Chapter 268: Chapter 268
Even Currey and Murray felt chills down their backs. That smile spoke volumes, even without Ian saying anything.
"What was her reaction?" Ian finally asked,
"That was the puzzling part, Your Majesty...." Currey continued.
The more he explained, the calmer Ian looked. Currey expected an adverse reaction from Ian and even an order to get rid of Ava, but none of such actions came about. Ian looked thoughtful instead.
Currey shouted wide-eyed. He had believed that his decision to get rid of Ava initially had been the best action and that Ian would support him, but he never expected this response.
Murray stood still, hands clasped behind him, but nothing about his demeanour said: ’I told you so!’ The heavens knew that Murray was itching to say that.
"We are overexposing ourselves! We..."
Ian waved his hands tiredly. "Enough! This discussion is over. If my wife trusts her, then, that is the end of the conversation!"
Currey opened his mouth and then closed it. He wanted to say that ’This mistress’ choice of friends needs to be questioned because her trust of such friends had landed her there.... Nearly killing Ian too!’
But did Currey dare even to think these? No! He could not risk these words reaching Ian through that headspace.
Currey was right about Shelby and her choice of friends, but he was also wrong. When critically examined, one could decipher considerable differences in how Shelby treated Ava versus how she treated Brianna. Shelby looked to have given Brianna chances even after Brianna did things that hurt her.
To outsiders, Shelby seemed foolish, and she, indeed was, given a different perspective. For people like Currey, this would never be sane in any way, but it looked like Ian thought otherwise because he was willing to bank his hopes on the other friend, Ava.
Currey just thought that ’birds of the same feathers flocked together’ so the three would be inherently the same. Time was the only factor that could tell whether this analogy was accurate.
"Get some of the vials for me," Ian asked when he noticed that the ever-talkative Currey was quiet for a change.
Currey bowed, accepting the command, and disappeared from where he was. The brothers’ etiquette was very strange when no other person was around. Ian could not control when they bowed or knelt to show their respect. Ian was glad they did not do it in front of other people.
Murray looked over at his mistress at this time, and a small sigh left him. He was still beating himself up from being unable to prevent this attack on Shelby.
’I am so useless! Why do I always let things happen to her? What is my purpose here?’
Ian saw his dilemma and self-blame but let Murray walk through those emotions himself. Ian did not even think of punishing him for he; Ian was more at fault this time than any of the people deployed to protect Shelby. He had decided that it was okay for them not to be there. Regret was a bitter pill, indeed!
It did not take long for Currey to re-appear with a small palm-sized suitcase.
He opened it, revealing a cooling interior.
Currey picked up one of the vials that contained a colourless liquid and handed it to Ian, who emptied its contents into his mouth.
Without saying anything, he handed Ian another one that had a green liquid. Ian’s lips curved upwards. The colourless liquid, was what Ian had given to Shelby some time back, the one Ian referred to as nectar. However, he hardly took the green-coloured one because he never had to. This was the one that improved health and increased strength, too.
Ian downed it without hesitation and felt a surge of strength push through him.
Ian extended his arms, and Currey dropped another green vial into it. Ian stepped off his bed and rounded it to Shelby’s.
He looked at her fondly, stroking her cheeks as various emotions ran across his face.
Ian gingerly lifted the oxygen mask and then pried her pale lips open slightly. He poured the contents down her throat. Most of it poured out the corners of her mouth; however, Ian was still content as he saw the slight movement of her throat. This told him that at least some had slipped into her.
He slipped the mask back on and then sat her quietly. Ian made multiple attempts to use their mind link, but nothing happened. With each second that passed, his hopes dipped downwards.
The green liquid was very powerful; even a tiny amount should have revived her. Looking at how her colour remained pale and no response from her, Ian was inclined to believe that his love had suffered something more than just the CO2 poisoning.
His free hand unconsciously clenched. Ian rose up and pushed his bed, joining it to Shelby’s, and then he scooted close to her, reassuring himself that she was okay from the warmth of her body.
Her eyelids briefly fluttered but never opened.
Thornston estate, that same morning...
"Remind me why I had to come home when my sweet Shelby is still comatose?" Geneva grumbled. Her small audience, Brad and Alex, had been used to her complaints since they left the hospital and arrived at the estate. In fact, not even once did Geneva lament about her son, Ian. All her focus and supposed care were on her daughter-in-law.
"She has enough people by her, and you need proper rest. You already spent the whole night in the hospital!" Alex said helplessly.
"How about you get enough rest and then return there later?"
That calmed Geneva down a bit. She nodded in agreement. She sighed and slumped down in her seat, physically and emotionally spent.
Katie appeared around that time with a tray of cool, sweet-flavoured drinks.
Geneva reached for it and handed one to her husband while murmuring a ’thanks’.
"Why is sister-in-law so naïve?" Brad scowled.
The question startled Alex and Geneva, who had their drinks near their lips.
Geneva set her dainty cup down and then glared at her younger son, "What do you mean by that?"
"I don’t know this friend of hers, but isn’t she the same person the maids have been talking about? The one that made an attempt on Ian, I heard? The girl clearly does not like her sister-in-law, so why does she keep hanging onto her?"
Brad looked infuriated and annoyed as he could not comprehend this a bit. He added under his breath, "It’s not like the girl has anything over sister-in-law. Her beauty nor money does not match up, so why would sister-in-law even give that brat her dress?!"
Brad had analyzed this from all angles and the one scenario that did not make sense to him one bit was this. Brad knew Avril was crazy, but he was still surprised that she would go to such lengths. Even with this level of surprise, he felt exasperated when he thought of that rich, spoilt brat that Shelby called a friend.
Geneva had skewed her head and listened attentively to her son.
"Do not talk about what you do not understand!"
Alex had kept quiet this time because he did not want to be ’implicated’ in this. The subject of Brianna also touched on him and his affection for Avril. Alex had not come to a consensus on what had happened yet. However, he did understand Shelby’s actions. Alex was a shrewd businessman and one with a lot of experience so this analogy was just a child’s play for him.
"You, my dear son, have had a sheltered and smooth-sailing childhood. You are the typical born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so it is normal that some things would seem strange to you."
Brad’s mouth dropped open, ’Why does it seem like I am going to be lectured on this?’ He thought.
"Shelby had a rough childhood, and there are not enough words to describe what that girl went through. The only people she trusted in this world let her down. To her, she has no mother or father to speak of. Additionally, I hear that she was shunned by both males and females for reasons that you should all be very much aware of. You admire her looks but have never lived in her shoes!
For such a person, any slight affection means the world to her, and she would try her best to hang on to it. Her two friends are only my dear Ava and that Brat of a girl. For Shelby, these two people are her emotional lines that she would try with all her might to hang on."
Geneva finally took a sip of the cool drink.
"Why do you think that I keep hammering on her friends but try not to interfere? It’s because she has to come to that consensus herself. I am happy that she, at least, has one friend that she can rely on...."
Alex nodded on the side, and realization dawned on Brad.
"Shelby is very much aware of all that her friend, Brianna, has done and is doing, but she is no pushover. She probably does not want to be labelled as someone who left her friend when she became rich.... and she may also want to try and change her friend’s actions. Mind you, before Ian, their friendship was seemingly strong, despite all that we see now.
Nonetheless, for such people like Shelby, when these so-called friends tip over that scale in their mind, there would be no going back, and if Shelby does survive this ordeal like I know she would, I can safely say that she would be on the other side of that bridge.... and all this BS of friendship would be long over!"
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