âstop stealing my translations and credit me properlyâ
Rowena could not wait for a carriage, so she ran like crazy to Harrietâs house. Her breath was ragged, and her legs trembled. After knocking on the front door several times, Harriet opened her door.
âDid you run all the way here from home? Youâre sweating so much⌠And youâre okay? What do you mean all of a sudden?
âCould it be⌠someone?â
Rowena looked over Harrietâs shoulder with an uneasy look in her eyes. It was the same as always.
âDid anyone come to visit you or threaten you? Asked you to inform them of my location orâŚ..â
âHuh? I donât know what youâre talking about. Nothing happened.â
Relieved by the clueless answer, Rowena sank on the spot.
Harriet, equally distraught at the unexpected situation, grabbed Rowena by the elbow and helped her up.
âWhat the hell is going on?â
âNo, nothing at all. As long as everythingâs okayâŚThatâs enoughâŚâ
Muttering to herself, Rowena stood firmly on her feet.
âIf a stranger asks about me, you have to tell them that you donât know me.â
Her expression was a mixture of fear, anger, and sorrow.
âAnd Iâm sorry, but⌠I canât take your previous offer. It seems that I have to move out due to some circumstances.â
Before she had time to pursue the question, âWhat the hell is going on?â Rowena turned around and hurriedly ran back to her house again.
Harriet, who had been calling to her as Rowena disappeared in the distance, slowly lowered her outstretched hand and turned around as she breathed in heavily.
âRebeâŚno, nothing bad is going to happen to Rowena, is it?â
At the trembling question, someone came out of the kitchen.
The voice was low, deep, and resonant. There were no highs or lows, and she couldnât identify his emotions.
As she slowly raised her gaze from the old carpet at the manâs face, Harriet wiped the sweat off her palms onto the hem of her skirt.
The man was intimidating enough to make her suffocated just by facing him directly.
After a few sideways glances, the attendant approached her and presented her with a check. It was a blank check with the seal of the Devonshire family on it.
âYou may write as much as you like. Think of it as a reward for taking care of my woman.â
My woman. Harriet pursed her lips at the words he spat out without the slightest hesitation.
âDoes this include the hush moneyâŚ?â
Killian walked past Harriet as his attendant handed him his hat instead of answering. As he turned to leave the house, Harriet hurriedly called out to him.
Killian stopped, and turned his head instead of looking back.
âI donât need this money after allâŚ..â
Harriet, who had once again placed the blank check in the attendantâs pocket, pleaded for him to take it back.
âYouâre the one Rowena needs. Thatâs why Iâm telling you, please donât ever make her unhappy.â
Damian and Killian Devonshire.
The shock that struck her like a thunderbolt the moment she faced the man in front of her still hadnât worn off.
A face that looked exactly like Damianâs.
She had no idea that the father of Rowenaâs son, who Rowena had pretended had died, was the Duke of Rockford whom she had only seen in the newspaper. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that such an amazing man would visit her home in person.
Harriet pondered the words that the man had spoken. Describing how Rowena was forced to leave him due to differences in status and that he had only been able to come back to see her now.
She had informed him of Rowenaâs whereabouts for a variety of reasons. Regardless of the details, she seemed to be in a great deal of debt. She also has a sick child and is in need of money. The man in front of her had even offered to provide Rowena a house through Harriet.
That man loves Rowena. So thereâs no harm in it. She was sure of it. His love for Rowena was evident, which gave her some level of confidence in him.
There was no response from the man, and the door closed without a sound.