My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 35: Third Lord Master Sent Me to Pick You Up

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Third Lord Master Sent Me to Pick You Up

An hour later, Nina Wynn and Hugh Chapman appeared at Eastdell Cemetery.

Nina Wynn placed a large bouquet of fresh daisies in front of Evan Chapman’s gravestone, her hand gently caressing his cold photograph.

The young man in the photo bore some resemblance to Hugh Chapman. He looked to be seventeen or eighteen, with a white shirt, short hair, and clean-cut features. His smile was as bright and clear as a sunny day after a storm.

Seeing Nina Wynn’s silent, somber expression, Hugh Chapman stepped forward and tugged on her clothes, whispering, "Sis, don’t be sad. My brother wouldn’t be happy seeing you like this. He loved seeing you smile the most."

Nina Wynn closed her eyes, Crystal Rhodes’s words from that night replaying over and over in her mind.

"That bitch must think Evan Chapman jumped to his death. She liked that Evan Chapman so much. If she knew the real cause of his death, she’d definitely have a breakdown. I’d love to see her suffer."

"In another month, the people involved in Evan Chapman’s death will be getting out. Those scapegoats are dirt poor. We’ll just give them some money, get her into bed, take a few ’nice’ pictures, and post them online. She’ll be famous then. Let’s see what school would still dare to take her!"

...

’I have to know the truth. My Evan Chapman will not have died in vain!’

Hugh Chapman said a lot more behind her, mostly about the past.

He said Evan Chapman and Nina Wynn grew up together, true childhood sweethearts. After Nina moved away, Evan spent a long time searching before he found her new school.

He also mentioned that every time Evan visited Nina’s school, he would return covered in injuries.

As he spoke, Nina Wynn zoned out, not even noticing her nails digging deep into her flesh.

She sat before Evan Chapman’s gravestone for a long time before moving on to her mother’s.

For her mother, she had brought a large bouquet of white roses.

Her mother had loved white roses most in life. But all she got was the sight of her husband giving a bouquet of them to his mistress while she was pregnant. She chased after those white roses for three blocks, lost the baby, and eventually died of depression, never receiving a bouquet of her own.

That was why, in this life, the thing Nina Wynn hated and despised most was the "other woman," and her most hated flower was the white rose.

When she left the cemetery, it was already noon. From a distance, Nina Wynn saw a black Rolls-Royce parked outside.

Her heart leaped. She immediately put some distance between herself and Hugh Chapman, her voice hushed to a whisper. "Hugh, you leave through the other gate. Go back to the hospital on your own."

Hugh Chapman saw the car too and was clearly upset. "Sis, isn’t that Zyler Rhodes’s car? Is he insane?"

Nina Wynn lowered her gaze and said faintly, "You’re just a kid, don’t worry about it so much. Focus on getting better. My aunt is there; he can’t do anything to me openly."

Hugh Chapman’s face was cold as he stared at the Rolls-Royce. "Sis, you said you’d spend the day with me."

Nina Wynn said, "Hugh, I will help you find a matching bone marrow donor. After your surgery, we’ll leave this place. Just bear with it for a little longer."

With that, she walked quickly forward, not seeing the deep, impenetrable darkness and coldness in the young man’s eyes behind her.

Before she even reached the car, the door of the Rolls-Royce opened. Willson Lawson stepped out, opened the rear door, and said, "Miss Wynn, the Third Lord Master sent me to pick you up."

Nina Wynn kept her eyes downcast, her voice soft and thin. "My uncle... how did he know I was here?"

Willson Lawson looked at the frail, almost fragile girl before him, a wave of sympathy rising in his heart. He sighed softly, his voice carrying a rare sincerity. "Miss Wynn, technically, I’m just an assistant, and it’s not my place to say this. But... I think you’d be better off just going along with the Third Lord Master. You’ll suffer less that way. To put it bluntly, in a place like Elysian City, you can’t escape his grasp. Hell, not just Elysian City—in all of Veridia, if he wants to know where you are, it’s as easy as lifting a finger."

Nina Wynn said no more and stooped to get into the car.

When they arrived at Caleb Rhodes’s courtyard home, a lavish lunch was already set on the dining table. In a white jade vase at the center of the table was a large bouquet of white roses, their faint, cloying scent wafting in the air.

She suddenly felt suffocated, overcome with the urge to flee.

Caleb Rhodes was standing by the window, talking on the phone.

He was still in a white shirt and black trousers, his figure tall and slender. He exuded an air of cold, imposing nobility.

Nina Wynn lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him. Her soft, pale hands clutched her dress tightly as she called out in a tiny voice, "Uncle."

Caleb Rhodes’s expression was impassive. He gave her a cool glance, said something to the person on the phone, and then hung up.

He stared at her for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping over her pale face before landing on the back of her hand, which was still wrapped in gauze. His voice was cold and heavy. "The butler said you left this morning without taking your medicine."

Nina Wynn kept her gaze lowered. Her thin bangs shifted on her smooth forehead, and her long eyelashes trembled, casting a small shadow that obscured her expression.

She bit her lip and said softly, "Uncle, the anniversary of my mother’s death is approaching. I went to see her."

Just as she braced herself for some strange reaction from him, Caleb Rhodes simply said, "Let’s eat."

Nina Wynn looked up at him in surprise, her eyes meeting his cold, deep gaze. The inherent, piercing chill within them made her tremble involuntarily.

She had the unsettling feeling of being completely exposed, as if he could see right through her with a single glance.

She bit her lip and whispered, "It really is the anniversary of my mom’s death."

Caleb Rhodes’s gaze grew colder. "Nina Wynn, do you think I’m so unreasonable that I wouldn’t let you pay respects to your mother?"

Nina Wynn bit her lip harder, fell silent, and didn’t dare to look at him.

Her silence was tantamount to an admission, and Caleb Rhodes’s gaze grew even colder.

Just then, the butler cleared his throat. "Young Master, the agents for those brands have arrived. They’re waiting in the small parlor."

Caleb Rhodes withdrew his gaze and said flatly, "Next time, tell the butler about things like this in advance. Now, go eat."

Nina Wynn had been expecting a huge storm upon her return, but she never imagined Caleb Rhodes would let her off so easily.

Willson Lawson was also there for the meal. He discussed some work matters with Caleb Rhodes at the table while Nina Wynn listened quietly from the side. She didn’t eat much, her presence quiet and almost unnoticeable.

When the meal was nearly over, the butler brought out a sweet osmanthus soup, placing it next to a small bowl of Chinese medicine.

The dark herbal concoction made Nina Wynn’s scalp tingle with dread. Suddenly, even the sweet osmanthus soup no longer seemed sweet.

Caleb Rhodes glanced at her, then turned to the butler. "There’s a box of candied osmanthus in the case that was just brought back. Go get it." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

A moment later, the butler returned with an exquisitely packaged box of candied fruit, opened it, and placed it in front of Nina Wynn.

The sweet fragrance of osmanthus wafted out, and the color returned to Nina Wynn’s face a little.

But the thought of the medicine’s taste still made her shudder. The feeling of throwing up last night had been unbearable.

She bit her lip and asked in a very small voice, "Uncle, how long do I have to drink this medicine?"

’This medicine is so foul, so bitter, and even spicy... where on earth did he get it? How many more days do I have to drink this?’

’If I have to drink it for much longer, I feel like I’ll just drop dead from the medicine itself. Not even sweet osmanthus soup can save me!’

Her delicate brows furrowed together, causing Caleb Rhodes’s gaze to soften considerably.

He pushed a few pieces of the candied fruit onto the plate in front of her, his voice much gentler. "Suck on this while you drink."