Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, Waylen looks even taller than normal. His face is terrifyingly hostile.
“Sometimes my wife gets confused when she wakes,” he mutters through gritted teeth.
His eyes are cold and expressionless, and a furious chill seems to emanate from him. He walks slowly; every step is heavy and threatening.
Not worth the paper it takes to divorce him! Whoever wants him, can have him! Leilani’s words echo in his mind. With every step, he fights the impulse to strangle her.
“Waylen, you came here just in time,” Florence says, “Do you want to hear what your wife said?”
“What did she say?” Waylen asks jaw clenched.
“Leonie, you tell her,” Florence says.
“She said she wants to set me up with you. She sent a candle laced with an aphrodisiac drug to your room to ensure the match. She wants me to become your wife so she can divorce you and leave,” Leonie looks up at Waylen through long lashes, “Also, she said you’re not worth the paper it takes to divorce you.”
Leilani glares icily at Leonie. The other woman has embellished the story with her own ideas. Waylen gazes intently at Leilani, his face is unreadable and cold. In the past, Leilani would have been terrified of such a look, but she’s bolder now. She meets his gaze and they lock eyes. Something intense seems to pass between them.
The power of their gaze makes Leonie uncomfortable. She wants Waylen to focus on her.
“Don’t be angry Waylen. Leilani must be half asleep,” she says, “Why else would she say you’re not worth the paper it takes to divorce you?”
She repeats Leilani’s words, clearly and deliberately. The corners of her mouth twitch upwards into a small smirk, enjoying the wretchedness of Leilani’s position. She glances at Waylen and sees he looks very upset.
“Waylen, this is the candle,” Florence says.
Upon hearing her words, a maid places the candle on the table.
“You have behaved shamefully as Waylen’s wife, and you have damaged our family’s reputation,” Florence says, “You used a disgusting drug on Waylen and you could have hurt him terribly. If we don’t punish you, what will people think of our family?”
Florence Bamford places her teacup on the table and gestures for Leonie to help her stand up. She crosses the room and stands in front of Leilani.
“Your family is well-known and respected in this city. I will never understand how such an ill-mannered, useless woman could come from the worthy Peters family. Now, do you dare to repeat the lies you told me in front of Waylen?”
Suddenly, Leilani feels cold. She looks at the candle sitting on the table and at Florence Bamford. She inhales deeply and looks at Waylen, smiling softly and enticingly.
“It’s true, I sent this candle, but I remember that when I sent it, it was a perfect pale blue,” she says, “Why is it now purple around the wick? Can you explain this Leonie?”
Leonie can’t believe what she’s hearing. She looks away from Waylen and stares at the floor.
“Are you accusing me of adding the drug to the candle?” she asks with an innocent expression. She begins to shake her head as if the idea is ridiculous, “I didn’t. A maid told me to go to Waylen’s room and gave me the candle as a gift from Leilani. I swear it was purple when she gave it to me. Do you believe me, Waylen?”
Leonie’s eyes fill with tears and Florence Bamford takes her hand. Waylen says nothing.
“I believe you,” Florence says, “You wouldn’t even harm a fly. How could you do something as awful as this?”
Florence Bamford takes Leonie’s face in her hands and carefully wipes away her tears. Becoming severe, she turns to Waylen.
“Look for any evidence you can find!” she orders.
“Summon the maid who gave Leonie the candle.”
The maids rush from the room to find the woman who gave Leonie the candle. Waylen strides to the sofa and sits down, his eyes squinted in deep thought. Within minutes, the maid, Lily, appears in the sitting room. She looks terrified.
“Mr. Bamford, Mrs. Bamford, what’s the matter?”
“What do you know about this candle?” Waylen asks.
Lily looks shocked and afraid. Quickly, she glances at Leonie but then remembers to look away.
“Your wife asked me to give a candle to Miss Leonie. She said it was to help you have fun,” she points at the coffee table, “That’s it on the table! Your wife told me you love Miss Leonie more than her.”
Florence Bamford slaps Leilani across the face, and Leilani winces. Florence Bamford is surprisingly strong for her age.
“So it was you! The Peters family doesn’t know how to raise a disciplined daughter. No matter, I’ll discipline you for them!”
Instead of looking ashamed or guilty, Leilani looks furious. Florence points angrily at Leilani, “What’s wrong with you? Do you still deny your guilt?”
She turns to Waylen, “A vicious woman like this is not worthy of being your wife.”
Leilani’s cheek still stings from the slap. She glares at Florence Bamford with such intensity that the older woman begins to feel guilty. The butler, Robert Tinder, enters the room and rushes to Waylen’s side.
“Sir the surveillance system has been partially burnt,” he whispers.
Though he speaks quietly, Leilani can hear him.
“Burnt? Darling Waylen, you’re hopeless,” she says, playing the role of concerned wife, “First you have problems with a devious maid and now someone has burnt part of your surveillance system.”
Waylen raises his eyebrows at Leilani’s tone. He’s not sure what she’s playing at, but she seems to be asking for him to help her out of her unfortunate situation.
“Come here,” he said in a low voice.
Obedient as a kitten, Leilani moves toward Waylen. Before he can ask her to sit, she climbs onto his lap and wraps her arms around his neck. Blood drains from Leonie Summer’s face. How dare Leilani tries to seduce Waylen in front of her and Mrs. Bamford!
Lily is so scared her whole body trembles. Yesterday morning, Leonie Summer had asked her for help and had written her a handsome check. She warned her not to trust the wrong person. She doesn’t understand why Waylen and Leilani are suddenly so intimate.
Waylen wraps his arms around Leilani. The scent of her hair is thrilling; he feels like he’s floating. Suddenly, he tightens his arms around her.
“How can you prove that you didn’t do this?” he asks in a low whisper.
His lips brush her ear and she shivers. For the moment he’s decided to help the woman sitting on his lap—no matter what she’s done. However, he has no idea what her plans are. He wants to see how she’ll try to get out of this.
Leilani’s eyes become determined.
“Leonie, you just said that you were given a candle with a purple wick, right?”
“Yes, that’s right!” Leonie agrees.
Leilani smiles and whispers a few words in Waylen’s ear. Waylen summons Robert to his side and whispers a few quick orders. Robert nods and runs out of the room.
“I’m not upset that I’ve been unjustly blamed,” Leilani says calmly, “I just don’t want to be the scapegoat for someone else’s crimes.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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