Chapter 6
Great-Grandpa interrupted her at once. “You were the one who locked her in the attic the last time so that everyone would think that she disappeared on purpose. As it turned out, you tricked her into the attic and locked her there so you could take her spot at the state government event!
“So, what tricks do you have up your sleeve this time?” Great-Grandpa asked angrily.
Violet looked wronged and helpless. Her eyes immediately turned red as her hands began to shake harder. “It wasn’t me, Great-Grandpa!”
“Don’t be mad, Dad. That incident happened in the past. What’s the use of bringing it up again?” Grandma asked as she steadied Great-Grandpa. “Violet is a terrific and obedient kid. She couldn’t possibly be the one who locked that punk in the attic. Don’t listen to rumors.”
“It was her!” Great-Grandpa exclaimed, glaring at Violet. “Lara told me that it was you who locked her in there. Other people may not believe her, but I do!”
I felt my eyes heating up.
Great-Grandpa was so mad that he hit his walking stick against the gift Violet was holding, and it fell to the ground at once. The lid flew off, and a porcelain teapot fell out and smashed into pieces on the ground.
I could see the coldness that flashed in Violet’s eyes. However, she simply pretended to shiver from fright as she wept, “Great-Grandpa, it really wasn’t me!”
Her pitiful look made Gaston feel sorry for her. He immediately defended her and said, “Grandpa, Violet has always been a good daughter since she was young. She would never lock Elara in the attic. You can’t just listen to what Elara says!
“Also, Elara has always loved disappearing on her own. It’s not like we all don’t know—”
“Shut up, you!” Great-Grandpa raised his walking stick and hit Gaston’s back with it. “No matter how much of a tantrum Lara is throwing, she would never miss my birthday banquet for anything in the world! Something terrible must have happened to her. That’s why she couldn’t keep her promise to me!
“Gaston Fairlight, she is your daughter! Don’t you go defending the wrong people and barking up the wrong tree! Run along to the police station now and see if they have any news on Lara!” Great-Grandpa shouted.
Seeing that Great-Grandpa was truly angered, Gaston quickly nodded and said, “Yes, Grandpa. I’ll go immediately.”
However, just as soon as he left the event hall, Grandma immediately lowered her voice as she spoke to Hansel. “Mr. Frost, the old man is a little cuckoo in the head. Don’t take what he says to heart.”
“Exactly. He’s already 90 years old, after all,” Uncle Dylan added.
They were all worried that Hansel would believe Great-Grandpa and think that Violet was a bad person, thus ruining their engagement.
Hansel didn’t respond. Nobody could tell what he was thinking.
Violet simply lowered her head and continued to sob, looking as pitiful as possible. At this point, the best course of action was to continue with her innocent act. It was more powerful than trying to defend herself anyway.
Gaston didn’t go to the police station to check after leaving the banquet. He just told his assistant to look for Mom instead.
“Tell Fiona Henderson to find Elara as soon as she can! And tell her to stop creating trouble for the Fairlights!”
Trouble?
So, he thought that I was nothing but trouble?
I knew all along that I never amounted to much in his heart, but I still felt hurt hearing him admit it on his own.
Great-Grandpa truly was the only person in the entire Fairlight family who still worried about me.
I got down on my knees and cried before him.
I’m sorry, Great-Grandpa, that I couldn’t wish you or give you my blessings anymore as a living, breathing person. But I still wish you health and happiness for a long, long time.
Great-Grandpa seemed to have heard me because he suddenly looked up in my direction. His eyes teared up a little. Then, he sighed again and stood up with his walking stick aiding him. “You’re blind. You’re all blind.”
He then pointed at Violet, who was now kneeling on the ground, and said, “If you dare pull another trick on anyone here, you’re going to get karma as punishment. Stay here on your knees and don’t go anywhere.”
Violet slightly chewed on her lower lip, looking like an obedient great-granddaughter who’d never dare to go against her family elders’ wishes.
However, her eyes were as cold as ice.
She had brought Hansel with her to the birthday banquet so that she could show him off to the rest of the guests there. But now, Great-Grandpa had thrown her gift to the ground and embarrassed her in front of everyone else.
