A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 796

And look how that ended. One woman had lit the fuse that blew their marriage to pieces, and eventually, the entire Yelchin family got dragged into the chaos.

But that was the Yelchins. She hadn't cared if they burned.

This was the Hoggart family. Her family. She had to be paranoid.

Seeing that she wasn't convinced, Yardley offered a compromise. "If you're afraid that asking him directly will get you an answer you don't like, or that it might backfire, then have Garret look into it."

Starla considered this. Asking Herbert directly felt too risky; it might tip him off if he was hiding something malicious. An under-the-radar investigation was much safer.

"Alright," she nodded. "I'll put Garret on it."

"Good. Starting tomorrow, your schedule is going to be even more packed. But don't neglect building your relationship with Herbert."

Starla blinked. One second they were authorizing a covert background check on the man, and the next, he was telling her to plan a date night? She honestly had no idea how her brother's mind worked.

Even though they were flesh and blood, his unwavering support for Herbert gave her the creeps.

She didn't respond to his advice, simply standing up. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed."

"He loves you very much," Yardley called after her.

Starla rolled her eyes internally. *Love, love, love.* When she was dealing with Fairfax, Yardley had practically yelled at her to stop being blindly in love. Now, he was pushing her to be blindly in love with Herbert?

If anyone was suffering from a romantic delusion, it was Yardley and his weird obsession with trusting Herbert.

...

After Starla left, the warm, brotherly smile vanished from Yardley's face, instantly replaced by a terrifying, icy edge.

His phone buzzed. It was Lake, one of his top operatives.

...

Instead of going straight to her room, Starla headed to the kitchen for a late-night snack. As she was eating a bowl of Marina City-style noodles prepared by the chef, she saw Yardley striding toward the front door, fully dressed to go out.

"Are you leaving again, Yardley?"

How many fires was the Hoggart family fighting right now? Her father was constantly away, and now her brother was practically living out of his car.

"I won't be back for a few days," Yardley said over his shoulder. "Make sure you eat well and follow Reba's instructions."

"A few days?!"

Just how massive was the crisis he was dealing with?