Chapter 7
After they had shopped until they dropped and had dinner, Marguerite and the others headed to Theobald’s home.
On the way, Anna seized the opportunity to discuss some work matters with Theobald. Marguerite, meanwhile, stared out the window in fascination at the transformed city of Northpine. Eleven years had brought immense change, and many places were unrecognizable to her. She was already bad with directions, so when the car finally stopped in front of a villa, she frowned.
“Did you completely renovate our house p>
The old villa had a garden and a massive fountain out front. This one stood stark and alone, like a silent giant.
“No, this is a new place I bought,” Theobald said, his voice a bit heavy as he unloaded their things from the car.
That made sense, Marguerite thought. Theobald was a powerful CEO now.
“What about the old house? Did Simon move in p>
“No… that house was sold p>
Theobald’s expression soured. He quickly changed the subject. “I’ll call Simon later and tell him you’re back p>
The villa’s front door opened to reveal an interior that was exactly what she expected: cold and minimalist. It was sparsely furnished, feeling vast and somber.
“Is Simon in Northpine right now?” Marguerite asked.
“No, he’s on a world tour,” Theobald said, placing the bags in the living room.
Marguerite blinked. “Then don’t tell him I’m back yet. He’d probably cancel his tour and fly straight here. We can tell him when he gets back p>
He was already a controversial figure; abandoning his tour would only lose him more fans.
Theobald didn’t argue.
When they were younger, all three brothers competed for Marguerite’s attention. Simon was always the most lively, constantly making her laugh. Now, with Marguerite having only him as her loyal servant, he had a chance to shine. “Alright, I understand p>
“Why was the house sold?” Marguerite circled back to the original topic, sinking into the sofa. The dream she’d had only provided a rough outline; she didn’t know many of the details from the novel.
Anna discreetly checked her watch. “Mr. Scott, I need to step outside to take a call p>
Theobald nodded. He sat down on the sofa, his fingers fiddling with his rosary beads. “After you were gone, Fitch took over the family company. He ran it into the ground, and when it was on the verge of bankruptcy, he came to me and asked me to take over p>
“Back then, the company had no money left, just a mountain of debt. I had no choice p>
“Marguerite, I’m sorry.” Theobald looked up at her, his eyes filled with guilt, a sharp pain piercing his heart. “I failed to protect our home p>
When their parents died, Marguerite was only fourteen. Fitch had shown up with a mob of people, trying to kick them out of the house. It was Marguerite who had armed herself with a mop dipped in Simon’s freshly produced draper contents and driven them away. Fitch kept coming back, but Marguerite always had a new trick up her sleeve, until they finally gave up.
It was the same with the company. Fitch wanted control, but a teenage girl had gone head-to-head with boardroom full of middle-aged. shareholders. No one knew what she said to them, but they had trusted her appointing a CEO to manage the company. The company hadn’t done as well as when their
parents were alive, but it still outperformed its competitors.
After Marguerite’s accident, everything changed.
He hadn’t been able to protect anything.
Marguerite’s almond-shaped eyes curved into a smile. She patted Theobald’s shoulder. “What are you talking about? You’ve done an amazing job. So what if you sold the old house? This one is huge, too p>
For her, it was like blinking and having eleven years pass. But for Theobald, those eleven years had been filled with real struggles.
Feeling the weight of her hand on his shoulder and seeing the familiar sparkle in her eyes, Theobald lowered his head.
He wasn’t amazing at all. He was a failure.
A hot wetness welled in his eyes, and a single tear fell onto the leather sofa, reflecting the overhead light. Theobald quickly wiped it away with his finger. “You should get some rest, Marguerite. Let Anna know if you need anything.” The source of this content ɪs
“Have Anna help you get an ID tomorrow. Here’s my card. Use it for whatever you want p>
A black card was handed to her. Marguerite’s eyes lit up.
This was the best part of having a CEO brother.
Money solved everything.
Marguerite didn’t know the specifics of what had happened over the years, but her dream had told her that Aaron had gotten lost as a child. He was now a high school senfor who did nothing but fight. He had even
hospitalized the hero’s studious younger brother, which landed him in prison She didn’t, know the details, but she figured she
could start by finding the hero’s
brother, which should lead her to
Aaron.
She had seen Theobald’s subtle gestures and knew what he felt guilty about.
She stood up and ruffled his hair.
It didn’t budge. It was shellacked with hairspray.
Theobald looked up, a hint of embarrassment in his eyes. He’d had his hair styled specifically for his meeting with Hannah.
Marguerite pretended not to notice, putting her hand behind her back. “Don’t feel bad, kiddo. On the way back, I was looking up details of my accident and saw the news about Aaron going missing. It’s not your fault. Now that I’m back, I’ll definitely find him p>
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it p>
Theobald was speechless.
Somehow, looking into Marguerite’s radiant eyes, he believed her without question.