The War God Alpha's Arranged Bride (Evelyn and Alexander) novel Chapter 172

**Steps Along Forgotten Roads**
**By Sophia Reed**
**Chapter 172: In Search Of Hemlock**

[Evelyn’s POV]

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered under my breath, the words barely escaping my lips as a wave of dread washed over me.

As I stepped into the greenhouse, a place that once brimmed with life and color, I was met with a sight that twisted my stomach into knots. My original plants, once vibrant and full of potential, lay lifeless and withered, victims of neglect and abandonment. But it wasn’t just the desolation of my beloved plants that sent chills down my spine; it was the chaos that now ruled the work table, an overwhelming array of equipment strewn haphazardly across its surface.

My mouth fell open, disbelief etched across my face as I took in the scene before me. In a matter of moments, Henry’s theory had morphed from mere speculation into an undeniable reality.

Isabella had done it. She had sullied one of the most cherished corners of my childhood, a sanctuary gifted to me by my father during a time when he was still present in our lives, before the emotional chasm between him and the family widened into an unbridgeable divide.

As I surveyed the room, my heart sank further. Old, crumpled boxes were piled high, glass beakers and burners cluttered the surfaces, and shelves sagged under the weight of numerous glass test tubes, their contents a mystery.

My pulse quickened, a sense of panic clawing at my insides. Isabella had transformed my sanctuary into a twisted chemistry lab, a breeding ground for her sinister intentions.

It was painfully evident that she had been meticulously plotting this for quite some time. I couldn’t help but wonder how many experiments she had conducted in her quest for the perfect formula.

“And here I thought Isabella was as clear-headed as her daughter,” Alexander remarked, his tone laced with incredulity.

“Far from it,” I replied, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and disbelief.

Isabella had shown a level of cunning and intelligence that I had never credited her with. This was the same woman who obsessed over her appearance for every social gathering, as if each event were a beauty pageant. Who would ever suspect that beneath that facade lay a mind capable of such dark machinations?

Yet, the sight of the distilling apparatus around me confirmed that she had indeed invested significant time and thought into her nefarious plans.

I stepped closer, my focus sharpening. Above all, my mission was clear: I needed to find the Hemlock. Without that critical ingredient, all of this equipment meant nothing.

“Let’s see,” I murmured to myself, my mind racing. “She was clever enough to secure the door with a padlock… But was she smart enough to conceal the Hemlock somewhere else?”

“Be careful not to touch anything,” Alexander cautioned, his voice steady but laced with urgency.

I began to scour the work table, my fingers deftly maneuvering between the beakers and vials, searching for any sign of the elusive plant. But with each passing moment, my hope dwindled. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

A heavy weight settled in my stomach, despair creeping in. No. This couldn’t be the end of our pursuit. I refused to accept that we had come this far only to hit another dead-end.

Frustration bubbled within me, and I bit down on my tongue hard enough to draw blood, stifling the scream that threatened to escape.

“It’s alright,” Alexander said, his voice calm and reassuring. “We’re going to find it. In the meantime, I’ll call Oliver and have him send a team out here to collect fingerprints. They’ll comb through this entire place—if we missed something, they’ll likely find it.”

I wanted to believe him, to hold onto that flicker of hope, but deep down, a nagging doubt lingered. Why had I ever thought this would be straightforward?

I raked a hand through my hair, the urge to lash out at everything around me nearly overwhelming.

“What the hell is going on here?!”

Both Alexander and I turned sharply at the sound of Leonard’s voice, finding him standing in the doorway, his expression a mixture of shock and confusion. I couldn’t quite decipher which aspect of the scene had him most astounded—whether it was the sight of Alexander standing beside me, seemingly unscathed, or the fact that I was now wearing his mask.

[Third-Person’s POV]

Leonard Silverwood had been away on business for several days, only to return home to find his sanctuary in utter chaos. Frustration mounted as he searched for any member of the staff who could explain why his home appeared to have been ransacked.

He had called out for his wife multiple times, but all he found was a hastily scrawled note in his office, detailing her plans to spend time with Samantha and Liam.

Fine by him, he thought.

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