Chapter 128
RAINA
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Whatever was happening outside was an unwelcome distraction. Could they not realize that this was neither the place nor the time for such disruptions? Frustration bubbled under my already strained composure as I followed after Dominic, who had just reassured Grandma not to worry.
When I reached the front door, the scene before me made me pause. Alex stood there, his jaw tight, facing Adelaide, who looked pale and fidgety, her eyes darting around like a trapped animal. Dominic was already mid–sentence, his tone sharp and unyielding.
“Why the hell are you yelling, Alex?” Dominic demanded, his frustration clear.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Alex replied, his voice steady but firm. “But I stepped away to take a call, and when I came back, I found her,“–he gestured toward Adelaide-“peeping through the study door, eavesdropping on what I assume to be classified information. Tell me, was I wrong to stop her?”
Adelaide’s face drained of color, her hands wringing the hem of her apron as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. I stepped forward, trying to suppress the swirl of doubt and suspicion that instantly rose within me.
“Adelaide,” I began carefully, my voice low but pressing, “is this true?”
Her eyes darted to mine, then to Dominic, and finally back to Alex. For a second, she froze, as if debating whether to deny or deflect. Then she straightened, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her. “I wasn’t eavesdropping,” she stammered, glancing toward Alex. “I was coming to ask if anyone needed refreshments, but Mr. Sullivan misunderstood and accused me of spying.”
Her tone grew defensive as she addressed Alex formally, emphasizing his name like a slight.
I studied her carefully, the tension in her stance, the sweat glistening on her brow. Something didn’t sit right. But then I looked at Alex, whose rigid posture screamed certainty, and doubt began to creep in. Could he have overreacted? Misread the situation? His protectiveness, while appreciated, often bordered on paranoia.
Still, I kept my tone neutral as I addressed her. “You can go, Adelaide.”
She nodded quickly, her eyes darting between us one last time before scurrying off.
As soon as she disappeared, Dominic turned his ire on Alex, stepping closer with his voice lowered but laced with venom. “You’re overstepping, Sullivan. Just because I let you stay doesn’t mean you can act like you’re married to Raina or a son to this family. You’re not.”
“Dominic,” I said sharply, my patience thinning. “Enough.“”
But Alex didn’t flinch under Dominic’s glare. Instead, he responded evenly, “I was protecting sensitive information, Dominic. Don’t mistake vigilance for overstepping.”
“Protecting?” Dominic scoffed, his laugh dry and humorless. “From the maid?”
“I’ve learned not to dismiss anyone too easily,” Alex replied, his tone calm but firm.
The air between them crackled with tension. I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache bloom. “This isn’t the time for this,” I snapped. “Let it go, both of you.”
Dominic shot Alex a final glare before turning and heading back toward the study. Alex’s shoulders relaxed marginally, wasn’t letting it go completely.
the set of his jaw told me he
As I followed Dominic, my thoughts whirred. Something about Adelaide’s demeanor nagged at me, but I pushed it a process already, and the lawyer was waiting.
aside for
now. There was too much to
The lawyer cleared his throat, a sound that immediately drew the room’s attention back to him. The murmurs that had been building from the guests in the back quieted as he adjusted his glasses and smoothed out the document in his hand.
“As stated in the will,” he began, his voice even but carrying a weight that made the words settle heavily in the room, “all major assets, including properties, investments, and controlling shares in Graham Industries, will go to Raina Graham.”
A hush fell over the room. I felt the eyes of everyone present land on me. My hands, clasped tightly in my lap, grew clammy under the sudden weight of their gazes. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, a mixture of shock, apprehension, and–if I was honest with myself–an overwhelming sense of responsibility.
The lawyer continued, undeterred. “Miss Graham will be responsible for running the household, ensuring its upkeep and management, and she is tasked with doing so alongside her brother, Dominic Graham, who will assist her as co–executor of the estate.”
I glanced at Dominic, whose jaw was set as he gave me a small nod. It wasn’t approval or disapproval–it was acknowledgment. An understanding between us that this was now ours to bear.
The lawyer adjusted his glasses again, pausing briefly before continuing. “Additionally, Raina will be tasked with the care and well–being of her grandmother, Edith Graham.”
