Chapter 86

By September, the leaves lining the road had already turned golden, heralding the arrival of autumn.

“Time really flies,” Athena thought wistfully as she sat in the carriage, gazing out at the passing scenery.

At that moment, the street vendors’ cries rose and fell outside the window. “Roasted chestnuts! Sweet and fragrant roasted chestnuts, get them while they’re hot!”

Amid the bustling street cries, the rich aroma of roasted chestnuts wafted into the carriage in delicate wisps. Athena instinctively turned toward the sound, her gaze instantly captured by the chestnut stall.

The chestnuts on the stall glowed with freshness, their alluring sheen glistening in the sunlight. Their perfectly split shells revealed just enough of the golden, tender flesh inside, so inviting that Athena could almost taste their sweetness just by looking at them.

'Just looking at them makes my mouth water,' Athena thought.

Seeing Athena lost in thought while gazing at the chestnut stall, Trina couldn’t help but smile and ask, “My Lady, would you like some chestnuts? Shall I buy you a bag?”

In the past, Athena would have definitely stopped to buy a bag of chestnuts. Athena had loved chestnuts since childhood, but back then, her heart and soul were completely devoted to Michael. Every time Athena bought chestnuts, she would painstakingly peel each one by hand, then present them to Michael with fawning eagerness.

But not only did Michael refuse to eat them, he even sneered, “As the eldest daughter of the Monson family, you should stop wasting your time on such trivial things. What you really need to focus on is how to be a proper mistress of the house. That’s what truly matters.”

He knocked the chestnuts to the ground and ground them under his boots, leaving nothing but a ruined, unrecognizable mess.

Those long-gone memories felt as if they were from a past life. Yet every time she thought of it, the pain still stabbed at her heart like needles.

Athena forced down the ache in her heart and shook her head slowly. “I don’t even like chestnuts anymore. Let’s go.”

The carriage started, only to jerk to an abrupt stop moments later.

The carriage jerked to a sudden stop, catching Athena completely off guard. She was thrown forward violently, nearly smashing her head against the carriage wall.

With quick reflexes, Trina reached out to steady her. She then turned anxiously to the coachman and asked, “What happened?”

“It’s… It’s Lord Osborne,” the coachman stammered, his voice trembling with fear.

The coachman stared at Michael blocking the carriage’s path, his face pale with terror. He stood tall and imposing, an emerald-embellished belt cinched at his waist, his chiseled features set in a cold, forbidding expression.

He stood before the carriage, tall and unyielding like a towering pine. His icy glare seemed capable of boring straight through the carriage walls.

“Get out.” Michael’s voice was low and icy, each word forced out through clenched teeth.

Hearing Michael’s familiar yet grating voice, a surge of anger flared in Athena’s heart.

Back then, he would order me around as a matter of course, like I was just some disposable accessory, Athena thought bitterly.

But times had changed; whatever bond they once shared was long gone, leaving nothing between them now.

‘Who does he think he is, still talking to me in that condescending, bossy tone? Does he really think I’m still that easy to push around?” Athena fumed.

Outside the carriage, silence fell heavily. Yet that chilling sense of oppression surged through the entire carriage like an inescapable tide, making it hard to breathe.

Trina felt her heart pounding in the tense atmosphere, but for Athena’s sake, she summoned her courage, lifted the curtain, and addressed Michael with careful politeness. “My lady isn’t feeling well today. I’m afraid she’s not able to receive any visitors.”

She deliberately stressed the word “visitors,” making it clear that to Athena, Michael was nothing more than an unrelated outsider. She hoped Michael would pick up on the subtle dismissal in her words and finally stop his unwelcome persistence.

Yet Michael stood his ground, his face icy as his voice turned even harsher. “Get out. Now.”

With the street bustling with people, Michael, an intimidating figure like the Grim Reaper, blocked the path of Athena’s carriage, inevitably drawing all eyes their way.

A growing crowd had started to gather, their curious gazes fixed on her carriage. Athena’s chest tightened with irritation. She drew a deep breath to suppress her fury, then abruptly yanked open the carriage curtain and glared daggers at Michael.

But when she looked, she saw his face dark with fury, his expression so terrifying it seemed he could devour her whole. In his hand was a bulging pouch, its contents a mystery.

Before Athena could speak, Michael cut her off, his tone sharp and demanding. “Where have you been?”

That tone, like Athena was his property, as if he had every right to question her whereabouts. Athena’s anger flared up violently. Without another word, she yanked the carriage curtain shut, turned to the coachman, and snapped, “Run him over!”

“My Lady…” the coachman stammered, trembling violently, his face ashen pale. He was just a lowly coachman. He could not possibly dare to harm Michael.

Seeing the coachman’s cowardice, Athena’s fury surged. Without hesitation, Athena snatched the whip from the coachman’s hand. With a fierce swing of her arm, she lashed it hard across the horse’s flank.

Stung by the whip, the horse let out a piercing whinny, reared up, then bolted forward like an arrow shot from a bow.

Michael never expected Athena to be so ruthless. His eyes turned bloodshot as he stared daggers at her. He simply couldn’t believe the Athena who once only had eyes for him could now be so utterly heartless.

Watching the carriage hurtling toward him, Michael stood his ground, refusing to budge. He was gambling that Athena wouldn’t be so ruthless. He was betting that Athena still had feelings for him.

But even as the carriage barreled straight toward him, Athena never once tried to rein in the horses. 'She really wants me dead!' Michael thought in shock.

Michael felt his heart shatter into pieces. Only at the very last moment did he sidestep, barely avoiding the carriage by the narrowest margin.

The carriage swept past with a fierce gust of wind, grazing the emerald pendant at his waist. With a sharp rip, the carriage snagged his hem, tearing off a piece.

The pouch in his hand fell to the ground, scattering its contents everywhere as they rolled across the floor. They were chestnuts, each one carefully peeled by hand.

The carriage wheels rolled mercilessly over the golden chestnuts, crushing them into an unrecognizable pulp. Michael’s eyes burned red as he stared at the crushed chestnuts. His heart twisted with a bitter, indescribable ache.

To win Athena’s favor, Michael had risen at dawn to buy chestnuts, then meticulously peeled each one by hand for her.

'And what did I get in return?' Michael thought bitterly.

Early that morning, he saw Athena emerge from the McGee family’s residence, then watched in shock as she drove her carriage straight at him.

'Even my heartfelt devotion, she crushed it underfoot without mercy,' Michael thought bitterly.

Inside the carriage, Trina glanced anxiously over her shoulder, her heart still pounding from the scare. She saw Michael standing there in a daze, yet his eyes burned with unmistakable fury.

Trina, her voice laced with concern, said anxiously, “Miss, that was far too reckless just now. What if Lord Osborne had been hurt? What would we have done then?”

If anything happened to Michael, neither the Monson family nor the Osborne family would let her off the hook.

Athena gave a cold, unconcerned laugh. “Relax. He treasures his precious life way too much.”

He was the Osborne family’s only precious heir, bearing the family’s honor and future on his shoulders. There was no way he’d ever let anything happen to himself.

Additionally, he was still planning to marry Willow. Now that he was finally getting what he always wanted, he would not just throw his life away.

Despite Athena’s reassurance, Trina’s heart pounded wildly with fear.

Suddenly, Trina’s eyes widened in alarm. She frantically tugged at Athena’s sleeve and gasped, “Miss, he’s right behind us. He is catching up!”