#Chapter 248: The Matriarch

Edrick Within an hour, Moana and I were nervously walking up the front steps to my parents’ mansion. We left Ella with Selina just in case we walked in on anything sinister. The house was mostly dark, which was out of the ordinary. As I slowly opened the front door, I felt my heart catch in my throat. “Hello?” I called out, holding Moana’s hand as I stepped into the large foyer. “Mom?” There was no answer. Moana and I exchanged nervous glances and walked in a little further. “Verona?” Moana called, cupping her hands around her mouth to make her voice travel further. “Are you there?!” Still no answer. We decided to head into the sitting room, where my mother often liked to be during her free time, but it was dark and empty. At this point, I was starting to get even more nervous. “I swear, if that bastard did anything to her…” I growled, “I’ll—” Moana gasped. “Look!” she said, pointing behind me. I followed her finger to see what looked like a small fire o