A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 1028

Herbert had been wondering why Amos was suddenly so protective of his so-called 'brother's legacy.'

It turned out Fairfax hadn't been dead at all. Amos wasn't protecting a ghost's widow; he was harboring Fairfax's wife.

Fairfax had hidden Starla away, faked his own death, and utterly annihilated General Licht's organization from the shadows.

How was Starla viewing this right now?

Fairfax had essentially put his life on the line to avenger her and destroy Licht. Would she be moved by that? Would she run right back into his arms?

The thought made something violently dark twist in Herbert's eyes.

Of course, Herbert wasn't the only one to receive the news.

Yardley got the update almost simultaneously.

When he heard that Fairfax was alive, Yardley looked visibly stunned. He stared at Herbert, completely speechless.

The room was dead silent for several seconds.

"You're telling me Fairfax isn't dead?" Yardley finally asked, his tone freezing over.

"Not only is he alive," Herbert replied tightly, "but he's been hiding Starla in Sylvan Vale this entire time. He just extracted her and brought her to Cyrus Sea."

Yardley went stiff. Hearing that Starla had been trapped in Sylvan Vale for months made his expression darken further.

"She's tougher than she looks," Yardley muttered.

Anyone who knew Sylvan Vale knew it was an incredibly harsh environment. Despite being called a 'vale', it was situated at a punishingly high altitude. People with weak hearts couldn't survive there, and even healthy people struggled with the thin air and brutal climate.

And Starla had endured it for months. He had vastly underestimated her resilience.

"She's used to crawling out of hell," Herbert remarked coldly.

Before she had married into the Yelchin family, her life had been a constant struggle. Of course, her suffering had only intensified after she married Fairfax, but she had always been a survivor.

Yardley fell silent.

The irony was rich. Susanna was Fairfax's younger sister. In the past, Yardley wouldn't have cared about the blood ties. He viewed people as assets or obstacles.

But after seeing Starla's visceral, traumatized reaction to his own biological betrayal, Yardley had realized that blood relationships carried a psychological weight he couldn't just ignore.

Ever since the news of Fairfax's "death" broke, Susanna had been fighting him relentlessly. Now that Fairfax was back, maybe she would finally stop throwing tantrums.

Herbert gave Yardley a long, calculating look.

"Fairfax is never going to let you marry his sister."

"Do I look like I need his permission?" Yardley sneered.

"If you're doing this in Marina City, yes. You do."

According to the power dynamics of the city, an alliance like that required the Yelchin family's blessing.

But Yardley had already decided he didn't care about their rules. He was making this happen on his own terms.