Wiona was brushing her hair early that morning when Shelly hurried in, voice low but urgent. “Ma’am, that man... he came out today.”
Her hand froze midair. “Devin?”
The new staff like Shelly still had no clue who Devin really was. All they knew was that he was some Sullivan relative, Conrad’s uncle, someone who’d been away so long most barely remembered his name. He’d shown up out of nowhere one day, then pretty much locked himself in his room. He never spoke to anyone. Meals were left outside his door. Clean laundry too. Even when things in the house got chaotic, he never came out, not even during the drama with Donna. To everyone in Hawthorne Hall, Devin was just this strange, unsettling presence. Now he was suddenly out and about?
“What’s he doing?” Wiona asked, trying to keep her voice calm.
“He’s on the second-floor terrace, watering the flowers,” Shelly said. “A bunch of people saw him. They said... he looks almost exactly like Mr. Sullivan. Except for his eyes, and he seems older, but honestly, they could be twins.”
Wiona’s face turned cold. “Stay away from him. All of you. Don’t provoke him, don’t offend him. If he asks for anything, do your best to handle it.”
Shelly nodded, looking just as anxious. “Yes, ma’am.”
Wiona started getting ready to go out. Alice came running over, all energy and excitement. “Wiona, are you going out? I want to go too!”
She bounced on her toes, grinning up at her. Ever since Wiona had taken her outside last time, Alice kept dreaming about the next adventure.
Wiona thought about Devin wandering around and decided it was safer to have Alice close. “Sure, go get changed.”
Alice’s face lit up. She skipped away, heading for the stairs, but nearly crashed into someone at the landing.
“Ah!” Alice stumbled. The maid behind her reached out, but the man nearby was quicker, catching Alice before she could fall.
“Careful, Alice,” he said.
Wiona’s heart stopped. She rushed up the stairs, calling out, “Alice!”
Alice stared at the man, confused for a second. “Conrad?” But then she shook her head, lips turning down in a pout. “You’re not my brother. Who are you?”
Wiona, with Molly and Shelly behind her, hurried to Alice’s side and gently pulled her back. “Alice, that’s your uncle.”


VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Divorced and Pregnant My New Life with a Billionaire Drives My Ex Crazy