Elsie sounded contrite. ‘I was just shocked by the news, is all. What I meant to say was, the rift between the two is long–running and impossible to be repaired. Young Master can’t stand any of his people having contact with Liam.‘
“They’re brothers. Why do they hate each other so much?”
A Love Triangle?
Elsie was about to answer the question, but she caught herself.
The housekeeper was
was on the horns of a dilemma.
The subject was taboo.
If Young Master knew she dredged up the past and tattled to Young Madam, she could lose her job and possibly suffer something
worse.
But if she didn’t say anything, Young Madam might not appreciate the seriousness of the issue and continue to have contact with Liam, which would not end well for her.
Kira sensed the housekeeper’s hesitation
She tugged at Elsie’s apron, pleading with her eyes.
Elsie looked at Kira’s swollen arm, sighed and decided to risk it.
She glanced around the dining room before leaning in.
“The brothers fell in love with the same girl,” she whispered.
Kira’s eyebrows shot up. ‘A love triangle?”
“No, nothing like that. Young Master and the girl were dating back then. He was very fond of her, but he was often away. He joined the army after graduating from the military academy. Sometimes he had to go on a mission that lasted for weeks. He’d cut off all communication with the outside world. Even when he wasn’t on a mission, he would be on the base and could only come home on the
weekends.‘
Having watched her fair share of romance dramas, Kira thought she knew where this plot was going.
But she kept quiet and listened.
‘Liam took advantage of Young Master’s absence to pursue the girl. I guess it was hard for her, being alone like that. Anyway, she eventually gave in to the temptation.”
“She cheated on Austyn? Kira asked.
‘I don’t know all the details, but I guess she must have. Otherwise, Young Master wouldn’t have reacted the way he did.‘
Kira pursed her lips..
So it wasn’t a love triangle; it was an affair.
The girl must not have loved Austyn that much.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have fooled around with another man just because she was feeling lonely.
“Anyway, the relationship between Young Master and Liam was already strained. It went from bad to worse after the affair came to light.” Elsie sighed. “I feel bad for Liam.”
‘You mean, you feel bad for Austyn Kira thought she heard wrongly.
‘Sure, that too. But also Liam, whom I should call Young Master Liam, by the way. He’s Young Master Austyn’s brother, after all.”
‘You feel bad for the adulterer? Kira struggled to understand the housekeeper
‘Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I condone what he did, but I guess I can understand why he did it. Young Master Liam was neglected as a child. He didn’t receive much care or attention from his father. I guess he blamed it on Young Master Austyn.”
Kira thought of Georgina.
She would never acknowledge that woman as her sister, but she remembered how much she’d loathed Georgina for stealing Helen
away.
Even so, she would never take revenge by stealing Georgina’s boyfriend.
It just seemed like such a twisted thing to do.
Elsie continued, ‘I’ve been with the family for decades. I saw how Young Master Liam would always pick a fight with Young Master Austyn and deliberately provoke him I guess he resented Young Master Austyn for being the favoured one. He would try and snatch away anything Young Master Austyn had. It was small things at first–a toy, a new phone, an overseas trip. Who knew it would have
escalated to a woman?‘
Elsie sighed again.
Kira tried to digest the information.
a
This version of Liam portrayed by the housekeeper’s words was a jarring contrast to what Kira knew of the man.
But then, maybe all she knew had been a façade engineered by the man.
‘Elsie, is the girl’s name Deborah Connelly?”
Elsie stared at her. ‘How did you know?”
So it was true
Kira’s colleagues had gossiped about the president’s dead lover.
Kira was there; she heard everything.
That was the second time she heard Deborah’s name.
The first time was during her first night with Austyn.
He was drunk.
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