Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom novel Chapter 285

How could Irene possibly be here?

Hadn't Brian already shipped her off overseas?

Panic surged through Nathan. He'd been planning everything so carefully: once the whole family was abroad, he would buy a gun, wait for the right moment, and eliminate Irene—tie up every loose end for good.

But now, before he could even set foot on a plane, Irene was standing right in front of him, very much alive.

That bastard Brian had sworn up and down that Irene was being kept under strict house arrest at the estate, that there was no possible way for her to escape.

Nathan's gaze flickered nervously. But when his eyes landed on Jarrod and Karin Cole, realization struck like a bolt of lightning. Of course—it had to be the Cole couple who smuggled Irene back.

Right now, both Jarrod and Karin were glaring at him with naked hostility, their eyes burning with unspoken accusations.

Nathan's heart plummeted. He suddenly understood: Irene must have told them everything.

A cold sweat broke out across his forehead. He didn't dare meet the Coles' eyes and quickly looked away, feigning indifference.

But when his gaze drifted to Aberdeen and Grace, the room seemed to tilt around him, leaving him reeling.

What were these two old women doing here?

He remembered perfectly well—on the day Irene woke up, those two had hovered around Claire, doing everything they could to help her. At the time, he'd assumed they were just ordinary old ladies. Now, it was clear things were far more complicated.

The one standing by the wall, dressed in a uniform identical to May's, was obviously a housekeeper. But the elegant woman seated on the sofa, draped in pearls and fine silk, could only be Sean's grandmother—Aberdeen.

As the realization dawned, Nathan felt as if a sledgehammer had slammed into his skull.

He'd managed to offend Aberdeen herself, and hadn't even known it.

God help him if the old woman remembered. With her against him, how would he ever get Vanessa out?

Finally, Nathan's eyes landed on Claire and Sean, and a cold sweat soaked his back.

Claire—the little wretch—was here too, sitting right next to Sean as if she belonged there.