He Does Not Deserve My Devotion-Chapter 41: Revenge on Aiden Sinclair
"Enough. I have this under control."
Aiden Sinclair hung up the phone.
Mrs. Lane brought the mushroom soup to the table. "Sir, the food is getting cold. Should I have someone go upstairs and ask Miss Walsh to come down?"
Aiden Sinclair glanced at his watch. There was still one minute left of the ten.
"We’ll wait a little longer."
Aiden Sinclair stared at the hands of his watch as the seconds ticked by.
"Miss Walsh, you look so beautiful in that dress. Sir picked out all the clothes in the wardrobe for you himself." Mrs. Lane’s voice, full of praise, drifted down.
Aiden Sinclair looked up. Nina Walsh was walking slowly down the stairs in a loose, black dress.
Her already sickly face looked even paler against the black dress. As she moved, her sleeves and skirt swished around her, her waist so thin it looked like it would snap with a single touch.
’She’s too thin. When did she get this thin?’
Nina Walsh sat down opposite Aiden Sinclair. Even though a place setting had been laid for her right beside him, she chose to face him from across the long table.
Mrs. Lane looked at Aiden Sinclair, who gestured for her to move the place setting over.
Her coming down for dinner on time meant she wasn’t seriously ill. Aiden Sinclair dismissed the idea of calling a doctor.
The table was laden with seafood, but Nina Walsh had no appetite. She took a sip of the mushroom soup a servant had ladled for her.
The warm soup slid into her stomach, and a gentle heat spread from her chest to her limbs. Nina Walsh finally began to feel something again.
"Do you like the mushroom soup, Miss Walsh? Let me get you another bowl," Mrs. Lane said enthusiastically.
Nina Walsh silently put down her chopsticks, turned, and went back upstairs.
Mrs. Lane looked at Aiden Sinclair awkwardly. "Sir, did I say something wrong? Did I upset Miss Walsh?"
"It has nothing to do with you. You can go back to your work."
Aiden Sinclair ate a few quick bites, then went upstairs. Nina Walsh was asleep, her back to the door.
In the middle of the night, the sky seemed to split open as a torrential downpour began. In an instant, all of Crestfall was engulfed in the raging storm.
A clap of thunder startled Sophia Sawyer from her sleep. Her phone was vibrating on the nightstand, a muffled roar in the darkness.
"Why are you calling me this late?" Sophia Sawyer snapped.
The person on the other end whispered, "Julian Sinclair went to the women’s prison to see that woman today. Julian Sinclair already knows. You need to be careful."
"What?" Sophia Sawyer nearly dropped her phone. "How did that woman manage to contact Julian Sinclair?"
The caller replied, "A woman named Nina Walsh brought him."
’Nina Walsh? Why is she everywhere!’
"You should start preparing. That woman gets out of prison in half a year. You failed to finish her off in there all these years; it’ll be even harder once she’s out."
After hanging up, Sophia Sawyer couldn’t get back to sleep. She clutched her phone and paced around her room until dawn. After much deliberation, she opened her phone and found a number saved under the contact "K."
"Help me investigate someone. The price is negotiable. I’ll send you her name and photo."
...
The rain continued into the next day with no sign of stopping. In fact, it only grew heavier, with winds threatening to tear the roof off the house.
It was a storm the likes of which hadn’t been seen in a century. The government issued a red alert, closing all transportation and shutting down schools and businesses for the day.
As noon approached, Nina Walsh still hadn’t gotten out of bed.
Aiden Sinclair came downstairs to find Mrs. Lane dragging a tent. "Sir," she asked, "the weather forecast says this rain will last for several more days. Should I put away all this camping gear?"
"Put it in the storage room for now."
Aiden Sinclair glanced over, then picked up his car keys to leave. Mrs. Lane asked, "Sir, the wind is so strong. Are you going out?"
The roar of the wind and rain outside was her only answer as Aiden Sinclair got into his car without a backward glance.
