Chapter 236

The noise faded. One man in a corduroy blazer made a loud scoff and stormed out. ‘What a waste of a day,’ someone muttered behind him. ‘Could’ve stayed home.’ ‘Let’s go. This was a bust.’ People began trickling out. Handbags snapped shut. Suit jackets were yanked from chairs. Within minutes, the room was cleared, with just me and Ashton left. Gwendolyn hesitated in the doorway, shot Ashton a poisonous look, then stomped off. Ashton stepped slowly towards the bed. He leaned over the old man’s face. ‘They’re gone. Every last one of them. Not a single person in this room gave a damn about you. They only turned up to collect. The moment they realised they weren’t getting what they came for, they fled. Probably whining about bad luck the whole way to the car.’ Edouard’s eyelids struggled open. His pupils locked on Ashton, wide and blazing with fury. ‘You… you changed my… my will…’ The words scraped out like broken glass. His chest rose in short, jagged bursts. Ashton looked down at him like