Great-Grandpa wasn’t in the mood to continue receiving gifts or listening to their well-wishes anymore. He left the courtyard for the event hall after that.
As he left, most of the guests went along with him, too. It wasn’t until after everyone was gone that Hansel finally helped Violet to her feet again.
She was crying softly in his arms, looking at him pitifully. “Hansel, you don’t believe me anymore, either, do you?”
Hansel went quiet for a short while. He then looked at her and said, “Back at the police station the other day, you were very sure that Elara would show up. But she didn’t today.”
Violet quickly said, “I didn’t know that she wouldn’t be coming back today either. I don’t know why. Great-Grandpa loves her a lot. It would only make sense for her to show up and celebrate with him.
“But it turned out that she’s a lot more rebellious than we thought. She has really gone overboard this time! Even if she was heartbroken, she still shouldn’t have missed Great-Grandpa’s birthday celebration for nothing and disappointed him!”
I narrowed my eyes at her words.
What a petty, scheming bitch! She was effectively defending herself while pinning all of the blame on me!
Hansel didn’t respond to her.
Violet just wrapped her hands around his arm and said, “Hansel, let’s not talk about Lara anymore. She must be so sad and upset that she decided to hide away for a longer time this time. The banquet’s starting soon. Let’s go. You’re a VVIP guest, so don’t forget to go onstage to give Great-Grandpa a short speech later.”
The corner of Hansel’s lips lifted. But before he could even agree to the request, his phone started to ring.
He checked his phone and saw that it was a call from the police station. He answered the call at once. “Hello?”
“Hello, Mr. Frost. My name is Chester Crawford, and I am from the Grimlane police station. You can call me Officer Crawford.
“We just had some new developments in Ms. Elara Fairlight’s missing persons case. It’s slightly related to you. So, could you please come down to the station for a bit for further questioning?”
“Okay,” Hansel answered straightaway.
A hint of coldness appeared in Violet’s eyes. However, she asked with concern, “Is it about Lara’s case? Have they discovered new clues?”
Hansel didn’t bother hiding it from her. “Yes. I’m going to the station now.”
“I’ll go with you,” she said.
Hansel rejected her offer. “I’ll settle things at the station on my own. The banquet is starting real soon, so you should go in and accompany Mr. Fairlight Senior. Otherwise, he might fly into another temper soon.”
“Hansel, you’ve already seen it play out before your eyes. Great-Grandpa is very worried about Lara. He won’t be unhappy if he knows that I went with you to deal with her missing persons case,” Violet said, looking very concerned. “I’m also worried sick about Lara. I want to know what new clues the police have unearthed about her disappearance.”
…
At the police station, I was the first to reach the waiting room, floating in before they came in.
I immediately caught sight of my cousin, Jayson Summerton. He was talking to the police officer. “My aunt isn’t feeling well and can’t come in person, so I came instead. Officer, what new leads have you found?”
I felt my heart ache.
I had gone missing for five days. Mom must have been so upset that she fell sick.
“I will tell you and Mr. Frost about the new lead once he’s here,” the officer said.
Jayson’s voice dipped lower. “Does it really have something to do with Hansel?”
“A little… Ah, Mr. Frost, you’re here!”
The officer interrupted himself when he saw Hansel walking in behind Jayson. Jayson immediately turned around and saw him walking over with Violet wrapped around his arm.
Jayson saw red as soon as he witnessed the lovey-dovey couple walking in. He rushed over to Hansel and yelled, “Hansel Frost, you fucking hypocrite! Lara sacrificed everything for you! How dare you treat her like this!
“You will apologize to her the moment she comes back!”
Hansel just scoffed coldly and laughed at Jayson’s fury. To him, Jayson’s anger was nothing. It was all bark and no bite.
They were both tall, muscular men, but Hansel somehow felt more powerful and threatening than Jayson. His aura was just different. It was like he was born to be intimidating.
“Me? Apologize to her? Tell her to get down on her knees and beg me for forgiveness first!”
I felt my heart ache even more.
I had treated him sincerely with all my heart and soul. I even sold my blood to pay for his bloody medication he never needed. Why did I still have to beg him for forgiveness?
