. "Because she has no use for me and she’s going to kill me. And after she’s finished, she’ll come for you. And for Lyse."

The room froze. Even the rain seemed to hesitate outside the window.

Bella’s voice trembled. "That’s a serious accusation."

Edward’s laugh was brittle and hollow. "Accusation? I wish it were that simple. I’ve survived inside her cage for twenty-five years, watched her sharpen her cruelty until it gleamed. You’ve seen her rage when the world is watching, imagine what it’s like when there’s no one left to stop her."

Ken’s face was unreadable, carved in stone. "And we’re supposed to trust you? After all these years? Suddenly you want to confess?"

Edward’s hands shook as he pressed his palms to his knees. "I want you to listen, Stuart. Before it’s too late. You think you’re safe because you’re clever and rich or you keep your distance. You’re not. You’re on her list. She never forgives, and she never forgets. I’ve seen her keep grudges longer than most people keep friends."

Ken’s patience was running thin, his words edged with steel. "You break into my place, throw around stories of murder and revenge, and expect me to take it all at face value. Forgive me if I’m not moved by the loyalty of a man who’s spent decades enabling her."

Edward’s breathing quickened, but his voice dropped to a dangerous hush. "You think I was her accomplice? You’re wrong. I was her first victim."

The confession hung between them, sharp as shattered crystal. The three of them stood suspended in the silence, the rain drumming a relentless tattoo against the glass.

Ken looked at Bella. She was staring at Edward, caught between horror and sympathy.

Finally, Ken exhaled, exhaustion flickering across his features. With a terse nod, he gestured to the empty chair. "Sit down. You look like you might collapse."

Edward hesitated, pride flickering in his eyes, but then slumped into the chair, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Ken turned to Bella, voice gentle. "Give us a minute."

She hesitated, worry creasing her brow. "Ken..."

"It’s all right." His tone left no room for argument. Then, to Edward, "Stay here."

He and Bella slipped into the hallway, leaving the door ajar. The muffled drone of the city filtered in, distant and indifferent.

Bella pressed her hands together to stop them shaking. "Do you believe him?" she whispered.

Ken dragged a hand over his face, brow furrowed in thought. "No. Not yet. The timing’s too convenient. Ophelia’s husband, out of nowhere, right when she’s cornered? It feels orchestrated. Like she’s pulling the strings, even now."

Bella bit her lip. "But what if he’s telling the truth? You saw his face. He’s terrified, Ken."

"He’s also desperate," Ken said quietly. "And desperate people can be dangerous. For all we know, she sent him to throw us off, to distract us from something bigger. She’s twisted enough to use anyone, even him as a pawn."

Bella’s expression hardened. "So you think it’s another one of her games?"

Ken nodded grimly. "She’s probing us. Seeing what we’ll do with this information. Testing how far I’ll go, especially where Lyse is concerned."

Bella’s voice was barely a whisper. "What do we do?"

Ken’s gaze returned to the half open office door, unease etched in every line of his face. "We go back in. We press him. He’s hiding something, whether it’s his own motives or hers, we need to find out who he’s really working for."

They started toward the door resolutely, when a sound sliced through the hush. A dull thud, heavy and final, followed by a muffled, choking cry from within the inner room.

In that instant, every suspicion, every dread, came crashing to the surface. And Ken knew: whatever truth Edward carried, it was on the verge of being lost forever.