Chapter 79 Ugh, talk about karma, right? Never mind whether Colin actually did the deed or not, a scumbag like Samuel lying there comatose was kind of poetic justice. “Mr. Brendan’s rushed back,” the assistant Eric piped up again. Colin didn’t respond, just threw a glance my way. I was distracted, feeling like this was all too coincidental. “Let’s head back.” The Langley family had lost another member. Now, Brendan was left without even a barren son to call his own, only Colin, the so–called ‘mad bastard‘ of a grandson, and the unborn child in my belly. I didn’t know what this meant for Colin, whether it was good or bad news. Brendan was getting on in years, and the Langley enterprise couldn’t take much more shaking up. Samuel was a fool, completely useless at driving the company forward, but as Brendan’s only son, he’d been at the helm, leading the family to a state of hollow strength. As Brendan aged, the fear was that if the Langley bloodline faltered, the jackals and hyenas within would rise up, unable to be contained any longer. The child inside me was still so small; its safe arrival into the world was uncertain, as was the question of whether Brendan would live to see it grow up and take over the family business. Change was coming to the Langley family. In the car, I glanced at Colin. It was a shame. If he weren’t mad, with his smarts and near–insane genius, he could surely take the Langleys to new heights. After hours on the road, we finally returned to Sea City. It started to rain out of nowhere that day. Sitting in the car, I watched the hurried passersby outside the window, my gaze wandering. Rain had always been my greatest fear because it was pouring the day my parents died in a car accident. feared thunder, rain, the dark, and enclosed spaces. I’d longed for someone to hold me during my darkest fears and wished Dexter would have been the one to embrace me when I was scared. But he only ever added salt to my wounds, crushing me underfoot as time slipped away. “Boom!” Chapter 79 Suddenly, lightning streaked across the sky, and the thunder made me freeze, and my body started to tremble. The weather was just like that day when I was eighteen, the day of my parents‘ accident. My breath quivered, and my body shook uncontrollably. “We’re here, young master, young mistress,” the assistant Eric said, opening the door for me to get out. I tried to appear normal, but with each clap of thunder, I couldn’t help but flinch. Colin got out of the car, came around to my side, and draped his coat over me. “Don’t be afraid, the rain won’t touch you.‘ I paused, looking up at Colin with his umbrella, my breath catching. Why did he always feel so eerily familiar? Was he a part of the memories I’d lost? Or was this some kind of Stockholm syndrome, feeling affection for the man who might have. tried to kill me? “Phoebe, don’t be scared,” he said, his voice low and gravelly from an old injury, somehow managing to sound both steady and reassuring. I stepped out of the car under his umbrella. His voice used to frighten me, but now it brought comfort, and that scared me even more. Would I end up brainwashed if this continued? Rain pattered on the umbrella as I looked at him for a long time. Colin remained silent, just quietly watching me. “Brendan’s out of the country, no one’s going to bother us, no one’s going to bully you anymore,” I whispered. – With that, tomorrow, I’d have to deal with my own matters. I needed to uncover the truth and find Colin’s accomplice. Colin didn’t speak, just held the umbrella over me, took my hand, and led me back to our room.