Chapter 173
Evelyn’s POV
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I knew that this interaction was bound to head in the wrong direction the moment that Alexander arrived.
I could feel the very air thickening with tension, along with the anger that was rolling off of Kane.
“I just heard about what happened to your lab,” Alexander said.
Kane failed to stifle the snarl that came from the back of his throat. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” Kane asked, accusingly.
Irritation flickered over Alexander’s eyes. The corner of his mouth lifted into a sneer as he turned to glare at Kane. “What the hell are you trying to accuse me of? What? You think I did all of this?”
I immediately felt cold when Kane pulled his hand away from my lower back to cross his arms over his chest. He locked his full attention on Alexander.
“I find it interesting that you’ve been gone for days, and then suddenly, when you miraculously reappear, something like this happens,” Kane remarked coldly. “That Chem lab has been around for weeks, and not a single problem has occurred. Yet, the moment Evelyn makes a huge breakthrough in her work, suddenly everything gets destroyed.”
Unfortunately, he had a point. Clearly, there was a rat somewhere in the pack-someone who didn’t want this kind of work to see the light of day. And, it wasn’t as though my work was entirely a secret, per se…
Most of the medical team I worked with knew about my work. Not to mention that they all seemed thrilled by my achievement in creating a working serum. No. I couldn’t believe that any of them was
responsible.
But, Alexander?
The very thought felt like a punch to the gut. After knowing each other for so long, it almost seemed impossible that he would do something like this. And for what?
Alexander narrowed his eyes. “As I told Evelyn before, I had to deal with a few things regarding my father.”
My stomach rolled as I felt Kane’s heavy gaze flicker to me. Shit. I knew I should have mentioned my previous encounter with Alexander.
“Regardless, that doesn’t excuse your timing for when the lab was destroyed,” Kane said sternly.
Alexander scoffed. “Oh, please. I’m not going to stand here and be accused of something that I didn’t do,” he said. “I came here to check on Evelyn, because unlike most, I actually care about her.”
Kane growled. “Now, look who’s throwing around accusations.”
I threw up my hands. “Alright, that’s enough!” I shouted.
1/3
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Both my head and chest ached from all the work and equipment I had lost. The last thing any of us needed to deal with was a useless argument. Thankfully, Kane and Alexander stopped their excessive bickering.
“I’m just glad that nothing happened to Michael, too,” I commented. I rubbed the side of my head and made my way to the door. “Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I need to go clean up the lab.”
“Why don’t you let the cleaning staff handle it?” Kane asked gently.
I shook my head. “There’s too many harmful things in that room,” I told them. “I won’t risk someone getting accidentally hurt.”
I ended up spending the better half of my day cleaning up broken glass and wasted, ruined materials. Both Diana and Josie were kind enough to stop, asking if they could help. But I refused.
The only thing I could truly be thankful for was knowing that I already had the right ratio of ingredients written down in my case study notes. So, while I may have lost my equipment, I at least had the right formula mapped out.
Still. I was devastated. Having this lab felt like receiving one of the most valuable gifts I had ever gotten. A gift that kept on giving in return.
Aside from the Wolfsbane serum, I had been tinkering around with a few other ideas. Knowing that war was on the horizon, I was hoping to come across a few other methods of healing slaves and treatments.
I’d been ready to spend more time down in those dusty archives. But now? What was the point?
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and turned my head to see Kane, leaning in the doorway. He offered a small smile.
“You were missed at dinner,” he said.
“Oh, I hadn’t realized how long I’d been here,” I muttered weakly. I placed the broom off to the side.
Kane glanced around the room. “For what it’s worth, you did an immaculate job cleaning up the place.” He held out his hand for me to take.
The two of us headed back to the main floor in chilling silence. I could tell he was still peeved from his earlier encounter with Alexander. Guilt swelled in the bottom of my stomach.
Instead of heading straight to our room, Kane led me to the kitchens where a metal-covered plate was waiting. I turned my head to find him sheepishly smiling.
“I made sure to have the kitchen staff save you some stuff,” he said.
His consideration toward my well-being allowed some of the pain in my system to ease. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
While I dug into my late dinner, I still felt as though the air needed to be cleared between us.
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“Kane, I want…I want to apologize.”
His brows drew together. “For what?”
“Earlier, Alexander made a comment about him already having told me about his so-called business with his father. I should have informed you that I even ran into him,” I explained. “You weren’t the only one who noticed his lack of attendance in the last two weeks. I should have brought my concerns to you.”
He lowered his gaze to the counter while reaching out to rest his hand on the curve of my neck.
“It’s not as though you didn’t have a bunch of other things you were dealing with,” he noted.
“And…” I let out a long breath. “Part of me isn’t entirely sure if Alexander truly wasn’t the person responsible for destroying the lab.”
This little confession earned me a surprised look. I swiftly held up my hand in defense.
“Look. Do I want to think that he did it? Of course not. He’s been my close friend for years. But, even if he did, why do it?” I asked heatedly. “What would be his reason for destroying all of my work, knowing that he would be essentially hurting me?”
All Kane could do was shake his head. “I don’t know. My own ignorance on this matter leaves me highly unsettled.”
“What if we have someone keep an eye on him?” I suggested.
He graced me with another look of wonderment that melted into sheer contentment. “I think that’s a good idea,” he commended. “I want you to know that I really do feel bad about you losing your lab.”
I fought back the second round of tears that threatened to fall. “Unfortunately, this puts a lot of our work on pause. I was planning on making a lot more of the serum to start healing the rest of the feral rogues here. And, I wanted to start stocking up on other useful medications that may be needed for when the soldiers are sent out to battle.”
Kane gazed down at me with a look of unbridled devotion. “You truly are one of the most remarkable women I’ve ever known.”
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