A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 931

The atmosphere in the study was suffocating. When Herbert Farley walked in, Yardley Hoggart was puffing on a cigar, filling the room with a thick, acrid haze.

Yardley glanced up. "It seems she's genuinely furious with you."

Herbert remained silent. Was it just anger? To him, Starla Lansbury's reaction ran far deeper than a simple temper tantrum. She was profoundly disappointed in all of them.

"If she were only angry, it wouldn't be this bad," Herbert said. "Did you see the security footage? She went with Fairfax's people willingly."

Fairfax Yelchin... the name hung like a curse between them.

Herbert frowned. "Fairfax is dead. Why would his people still come looking for her?" He hadn't been able to wrap his head around it the entire way here. Logically, with Fairfax gone, his shadow should have faded from Starla's life completely. Yet, not only had his subordinates sought her out, but she had chosen to follow them.

He remembered how implicitly she had trusted him back in Marina City. Now, that trust was essentially zero. The thought gnawed at Herbert. Agitated, he lit a cigarette and took a long drag.

"Is it possible he isn't dead?" Yardley suggested.

Herbert gripped his cigarette so tightly it nearly snapped. He stared at Yardley in disbelief. "Impossible," he countered without a second thought. Fairfax had been severely injured when he fell into the ocean—a stretch of water notorious for predatory marine life. The scent of blood would have drawn them instantly. There was no way he hadn't been ripped to shreds.

"We cannot let her leave Yoran Country," Herbert said, his voice dropping to a dangerous chill.

Knowing Starla's stubbornness, if she crossed the border, finding her again would be next to impossible.

Yardley sighed. "And Fairfax? He obviously didn't trust your feelings for her. This escape route... it was probably his final arrangement for her."

His tone was complicated. Even in death, the man refused to give them peace. Fairfax had planned a backup for Starla right until the very end. He finally started caring about her feelings when his life was on the line, but what good did it do now?