Two hours later, Aiden Sinclair returned, braving the storm. He rushed upstairs excitedly.
Nina Walsh was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, as if fast asleep.
"Nina..."
Aiden Sinclair called her name, and Nina Walsh opened her eyes.
At some point, a vase had appeared on the nightstand, filled with vibrant, dew-kissed red roses.
"Are they beautiful?"
Aiden Sinclair asked, as if seeking praise.
Nina Walsh sat up and slowly reached out a hand.
CRASH—
The vase was swept to the floor, scattering glass shards and flower stems everywhere.
She looked up at Aiden Sinclair, her eyes like dry wells.
His attempt at a peace offering with flowers seemed to have exhausted his patience. Aiden Sinclair’s face grew cold. "You’re awake? Come downstairs and eat with me."
Nina Walsh didn’t say a word, turning to lie back down.
"Nina, get up." Aiden Sinclair’s voice became a command. "Do you want to find out what it’s like to ride a Ferris wheel in the rain?"
A flicker of emotion finally crossed Nina Walsh’s face. Aiden Sinclair sighed internally, his tone softening. "You don’t have to talk, but you have to eat. I’ll wait for you downstairs."
Nina Walsh sat up again. Aiden Sinclair turned to leave, but in the next second, a thought struck him. He spun around and quickly tackled Nina onto the bed.
But it was too late. A small shard of glass had already pierced the sole of her foot.
"Are you insane? If you want revenge on me, then hit me! Come at me with a knife! Do you think hurting yourself will make me feel sorry for you? It won’t! It will only infuriate me!" Aiden Sinclair yelled, shoving Nina back onto the bed in a hysterical rage.
Nina Walsh pushed the messy hair from her face. Blood was pooling under her foot, but she seemed numb to the pain, the corners of her lips curling into a silent smile.
Her eerie smile snapped Aiden Sinclair back to his senses. "Mrs. Lane—"
He shouted for Mrs. Lane, who brought the first-aid kit.
Aiden Sinclair sat on the bed. Nina tried to pull away, but he grabbed her leg and said viciously, "From now on, I’m going to make it up to you, starting with that child. We lost one, so I’ll give you another. We’ll start trying tonight!"
Nina Walsh instantly went still. Aiden Sinclair used a pair of tweezers to pull the glass from her foot, and blood gushed out.
Mrs. Lane, watching from the side, was horrified, but Nina didn’t make a sound or even furrow her brow.
The storm was too severe for a doctor to come over.
Aiden Sinclair bandaged Nina Walsh’s wound and scooped her up in his arms.
Nina Walsh struggled in protest, but Aiden Sinclair moved swiftly, carrying her downstairs to the dining table.
"The soup isn’t hot anymore. Drink it."
Aiden Sinclair brought the bowl to Nina Walsh’s lips, but she turned her head away, refusing to eat.
"Eat obediently, and I’ll leave you alone tonight."
Nina Walsh froze, then turned back, snatched the bowl, and tilted her head back to gulp it all down.
After finishing the soup, she picked up her chopsticks and began to wolf down her food.
A sharp pang went through Aiden Sinclair’s heart. ’This was her true attitude.’
’She didn’t want to talk to him, and she didn’t want any contact with him whatsoever. The brief truce they’d had the other night had all been an act.’
Ten minutes later, Nina Walsh finished a bowl of rice. She put down her utensils and limped toward the stairs, soon leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind her.
’She would rather bleed and suffer than ask him for help.’
Aiden Sinclair stood up, caught up to her in two strides, and carried her to the bedroom.
The glass in the room had been cleaned up. The roses were now in a large new vase, their fragrance filling the air.
"Here’s your phone."
Aiden Sinclair returned her phone to her, then left the room.
Mrs. Lane approached with the first-aid kit. "Sir, you should bandage your hand, too."
Aiden Sinclair looked at the bloody scratches on his hand. Just as he was about to speak, a loud BANG suddenly came from near the window, sounding like something had fallen from upstairs!
