Chapter 34 The Confinement Order
"Where’s your evidence?" Eleanor stepped closer. "You accused me of kidnapping Little Lily. You said I planned the whole thing. Where’s your proof?"
Veyra’s jaw tightened. "I don’t have proof. Not yet."
Eleanor laughed. It was a loud, ugly sound.
"You don’t have proof," Eleanor repeated. "You stood in front of this family and accused me of a crime, and you don’t have a single piece of evidence to back it up."
"The evidence will come."
"Will it?" Eleanor turned to face the room. "She’s the one crying thief. She’s the one pointing fingers. But she has nothing. No proof. No witnesses. No leads. Just her own desperate attempts to shift the blame."
The Old Madam’s voice cut through the room. "Is this true? You have no evidence?"
Veyra looked at her.
"I don’t have evidence yet," Veyra said. "But I will. Dorian is working on it. He’ll find the truth."
The Old Madam’s face hardened. "You expect me to sit here and wait while my great-granddaughter is out there somewhere with God knows who? You expect me to trust your word over the word of family?"
"I expect you to trust the truth."
"The truth?" The Old Madam’s voice rose. "You come into this house as a stranger. You marry my grandson. You claim to be carrying his child. You lose my great-granddaughter. And now you accuse my niece of kidnapping her?" She shook her head. "I’ve had enough of your lies."
"I’m not lying."
"Then where is she?" The Old Madam’s voice cracked. "Where is my little girl?"
Veyra had no answer.
She looked at Eleanor. At the smug smile and satisfied eyes.
"You have a motive," Veyra said.
Eleanor’s smile flickered. "What?"
"A motive. For kidnapping Lily. This morning, I humiliated you. In front of the whole family. The bet. The slap. Everyone saw you lose. Everyone saw you cry."
Eleanor’s face went red.
"You’re vindictive," Veyra continued. "You’ve shown that from the beginning. You hold grudges. You demand an eye for an eye. And you wanted revenge."
"This is ridiculous—"
"You wanted to hurt me. And you knew the best way to hurt me was to make me look responsible for something terrible. Something Dorian would never forgive."
Eleanor shook her head. "You’re insane."
"Little Lily going missing accomplishes everything you wanted. I look guilty. Dorian is furious with me. The family turns against me. And you get to sit back and watch." Veyra paused. "It’s perfect, really. You didn’t even have to get your hands dirty. You just had to make a phone call."
The room was quiet.
Phillip stepped forward. His face was red. His voice was loud.
"This is nonsense," he said. "You’re trying to twist everything around. You’re the one who lost the child. You’re the one who was meeting her ex-boyfriend. You’re the one with something to hide."
Veyra looked at him. "I have nothing to hide."
"Then why were you meeting him? Why did you take Little Lily to that specific café? Why did you let her get taken?" Phillip’s voice rose. "You’re trying to kill two birds with one stone. Get rid of Little Lily and get rid of Eleanor. Clear the way for your child to inherit everything."
"That’s not true."
"Isn’t it?" Phillip crossed his arms. "You’re carrying Dorian’s child. That child is a threat to everyone else in this family. With Little Lily gone and Eleanor disgraced, there’s no one left to stand in your way."
Veyra stared at him. The accusation was so absurd she almost laughed.
"I don’t care about the inheritance," she said. "I don’t care about the family fortune. I never have."
"Then what do you care about?"
"Lily." Her voice was quiet. "I care about Lily. I care about finding her. I care about making sure she’s safe. That’s all I’ve cared about since she disappeared."
No one spoke.
The Old Madam’s voice was cold.
"You still haven’t told us where she is."
Veyra turned to face her. "I don’t know where she is. I wish I did. I would give anything to know. But I don’t."
"Then you’re useless to me."
The words hung in the air.
Veyra felt them like a slap. Worse than a slap. A dismissal. A verdict.
"But Dorian will find her," Veyra said. "He’s already working on it. He’s tracking the kidnappers right now. He’ll bring her home."
The Old Madam’s eyes narrowed. "You have a lot of faith in my grandson."
"I have faith in the truth. And the truth will come out."
Eleanor shifted beside her. A small movement. Almost imperceptible. But Veyra saw it. And she saw something else. A flicker of panic in Eleanor’s eyes. Quick. Gone. But there.
"She’s stalling," Eleanor said. "She’s trying to distract us. She doesn’t know where Little Lihua is because she doesn’t want us to find her."
The Old Madam nodded slowly. "You may be right."
"Let me take her," Eleanor said. "Let me question her. Privately. I’ll get the truth out of her."
The Old Madam hesitated. "She’s pregnant."
"I’ll be careful. I won’t hurt her. I just need to talk to her. Woman to woman."
The Old Madam looked at Veyra. Her eyes were cold.
"Take her to the confinement room," the Old Madam said. "No one goes in or out until she tells us where Little Lily is."
Veyra’s heart sank.
The bodyguards moved toward her.
She did not run. There was nowhere to run. She stood still as they took her arms. Their grips were firm but not painful.
"The confinement room," Eleanor said. "You’ll stay there until you’re ready to talk."
Veyra looked at her. "You’re making a mistake."
"We’ll see."
The bodyguards started to pull her toward the door.
And then the telephone rang.
The sound cut through the room like a blade. Everyone froze.
The butler crossed to the phone. He picked it up. His face was calm. Professional.
"Thorne residence," he said.
He listened. His expression did not change.
"Yes, sir. I’ll inform them."
He hung up. He turned to face the room.
"That was Mr. Thorne," he said. "He has reviewed the surveillance footage and spoken with witnesses. He states unequivocally that Mrs. Thorne had nothing to do with the young miss’s disappearance."
The room went silent.
"He further instructs that no one is to harass or detain his wife," the butler continued. "Anyone who does so will answer directly to him."
Eleanor’s face went white.
The bodyguards released Veyra’s arms. She stepped back. Her heart was pounding.
"The young miss is still missing," the butler said. "But Mr. Thorne is confident he will find her. He asks for patience."
No one spoke.
Veyra looked at Eleanor. At the panic in her eyes. At the way her hands were shaking.
"May I go to my room now?" Veyra asked.
The Old Madam nodded stiffly. "Yes."
Veyra turned and walked out of the living room.
Her room was quiet.
She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Her legs gave out. She slid down until she was sitting on the floor.
Her heart was still pounding. Her hands were still shaking. Her lip was still bleeding.
She pressed her hand against her chest and tried to breathe.
Dorian had saved her.
He had called. He had defended her. He had told his family to leave her alone.
She did not know why. He had been so cold at the café. So dismissive. He had mocked her for wanting to help. He had sent her away like she was a child.
But he had still defended her.
She closed her eyes.
She thought about calling him. Thanking him. Asking him what he had found.
But she was not ready. Not yet. Her voice was still shaky. Her thoughts were still scattered.
She pulled out her phone instead. She scrolled to Li Wei’s number.