Chapter 415: Chapter 415

Currey sat cross-legged on the cold, stone floor, the dim light casting long shadows across the room. The coldness never bothered him the least. Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly, his breathing steady as he focused his inner energy.

He had never resorted to this before, but at this dire moment, Currey knew that he had to use the unusual to achieve what he wanted. The air around him seemed to shift, growing heavier with a strange stillness.

Reaching out with his mind, he tried to connect with Murray, his thoughts extending like tendrils into the unseen realm. His brow furrowed, his concentration deepening as he searched for even the faintest response.

Minutes turned into what felt like hours. The room was silent except for the rhythmic cadence of his breathing, the occasional beeps from the computers and the slight whirl of the systems.

His fingers twitched slightly, his body tense to maintain the connection. It had been a long time since Currey attempted such a thing, and this was second nature to him, but there was nothing. No flicker of recognition, no presence answering his call. It was as though he were shouting into an infinite void. His face and attire were drenched in sweat in the cold room from the effort exerted.

He had truly been worried throughout the day, but after this failed, a pang of unease crept into his chest. He pushed harder, reaching further, but the silence on the other end was deafening. He couldn’t reach either of them!

His eyes snapped open, frustration mingling with something more dangerous: dread.

"Why! Why can’t I reach him!" Currey slammed his face down into his palm,

"This is unusual," he muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. He lifted his head, and his hands dropped to his sides, clenching them into fists.

The connection between the brothers was unique and had never failed him before—not .

"It’s almost like when I was in her Highness’ painting!"

Currey murmured and jumped to his feet. Raking his brains for a while, he quickly reached into one hidden compartment. He searched for a while and then facepalmed himself.

"Silly me! If a painting had swallowed them up, then wouldn’t that painting be at the scene? Why would it be here?"

He chastised himself and then added,

"Besides, I don’t know of anyone else who can do that now but the Missus!"

The shadows in the room seemed to deepen, pressing closer as if mocking his inability to pierce the barrier. Something was wrong. And the unsettling silence told him that whatever it was, it wasn’t going to wait for him to figure it out.

’What is going on?’ He wondered, but wondering never gave Currey any of the answers.

He sat back in his seat, looking at the few words and pictures that had started flickering across the screen.

Currey knew that everything from then on would be dependent on him. At that time, his mind finally settled on the one person who was still standing in all of this and seemingly unaffected,

"She caught us good if this was her plan!"

Currey furrowed his brows.

"Is she the one orchestrating this? Or is it the timeless witch? What is their ultimate play? One of these is not making any sense because I don’t sense any Fae around yet, so it should be something else."

Currey leaned back in the chair he had just sat on,

"Whoever it is, is in the dark watching.... I need to be careful!"

He had not been overly surprised when Ingrid had told him of what she had heard. What surprised Currey was that Ingrid did not overreact to be caught. From that conversation, Currey could deduce one thing,

"Aliya has not realized any of the capabilities of the children yet.... Since I am not sure what she is after or if this is related to her at all... My priority is to find Her Highness. She may be okay now, but not for long, looking at His Highness’s coma. The last time this had happened, she was also in a similar state."

Currey took in a deep breath,

"You have to hand on, brother and take care of her."

He said in the empty office as if Murray would be able to hear him wherever he was, if he was alive.

"I should have been more vocal on that issue back then...." Currey whispered. Currey spent the whole night and the next day in the cold room, checking on as much as he could while keeping track of the investigation, but then, missed one key point.

"Dear, we need to go home so that you can get some rest-" Alex whispered to his wife

"Don’t bother," She interrupted.

Geneva was beside Ian’s bed, watching his face intently. It was so distressing for her that her beloved son was the one who had been reduced to that state again.

"You need to get p, Ian. Your wife needs you!"

Geneva stood up and, taking a face towel, dipped it in warm water and wiped Ian’s face gently, tears prickling at her eyelids.

She was not sure why this was happening to her.

’Why!’ She questioned for the thousandth time with a response.

