After Lady Zelda and Karla distanced themselves from the table, a stern gaze from Ma'am Luna fixed on Zinnia. "You told me on our way here that Duncan probably is waiting for us here, so where the hell is he?""Grandmother, I really don't know," Zinnia replied."What nonsense?" Ma'am Luna slammed the table, glancing around to ensure her actions hadn't drawn attention before exhaling. "I'm going to lose my cool soon if you don't get Duncan here.""I think he's doing this on purpose, Grandma.""Doing what?""Purposely staying away to get us worried and worked up.""Really? Didn't you both prepare in your room?""We did. He got ready before me and simply said that he was going out to have some fresh air, then he vanished." Ma'am Luna rolled her eyes. "It's been over 15 minutes since we got here, and he's nowhere around. This is annoying.""I apologize on his behalf, grandmother. If you can grant me 20 minutes, I will leave and go get him."Ma'am Luna stared at her briefly before noddi
Hearing the name "Duncan" escaping Lady Zelda's lips left Zinnia and Ma'am Luna utterly dumbfounded. As Duncan entered, Ma'am Luna and Zinnia exchanged glances.“He looks really like Duncan,” Zinnia muttered. She stopped herself from mistaking the person she was seeing for Duncan because she knew Duncan was dead. She had killed him, and his lifeless body was lying somewhere out there.Ma'am Luna nodded. “That's it. I'm surprised too. But I really want to get so close to him and check out his eye color.”“He's really Archi's son and not Duncan.”“You sound too certain like you've kept Duncan locked up in a dungeon.”Zinnia gulped, and it struck her. “Grandmother, why did she call him Duncan?”“I thought I heard wrong, but I now know I didn't. I thought Gregg said Archi's son bears his real name - Dunstan?” Zinnia nodded and looked away, getting confused. Her phone buzzed again, and she read a message from Gregg. “Don't worry. He's Archi's son. I can clearly tell by the way he carri
After a brief silence, Karla pointed at Abigail, who strangely did nothing but stare at her in astonishment. “If you ever wish ill for Duncan again, then I won't think twice before giving you a dirty slap to get you thinking straight.”Abigail smirked and chuckled before rubbing her stinging cheek, which had turned red.“You know what, Karla? You're unbelievable. I had thought for once that you're different from those selfish women out there. I had empathy for you when you opened up to me, and that's why, to date, I have not told Duncan about your relationship with Rhino. You have turned against him and stabbed him in the back. Why? Because he rejected you?! You're so pathetic.”Abigail shrugged and straightened up, managing to smile. She simply said, “Enjoy the party, and… my regards to Duncan.” With that, she entered her car. Karla watched her drive off, engulfed in bitterness, then returned inside.Abigail pulled by the side of the main road later and called Xia.“You're at the pa
Ma'am Luna, losing her patience tightened her grip on Zinnia, urging her. “Answer me!” Unsure of how to respond, Zinnia hesitated before finally deciding to play along.“I didn't do anything, grandmother. Duncan just disappeared on his own, and I don't know where he is.” Zinnia maintained a facade of innocence, concealing the dark truth lurking beneath the surface. Ma'am Luna let go of Zinnia and she excused herself to use the bathroom. Confirming ma'am Luna wasn't watching her as she walked away, Zinnia signaled to Gregg who was standing some meters away from her, and headed out. Gregg followed her. He walked up to her as she paced back and forth outside.When he tapped her, she spun, startled and almond screamed.“Dear, relax. What's wrong?” Gregg asked.“Ma’am Luna, I mean my grandmother seems to be suspecting me. She just asked me about Duncan earlier.”Gregg frowned, concern etching his face. "What did you tell her?"Zinnia took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "I
“Duncan!” Karla yelled, taking a step, but a smile on his face eased her worries. Gregg's men, stationed to take Duncan down, surfaced, awed by Duncan's calmness. Karla, surprised, rushed to him, checking his entire body in panic. “Duncan, are you okay?” Duncan nodded, taking off his suit jacket. Unbuttoning his sleeves, he revealed a bulletproof vest. Karla gasped and sighed. “You're wearing a bulletproof?” Duncan nodded, and she laughed softly before pulling him into a hug, panting. Amidst the chaos, Duncan embraced Karla. "I had to take precautions. I couldn't risk anything happening at this critical moment." Karla, relieved, whispered, "I was terrified. It looked so real." Duncan kissed her forehead. "I needed it to be convincing. Now, let's let them think they succeeded." Zinnia and Ma'am Luna, still amid the chaos, discreetly slipped away, realizing the plan had taken an unexpected turn. Lady Zelda, shocked, approached Duncan and Karla. "Duncan, are you alright?"
Duncan was surprised at what he heard and his expression turned stoic. “Duncan, I only learned about that tonight when I heard her and Karla talking about executing the plan.”Duncan looked away slowly, unable to believe his ears.Karla came closer and said, reluctantly, “Also, Abigail is Rhino's niece. I knew about it.”Duncan's gaze shifted to her in astonishment. “You learned about it today?”Karla shook her head. “It was during the last party.” Duncan's jaw dropped. “I'm sorry.”“You kept it from me for days?!”“I'm sorry, Duncan, I didn't intend to do that.”“Crap! How can you tell me that? Abigail is related to my father's killer and you kept such important information from me. Why?!”Karla sighed, remorse evident in her eyes. "Duncan, I didn't want to burden you with more pain. I was torn between revealing the truth and protecting you from the harsh reality. I thought it would be better to let you know at the right time."Duncan groaned, frustration and betrayal etched on hi
Abigail observed Duncan and Karla getting into Karla's car before driving off. A single tear slipped down her cheek, quickly wiped away as she elegantly adjusted her knee-length gown. Xia appeared behind her with her P.A., stating, “You shouldn't have held back and listened to the nonsense Karla spewed.”Abigail chuckled. “It's okay.”“Maybe it's time to wrap this up,” Abigail declared. “I will go alone.” She slung her bag over her shoulder and left.“She's so strong,” Linda remarked as they watched Abigail drive away.“You're right,” Xia concurred. “She's also a great person. Right?”Xia dropped her gaze to Linda, nodding in agreement. Meanwhile, Karla kept a watchful eye on Duncan as he drove, his demeanor almost reckless. She hesitated to stop him, not wanting to ruin his mood. However, as Duncan nearly lost control, endangering their lives, she forced him to pull over.“I am sorry,” Duncan apologized after stopping. It dawned on him that he should have been more careful, realiz
The following morning, the Lennart family received the news that Gregg and Rhino would soon face trial. Ma'am Luna fretted about the implications, and Laila suggested a drastic measure."Mother, considering the situation, maybe we should leave the country. It might be the safest option for us and Zinnia."Ma'am Luna, pondering the idea, said, "Leaving the country might indeed be the best way to ensure Zinnia isn't exposed for Duncan's death. After all, his corpse hasn't been found."Meanwhile, Zinnia overheard their conversation and entered the room."Leave the country? Why? What's happening?"Laila, trying to calm her, explained, "Zinnia, dear, it's just a precaution. With Gregg and Rhino facing trial, it's better for us to avoid any unnecessary attention."Zinnia was skeptical. But what about Duncan?" Ma'am Luna, feigning concern: "Sweetheart, we're doing this for your safety. If we stay, people might start questioning Duncan's disappearance."Zinnia reluctantly agreed."Fine, bu