The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

"I don’t understand. Why did he want them dead? What did he hope to achieve if he continued to sit amongst us as though nothing had happened? Did he get what he wanted from it, or was he simply so cruel as to wish them gone?" Quinn asked as he failed to grasp Hayden’s motives.

"We are sitting on wealth, Quinn. If we had all been in that carriage and perished, arrangements would have been made for the wealth to pass to the next male in the family. Camille has a son," Damien explained.

"He is not short on money. He had the chance to marry Camille because he came from a wealthy family. I have never heard of his family losing their fortune," Kyle said, glancing up at Damien, startled by the tears brimming in his brother’s eyes.

"His personal wealth, aside from his father’s, pales in comparison to what we have here. His son could have been bestowed a title. There is plenty to want in the estate, starting with the precious jewels Father gifted our mother," Damien said, looking around the room as he spoke.

Damien continued, "I heard from Zayne that Hayden’s investments have not been doing well. It would not surprise me if he had been dipping into our aunt’s wealth. I cannot fully answer what he sought, but I am certain it was our fortune."

"Thank goodness you went to fetch Jane from their home," Quinn said, recalling the punishment that had once sent her there. "Or that you never allowed our aunt to raise her. I shudder to think what might have happened."

Quinn fought an internal battle of anger and grief. His heart urged him to storm to Hayden and confront him, but knowing Damien, he realised it had already been dealt with.

He turned aside to wipe his eyes, unwilling to be another burden for Damien to shoulder.

From one look, Quinn knew Damien was suppressing his own emotions. Holding them back for their sake, as he was determined to remain their pillar.

"Where is that bastard?" Kyle demanded, his sadness consumed by fury. "Where is he? You sent our sister to their home."

"At the time, I did not suspect he was behind it. Neither of us did, so do not fault me for it," Damien said.

"Kyle, do not misdirect your anger. We all feel as you do. They were our parents, and turning our rage upon each other will gain nothing for them or for us. You know Damien made the best decisions for us. Calm yourself," Quinn ordered, wishing Kyle saw Damien’s turmoil.

Kyle gritted his teeth, frustrated. He had thought Damien, who managed everything else, would have seen this sooner.

"Hayden is dead. He has been for a few days now," Damien revealed, his voice low so passing servants would not hear.

Kyle’s eyes widened. "Why did you not tell us before now?"

"Because Jane needed those days of happiness, and I planned to tell you all together once I had settled the matter with the court. The case has been opened. I have answered all the questions so you would not need to-"

"Why?" Kyle asked, rising to his feet. He seized Damien by the shirt.

This time, Damien did not fight him.

Quinn leapt up to intervene. He held Kyle to stop him.

"Would you have liked to go through the case? To relive the state of their bodies? To hear how they were found? Could you have stomached those details a second time? You barely endured them the first time," Damien said, his voice calm.

"I did it all so you would not have to. Do you truly think it was easy for me to endure those details?" Damien asked, secretly wishing he did not have to listen again.

Kyle released him. "Please, brother. You have killed many before. This isn’t-"

"They were my parents," Damien said, his chilling tone making Quinn fear Kyle might be struck. "No one wants to read of their parents in such a state. I handled it all, though I did not want to, because I thought of your sake."

Kyle’s tears spilt freely now, his anger dissolving into remorse. He was not truly angry with Damien. Instead, he was furious that he could not lay hands on Hayden himself.

"I am sorry. It was wrong of me to snap at you and to seek fault in what you did. I don’t know..." Kyle trailed off. "I don’t know how to accept all of this. We mourned their deaths years ago, and it was agony then. Now we are dragged back into it again."

"For a second time," Kyle whispered, sinking to the floor as no chair was near. "And the second is far worse than the first, with all you have shared. Jane practically worshipped their marriage. She wanted all that Camille had."

"That is why we must gather ourselves for when she returns. It will strike her hardest since she was closest to those two," Quinn said, standing beside Kyle and resting a hand upon his head. "No more lashing out at each other. It does no good."

Quinn turned to Damien, who stood apart, his face relaxed, but his body was rigid. "Are you well, brother? I am speaking to you, Damien."

"I am well," Damien answered, but his voice betrayed him.

"I pity the position you are in, to bear it all upon your shoulders to shield us. I am most grateful," Quinn said, stepping forward to embrace him. "I know you hate it, but allow me this moment."

Damien stood motionless, permitting Quinn to hold him, to mourn as he needed.

Kyle watched the action. After wiping his eyes, he rose and joined them.

"I am grateful as well," Kyle said, embracing Damien. "Thank you for solving it."

Damien’s mind drifted back to the day of the funeral, when they had stood together on the sidelines as relatives passed by.

They had held hands then, comforting one another, and it had struck him deeply that they must always look after each other.

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