Chapter 400: What Brings You Here

Nicholas happened to look up at her. Unlike the party the previous night, they were alone. Cecilia’s pupils constricted, dazed, as she was suddenly enveloped in a hug from behind.

“Why are you brushing your teeth on the balcony? It’s so cold,” Nathaniel said huskily.

Cecilia immediately averted her gaze, wriggling free. Thankfully, Nathaniel couldn’t see her. “I’m not cold,” she said, returning inside. She knew Nathaniel was blind, unaware of his pervasive network of informants. Nicholas’s arrival had been instantly reported.

Nathaniel stood on the balcony, the wind chilling his face as his phone rang. It was Nicholas.

“Mom said you’ve lost your memory. Let me remind you, Ceci has always loved me, not you.”

Nicholas watched Nathaniel hang up, then walked away through the snow. The act triggered a flood of Nathaniel’s deliberately forgotten memories. Cecilia’s voice echoed in his mind: “Nathaniel, I’ve been mistaken. I don’t like you.”

Mistaken…

After freshening up, Cecilia composed herself. Tidying quickly, she turned to Nathaniel. “Ready to go?”

“All right.”

Nathaniel remained silent during the drive back. Cecilia watched the snowflakes fall, a blissful leisure masking her unease. Both harbored heavy thoughts, unspoken.

Back at Sparaville, they found Elliot missing. His room was empty except for a note: “Jon, I’ll be back in a couple of days.”

“When did he disappear?” Cecilia asked.

Jonathan said Elliot had been there the previous night. Cecilia shivered. “Did someone take him?”

Jonathan shook his head, suspicion dawning. “Mommy, Eli wanted to see you yesterday. Did he go to Tudela?”

Cecilia immediately set off to find him. Nathaniel sent out a search party. Cecilia’s anxiety mounted.

“Don’t worry, I’ve checked surveillance,” Nathaniel reassured her.

“How can I not worry? Eli’s frail,” Cecilia cried, her eyes red-rimmed.

Remembering Jonathan’s words, she suspected Elliot might have gone to Rainsworth Manor. “Call the manor, see if they’ve seen him.”

“All right.”

Nathaniel called the butler. Elliot, it turned out, had found Elena and was staying with her. Cecilia was overwhelmed. How had Elliot found Rainsworth Manor? Had Elena discovered something?

Elliot’s long hospital stay had made him complacent. He assumed his mother and Nathaniel would be at Rainsworth Manor for a few days. He’d glanced at Elena, asleep from the previous night’s demands, then gone for a walk with a servant.

“Jon, what brings you here?” a young voice called.