My five ghostly husbands-Chapter 453 Burned

Julian froze mid-step, his jaw tightening. "Watch your mouth when you talk about her parents," he warned quietly, but Clara only scoffed.

"Her parents?" she sneered, waving her hand dismissively. "Those fools ruined themselves! That factory job was their choice. Always acting like martyrs when they signed that contract themselves. And now that their daughter has a few coins and fancy husbands, she thinks she can rewrite history?"

Adrian’s expression didn’t change, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop with his silence. "You sure talk a lot for someone about to face an investigation," he said softly, his voice too calm, the kind of calm that made even the officers glance at him.

Clara let out a dry laugh. "Investigation? Into what? That witch’s delusions? She was always weak, always crying, always drunk, useless. I took her in when no one else would! And how did she repay me? By spreading lies about me, making me the villain!"

"You are the villain," Julian muttered under his breath, and Hugo’s hand shot out to his shoulder, warning him to stay composed.

Clara didn’t stop. She was walking from one corner to another now, pacing like a queen giving orders to her servants. "She probably wants to take this house from me too! Typical Ruby—greedy, spoiled, just like her father. Oh, how proud he used to be! And now look at her, pretending to be a businesswitch while parading around with ghosts like she’s something special!"

Adrian’s patience began to thin. He looked around the grand hall...the old portraits, the dusty chandelier, the cracked furniture still trying to look rich. The entire house was like Clara herself: pretending to be something better than it really was.

"Where’s your study?" Adrian asked, his tone cold.

Clara stopped mid-rant. "Why?"

"Because that’s where contracts are usually kept," he said evenly.

Clara glared at him, her lips curling. "You’ll find nothing but dust and honesty there, thief ghost. Unlike your wife’s lies."

Adrian didn’t even glance her way. "Officers, check the rooms to the left," he instructed calmly. "Julian, come with me."

"Don’t you dare walk around my house without permission!" Clara shouted, following them. "You have no right! I’ll make sure Ruby regrets this humiliation!"

Julian stopped and turned to her, his voice trembling but clear. "You humiliated her first—when she was a child, when she had no one, when she trusted you."

Clara’s nostrils flared. "She was never a child. She was a burden!"

Adrian turned slowly to face her. His eyes cold and sharp locked with hers. "You really shouldn’t have said that," he said softly. "Because now I know exactly what kind of person you are."

The witch’s face twitched. "You’ll regret speaking to me like that!"

Adrian’s voice didn’t rise, but his tone cut through her words like ice. "The only one who’ll regret anything here is you."

Clara opened her mouth to retort, but the officers had already begun opening drawers and checking shelves, ignoring her shrill complaints. She followed them from room to room, muttering curses under her breath about Ruby, about her parents, about anyone who dared stand in her way.

"She’s cursed, I tell you," she hissed as they passed down the hall. "That witch brings misfortune wherever she goes. Watch, she’ll ruin your lives too, just like she ruined mine!"

Julian clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. Adrian placed a hand on his arm briefly, silent but grounding. "Let her talk," he murmured. "Every word she says is proof of guilt."

Clara spun around, glaring at them both. "You think you’re smart, don’t you? You think the truth will save you? You’ll see. I’ll make sure the court laughs at your faces when you come with your false stories!"

"Then we’ll bring evidence instead of stories," Adrian said coolly. "Let’s see who the court laughs at then."

Clara’s eyes flashed with fury, her chest rising and falling. "You don’t know what you’re dealing with," she spat. "You’ll regret crossing me."

Adrian’s lips curved faintly—not into a smile, but something sharper. "Funny. Ruby said the same thing once."

For a long moment, Clara went silent. The tension in the air was thick enough to choke on.

Then, with a dramatic toss of her silver hair, she hissed, "Do whatever you want. You’ll find nothing. I burned everything related to that company long ago."

Her words echoed down the hallway, and Adrian stopped walking. His eyes darkened, and he turned his head slightly toward her.

"You burned it?" he repeated quietly.

Clara froze. "I—that’s not what I meant—"

But the officers had already caught on, exchanging glances.

Adrian stepped closer, his voice calm, low, and dangerous. "Then I suppose you just confessed to destroying evidence of your fraud."

The witch’s breath caught. "No! That’s not—I didn’t—"

Adrian didn’t reply. He turned back toward the others, his expression unreadable. "Search the whole house. Every drawer, every hidden place. Don’t leave a single thing untouched."

As the officers began their search, Clara’s curses turned to frantic protests, but no one listened anymore.

****

Meanwhile, Ruby’s heart had been uneasy all day. The longer the hours passed, the heavier her chest felt. She had tried to distract herself by working on her game, then reading some documents, but nothing helped. Every few minutes, her eyes drifted to her phone—hoping, wishing that Adrian or Julian would call.

But the screen stayed dark. No messages. No calls.

By evening, she had started pacing the living room, her robe fluttering as she moved restlessly back and forth. Milo watched her from the couch, hugging his knees. Adrian and Julian’s absence had left the house feeling too quiet.

"Wife... they’re fine, right?" Milo asked softly, his big eyes worried.

Ruby smiled weakly, brushing her hair back. "Of course they are. Adrian’s with them. Nothing can happen when he’s there." But her voice trembled slightly at the end, and Milo’s frown deepened.

She tried calling again—once, twice, then thrice. Still no answer. The silence on the other end made her stomach twist.

To be continued... 🪄