"Madam Geneva, let me do thi-"

Geneva turned to see a solemn Suzie reaching for the towel,

"Why are you still here?"

"Are all the arrangements done?"

"Yes, Ma’am, Albert was cremated a few hours ago, and her daughter has also b-"

Geneva waved her hands that she understood.

"She is steady for now but has yet to gain consciousness. Master Rocky is still with her, and the baby is stable, too..."

Geneva nodded and continued to wipe Ian gently,

"I have someone on standby to help take care of Ava as well..." Suzie added, just as Geneva instructed,

"You should go back to the estate-"

"No ’buts!’ You are better suited to handle things there now as your mistress is yet to be found...."

Suzie nodded, as this was not the first time that Geneva had told her this. She knew this, but she could not help it.

"Go back and make sure that the kids are okay!"

Suzie blanched! She had totally forgotten about them!

’Oh no! How could I have forgotten about them?!’ It had been a tiring and long night. Suzie had cried herself into a stupor over Albert, and she was over her head with worry over her missing mistress and Murray.

"Let’s step outside to talk. Ian needs rest." Geneva said, placing the towel down. Alex helped her, and they stepped out of the room and into the corridor.

"Dear, you have to listen to me and get some rest."

Alex said as they stepped into the pristine corridor of the hospital. Geneva sighed,

"I can get someone to be on standby to-"

"You don’t have to bother. I’ll take care of My Ian..."

"You! Who let you in here?! I-"

Alex pulled on Geneva’s arm gently while Aliya’s lips curled into a sweet, practised smile as she stepped in front of them.

"You should listen to the old chairman, Mrs Thornston. As I said, you don’t need to bother anyone," Aliya added softly, her voice dripping with honeyed confidence. "I’ll take care of him."

Before they could muster a reply, she turned on her heel and stepped into the hospital room, the door clicking shut behind her with a quiet finality. The sound seemed to echo louder in their minds than it did in the stillness of the hallway.

Suzie’s mouth dropped agape, as did Geneva. Shelby had been gone for just a few hours, and that woman was already showing her cards? Geneva shook her hands free from Alex and took a step, looking through the small opening of the door,

As Aliya closed the door, her gaze locked instantly onto the figure lying on the hospital bed. The giant of a man who once seemed invincible, a force of nature, now appeared fragile and defeated, pale against the sterile white of the sheets. She stood there for a moment, frozen, her chest tightening as if her body couldn’t quite process the sight before her.

Slowly, Aliya began to move towards him as though breaking the silence too abruptly would shatter the fragile air in the room. Her vision blurred as tears threatened to spill over, and she rubbed her eyes fiercely, willing herself to stay composed.

She reached his bedside and sank into the chair with a sigh that betrayed her carefully composed exterior. His hand lay limp on the bed, its strength sapped, its warmth faded. Aliya hesitated for only a second before reaching out, her fingers trembling slightly as they brushed against his.

Gently, she clasped his hand, her thumb tracing soothing circles over his knuckles. The once rough, calloused hands that had done everything for her, the ones that had commanded respect and hugged her in ways no words ever could, now felt unfamiliar—like they belonged to someone else. These were the very hands that she had wished would caress her intimately but had never done so...

Aliya’s throat tightened, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep the tears at bay. "You’re still in there," she whispered, her voice cracking. "You are, aren’t you?"

Her shoulders trembled lightly as Geneva looked on from outside the room. Aliya’s reaction shocked her. Even though Geneva did not like her, she thought,

"Let’s go take a bath and come back later.... No matter what, she does care for Ian." Geneva took a step back and took Alex’s arm in hers,

Alex, Geneva and Suzie left the hospital together that morning, but they had enough people around to take care of the patients.

Back in the room, Aliya didn’t expect an answer. But the silence that followed was deafening, and she continued to hold his hand as if, by sheer will, she could bridge the gap between who he was and who he had become.

Aliya continued to caress Ian, and then her gentle smile and sad face froze into a sinister look just as suddenly.

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