Chapter 126/Exploring the secrets

Chapter 126: 126/Exploring the secrets

Chapter 126

Stephanie’s point of view

He anchored his gaze with an iron, unyielding intensity straight into my eyes, stating in a tone that completely cut through any doubt: "I swear to you, I remember absolutely nothing, and I possess no knowledge of whether an act genuinely occurred between us or not."

I let out a sweeping sigh, desperately trying to drag oxygen into my suffocating, jealous chest. I stated in a weak, broken whisper: "Yes... and what exactly transpired after that wretched morning?"

He answered with flat brevity to finalize a conversation that was clearly suffocating to his patience: "Absolutely nothing worth mentioning transpired. I rapidly donned my clothes and exited the premises, leaving her behind. I never laid eyes upon her face after that day until your person arrived."

I knitted my brows together with deep suspicion, remembering her text message as I stated sharply: "If that is the absolute truth, then how exactly did she acquire your private telephone number to send a message claiming she deeply misses your touch?"

He stated with absolute composure and flat confidence: "Because she simply capitalized on the opportunity of my blinding intoxication at that nightclub and extracted my device without my knowledge, even recording her alias directly into the contact index."

The fingers of my hand tensed violently, clawing into the fabric of my bathrobe due to the intensity of my burning jealousy and rage at my sister’s absolute insolence. I commanded in an authoritative tone dripping with pure control: "Retrieve your device this absolute instant and systematically erase her wretched number completely. I do not want her communicating with your person or uttering your name ever again!"

A light smirk etched across his lips at my explosive temper and burning rage. He gave a firm nod of agreement, stating: "Very well, my sweet... I will execute your demand so you may calm down."

During those lethal seconds, a terrifying, highly dangerous realization invaded my mind, sending a frantic pulse of dread through my skull and my entire skeleton: If I myself cannot tolerate the mere thought of Alex touching my sister in the past while blinded by alcohol, how can I, a wretched sinner, continuously fuck both Alexander and Cedric simultaneously?! Damn me and damn my sin... damn you, Stephanie Miller! What kind of an absolute abyss and black living hell have you systematically driven your soul into by your own volition, driven solely by your raw lust and your total submission to two men at the exact same time?!

The deep, masculine vibration of his voice abruptly shattered my chaotic, terrifying train of thought as his massive silhouette advanced toward the bedroom door to depart. He stated calmly: "It is now the absolute moment for my departure, yet I will not delay outside. I will return early solely for your sake."

My short, pained, and staggering steps automatically followed his massive frame like a magnet. I stated in a faint tone dripping with protective fear for his safety despite myself: "Take absolute care of yourself."

Leaning his massive, towering, and hot frame down toward my pale face, he planted a warm, tender, and deeply profound kiss straight onto my forehead, causing my eyelids to close in automatic submission. He then turned around and exited the room, shutting the heavy door firmly behind his departure.

The absolute second the door locked and the sound of his heavy footsteps faded into the distance, an overwhelming urge to weep hysterically washed over my frame, desperately wanting to discharge the suffocating terror trapped within my chest. Advancing with trembling limbs like a shocked casualty toward my vanity table where my telephone rested, I dialed Kira’s number with absolute eagerness and haste; I was in desperate, critical need of a person I trusted implicitly to empty my dark secrets to. The phone rang for several long seconds until her familiar, cheerful voice answered: "Hello... Steph, my dear, good morning."

I captured my ragged breath with immense difficulty, stating in a gravelly whisper as I desperately tried to maintain my composure: "Hello, Kira... what exactly are you doing right now, for heaven’s sake?"

She answered calmly, a slight surprise tracing through her tone at my delivery: "Nothing of note, I am currently at the house. Why do you ask?"

I stated with a sweeping eagerness stemming from my broken soul’s need for sanctuary and comfort: "What is your opinion on arriving at the estate today? I am in critical, desperate need of your presence."

Sensing my deep distress, she offered an immediate welcome without a single shred of hesitation: "Of course, absolutely. I will rapidly bathe, alter my attire, and arrive at your side this instant."

I let out a weak sigh of relief, stating hastily: "Very well... I am waiting for your arrival."

I placed the device aside with a violently shaking hand, my mind completely boiling. If there is a single creature walking the face of this earth who must comprehend every shred of my internal fragmentation, the secrets regarding my boss and that wretched maid, and my total destruction between two sadistic mafia men, it is absolutely Kira! If I do not relate every single sin, forbidden lust, and paralyzing terror packed inside my chest to her ears, my body and my mind will inevitably explode.

Advancing with short, excruciatingly painful steps across my lower stomach and the absolute depth of my pussy toward the wardrobe, I extracted my clothes with limbs that felt cold as ice. I then activated the hair dryer, allowing my long red hair to cascade smoothly over my shoulders.

While I was occupied with my preparation, a faint, rhythmic knock sounded against the wooden door. Rapidly adjusting the alignment of my attire, I stated audibly: "Come in."

The door opened slowly, revealing one of the housemaids assigned to the grand estate. She looked at my frame politely, a calm smile etching across her features as she stated softly: "Good morning, Madame... may I enter the space now to extract the sheets and blankets for laundering, and collect the soiled garments?"

I gave her a firm nod, stating calmly: "Of course... enter and execute your duties."

