Chapter 205 - Two Hundred And Five
Faced with the unwavering barrel of Ryan’s pistol, Evan didn’t flinch. Instead, he slowly raised his hands, palms outward in a gesture of mock surrender. A cruel, harsh laugh escaped his lips, echoing slightly in the tense silence of the study.
"Well, well, Cousin," Evan taunted, his eyes gleaming with malicious amusement. "Why the hesitation? Having second thoughts?" He tilted his head, his smirk widening. "Did she tell you not to do anything irrational before you left? Did your little Duchess order you to behave?" He scoffed, a dismissive, insulting sound. "Typical women. Always interfering. How could you allow a woman to control you like that, Ryan? To wrap you so completely around her little finger?"
His hands still held high, Evan took a deliberate step forward, then another. He didn’t stop until his chest lightly pressed against the cold muzzle of Ryan’s pistol. The metallic contact against his fine waistcoat seemed to thrill him. He clutched the muzzle and stared directly into Ryan’s furious eyes, his expression utterly defiant. "Go on then," he dared, his voice dropping to a low, provocative whisper. "Shoot me, Ryan. If you have the nerve."
The challenge, the proximity, the sheer audacity of the man... it all coalesced, and suddenly, the immediate tension of the study seemed to waver. The image of Evan’s sneering face blurred slightly, replaced by a vivid memory rushing unexpectedly to the forefront of Ryan’s mind...
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(FLASHBACK: Earlier that day, Ryan’s study)
Suzy was settled on his lap, the immediate aftermath of his protective rage still simmering in the air between them. He had just vowed not to tolerate Evan hurting her. She had finished tending to his bandage, her touch gentle, her presence calming. As she prepared to stand, she paused, leaning close, her lips brushing his ear, her voice a bare, urgent whisper.
"Ryan, listen carefully," she had breathed, her usual lavender scent mingling with the faint metallic tang of the medical supplies. "When Evan cornered me earlier... in the hallway... I didn’t just react blindly. I endured his vile words, I ’took all those things’ he said, because I needed something." Her whisper was intense, demanding his full attention.
"He grabbed my glove," she continued, her voice barely audible. "And in that moment, when he was distracted, staring at my hand... I looked at his. Specifically, at the Blackwood signet ring he always wears." She paused, ensuring he understood the significance. "Ryan, it’s been altered. It’s subtle, very cleverly done, but I saw it clearly. Near the base of the main stone, the engraving... it’s not quite right. It’s been tampered with, filed perhaps, or slightly reshaped."
She pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes, her own wide and serious. "He’s arrogant, cruel, involved in something sordid, I have no doubt. He sent that man today. But the ring... that alteration suggests something else. It wasn’t the same ring I saw in my room that day. It wasn’t the ring that belonged to the murderer. I don’t think he’s the true mastermind, Ryan. Not the one behind the original attack, the one who sent Doris and the others to their grace, the murderer you’re really hunting." Her final words were rushed, urgent. "Go to him. Confront him if you must, but look at the ring. See it for yourself. You’ll know what I’m talking about."
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