Chapter 7%
Kimberly looked like she still had something to say, but neither of them even spared her a glance before turning and walking away. She gritted her teeth in anger, the sweet, innocent act wholly gone from her face and venomously cursed, “Lilian, you relentless bitch! Even dead, you’re still trying to steal from me!”
On the way back, her phone kept buzzing with live updates about the massive fire at the Eastlake. It practically filled the whole screen. Jacob was in a daze, the veins on his hands gripping the steering wheel were bulging. He ran countless red lights, finally reaching the house.
Alas, as soon as he got out of the car, the scene before him made his legs buckle. The entire house was engulfed in flames. The towering inferno painted the daytime sky with fiery clouds. Countless firefighters in orange uniforms and medical personnel in white coats were rushing in and out.
The servants were slumped on the ground, every one of them covered in soot and trembling uncontrollably. The butler, covered in ach, ran up to him. “Sir! Thank God you’re back!”
Jacob, on the edge of a breakdown, grabbed him by the collar. “Where’s Lily? Where is she?“%
The butler’s eyes went wide with panic. He stammered, pointing to the charred shell of the house behind them. “W–We followed your orders. We didn’t open the door for the Madam. At first, we just heard her banging from inside, but then the noise stopped. We thought maybe she’d just tired herself out, but then smoke started coming out through the cracks. That’s when I realized something was wrong. We opened the door and the fire exploded. We couldn’t stop it. The whole room was already burning. There was no time… “Z “And… and…” He hesitated, clearly afraid to go on.”
Jacob’s heart pounded violently, a terrible premonition instantly washing over him. “And what?“%
Boom! The words had barely left his mouth when a deafening explosion ripped through the air. The windows shattered. Black smoke billowed out, forming a scarlet mushroom cloud that shot straight out of my room. Countless shards of glass and charred debris rained down. Jacob stared at the scene, his blood running cold. “No, no way! Lily wouldn’t leave me. She wouldn’t die.“%
He broke into a crazed run toward the house, but the butler tackled him, holding him back with everything he had. “Sir, stop! You’ll die if you go in there! The firefighters have already checked and someone planted dozens of gasoline barrels in the Madam’s room. Another explosion could happen at any moment!”
Jacob’s eyes were bloodshot and he swayed on his feet. Gasoline barrels? Why the hell would there be gasoline barrels in her room? It was like he finally remembered. When he’d gone into my room before, he’d vaguely smelled something strange. Still, he’d been so focused on Kimberly that he’d deliberately ignored it. A belated, agonizing pain and regret washed over him. He collapsed to his knees, all strength leaving hirn, experiencing true despair for the first time in his life.
When my mother arrived and saw the scorched remains of what used to be the house, she was stunned into silence. Then she snapped out of it and ran to the nearest firefighter, grabbing his arm in a panic. “My daughter! She’s the lady of this house! Was she rescued? She’s not well. This huge fire must have terrified her! I need to take care of her. Please, tell me where she is!“%
The firefighter couldn’t bear it, finally letting out a heavy sigh. “I’m so sorry, ma’am. The fire started in Miss Stewart’s room. We found multiple gasoline barrels there and they have already exploded several times. I’m afraid … ”
“You’re lying!” her mother screamed, her eyes instantly red as tears streamed down her cheeks. “My daughter’s alive! She was supposed to get married today and we were going to host the wedding together. She promised me! She’s such a good girl. She’d never leave me like this, never!”