The maid stepped into the room, my eyes tracking her movements with watchful caution as she began cleansing the space and stripping the mattress. I inquired with an intense curiosity: "Is Grandfather Victor currently present downstairs?"

She turned to my frame, stating: "Yes, Madame... he consumed his morning breakfast at an early hour and is currently present within his private study managing some affairs."

I continued with a slight hesitation and a visible stutter: "And Cedric... where exactly is he?"

The maid answered with absolute spontaneity: "Mr. Cedric did not sleep within the estate for the entirety of last night, Madame."

The pulse instantly stopped inside my veins, my eyes widening with an unmitigated shock and genuine terror. I stated with breath trapped inside my throat: "Where... where exactly did he depart, and why did he not sleep here?!"

The maid responded in an ignorant tone: "In reality, I possess absolutely no knowledge regarding his destination, Madame."

Clamping my fingers with an extreme pressure against the fabric of my garments, I insisted on extracting further details: "Has he returned to the estate now, or not?"

Shaking her head calmly, she stated: "Not yet, Madame. There has been absolutely no trace of his person within the mansion."

I let out a sweeping sigh of suffocation, stating briefly to finalize my torrent of inquiries: "Very well... you may complete your work."

I rapidly grabbed my telephone, the muscles of my hand trembling violently from the intensity of my mounting anxiety and dark calculations. Exiting the bedroom with staggering steps, I immediately dialed Cedric’s number with a sweeping eagerness and dominant fear. The phone rang repeatedly in my vibrating ear, yet absolutely no answer came.

I was on the absolute precipice of insanity from his deflection; pressing the wretched screen, I called his person for a second consecutive time with breathless, sweating fingers, yet he ignored my summons once again. I stamped my foot against the floor with immense rage, helplessness, and dread, muttering in pure agony: "Damn you... damn you, where exactly are you drowning, Cedric, for heaven’s sake?!"

I descended to the lower level of the mansion with cautious, slow steps due to the intense physical pain. I found the expansive breakfast table still fully prepared with every variety of luxurious delicacies, yet absolutely no one was seated before it; it felt like a abandoned castle. Sinking heavily onto a chair, I consumed merely a few small bites that dried up inside my throat with immense difficulty, completely helpless to swallow.

My entire mind was thoroughly consumed by Cedric and his highly mysterious absence. Where exactly did he depart in that abrupt manner?! And how exactly will I uncover his location now to soothe my mind? Desperately trying to anchor my terror and convince my subconscious to stop my mind from tearing itself apart with demonic assumptions, I thought to myself to alleviate the dread: ’Perhaps he also had an emergency mafia operation that was entirely outside his control, just like Alexander... yes, that is absolutely the reason. Do not think of alternative insane scenarios, Stephanie.’

I rose from the breakfast table with a completely depleted, numb physique. Suddenly, a wild, highly audacious idea ignited within my heavy skull; I remembered that I had absolutely never executed a genuine exploratory tour inside this vast mansion since the very day my feet crossed its threshold! The estate was gargantuan and packed with locked chambers.

Why shouldn’t I explore it right now by myself to occupy my mind and systematically annihilate this burning anxiety and waiting until my friend Kira arrives to save me with her presence?

On the expansive lower level, there was the gargantuan kitchen, the main grand salon, and the locked private study belonging to the Grandfather; these specific zones were the only spaces I had previously entered and comprehended.

However, there were long side corridors and alternative heavily locked rooms that I had absolutely never set foot in. I initiated my exploratory tour with slow, short steps, fighting against my physical pain. Advancing toward the first door in the corridor, I turned the handle with a cautious hand that anticipated the absolute worst. It revealed a massive, highly luxurious, and perfectly organized bedroom with an attached bathroom. I thought to myself with boredom: ’Perhaps this is merely a guest chamber.’ I then advanced toward the three adjacent rooms, yet any element of shock was entirely absent; they were all closed bedrooms fully equipped with premium mattresses and premium furniture.

I then advanced with an escalating curiosity and a burning desire that clawed at my mind toward the fourth door, which was distinctly grand and characterized by intricate engravings. Pushing it open slowly, my eyes widened in absolute fascination and bewilderment at the view; there was a gargantuan, ancient library, its towering walls lined with thousands of diverse, centuries-old volumes.

Centered within the space was a plush, comfortable velvet sofa for reading, positioned directly before a massive glass window that offered a clear, panoramic view of the sun-drenched outer gardens.

I backed away quietly, exiting once again into the corridor until my eyes suddenly fell upon a dark, shadowed corner. There stood the heavy, black wooden door of the basement. My limbs instantly froze, a forgotten, terrifying, and brutal memory awakening within my consciousness with the speed of a sudden lightning strike; I remembered with absolute clarity that ill-fated day when I witnessed Alexander, Cedric, and Grandfather Victor all emerging together from that very basement with grim, unreadable expressions.

That day, I could absolutely never digest their ridiculous, transparent lie claiming they had all descended below merely to select a vintage bottle of aged wine.

My body and mind activated, driven entirely by a lethal, terrifying curiosity and a sweeping, uncontrollable desire to uncover the hidden truth they were systematically masking from my sight.

Advancing with staggering, highly terrified, and cautious steps toward the basement door, I extended my trembling fingers through the sheer terror toward the heavy, metallic doorknob. I slowly turned the handle, the loud sound of my frantic heartbeat hammering violently against my ribs, completely shattering the stark silence...