A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 317

Herbert stared at him, his expression cold and unforgiving.

The original purpose of Fairfax's visit was completely forgotten, lost in the new, gut-wrenching turmoil Herbert had unleashed. He knew what Herbert was talking about. He knew Starla’s initial interest in him had nothing to do with him as a person. It was a secret he thought he had buried forever.

“How do you know?” Fairfax asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“How could I not know something that concerns me?”

Herbert’s reply was sharp, a veiled claim that sliced deep into Fairfax’s already wounded pride. The words landed like lead weights in his stomach.

“You, on the other hand,” Herbert continued witheringly, “stick your nose into things that have nothing to do with you, yet you’re completely clueless about what’s happening right under your own roof.”

The barb was aimed squarely at Brinley and her machinations, of which Fairfax remained blissfully ignorant.

...

Fairfax stumbled out of the Farley Group building in a daze. He lit a cigarette, the wind whipping his hair and the smoke into a grey blur.

His phone rang. It was Gabriel.

“Sir, the Hoggart Group…”

“What now?” Fairfax cut him off, his voice raw with frustration. “Are they determined to tear the Yelchin Group to pieces?”

He had carefully switched back from ‘Ms. Lansbury,’ knowing the name would irk Fairfax.

Fairfax’s head snapped up. “You think this is because of her?”

“I’m not sure,” Gabriel admitted. “But the timing of her recent actions and the Hoggart Group’s targeted attacks… it almost feels like a coordinated offensive. And their attacks have become much more aggressive lately.”

He listed off their losses: projects in Barcester, Zephyria, and now Skybrook. Their international projects were being dismantled one by one, a devastating blow since overseas operations constituted a huge portion of their business.

“If it is because of her,” Gabriel added cautiously, “then perhaps the solution is simpler than we think.”

Fairfax frowned. “What connection could she possibly have with the Hoggart Group?”