The Runaway Groom

Chapter 123

Moneypenny walked up to Henry. “Sir, don’t you think Master Isaac looks a little upset?”

Henry sighed. “What, can’t you tell?”

Isaac’s stance was only too obvious!

Moneypenny then offered a theory.

“Perhaps he is refusing because he fell in love?”

Henry naturally picked up on it too. “This is all on me. I never did check on Irene Spencer thoroughly before I arranged for her to marry Isaac. And now, it’s going to be difficult to get him to divorce her.”

“You know his temper,” Moneypenny pointed out. “Things will only get difficult if he really doesn’t want a divorce.”

“Not exactly,” Henry countered. “Did you forget that he has an Achilles’ heel?”

Moneypenny was puzzled. “Are you referring to that?”

“Yes. He had always been obsessed with it-the silver crucifix of the girl who had saved him when he was ten, when he fell in the pool. He tried looking for her, and I helped too, but we never could because there were too many people visiting our house on that day.”

“But if we can’t find her after so many years, there’s surely no reason we’re able to do so now?

Moneypenny asked.

”

Henry gave him a look. “That’s not the point. The point is to get Isaac to believe it.”

Moneypenny appeared confused.

“Old fool,” Henry chuckled. “We just have to find a girl we can count on, and have her tell him that she’s the one he was looking for.”

Moneypenny was worried. “But would Master Isaac buy it?”

Henry was miffed that his butler was so slow just then. “He was just ten-how many details. can he remember? We just have to tell our girl every detail we know, and Isaac will buy it once she gives him the same story.”

Nonetheless, Moneypenny was prudent enough to catch on to a little detail. “Yes, but if she showed up out of the blue, Master Isaac would be sharp enough to catch on. Just think about it —why is she showing up now, just as you’re trying to get him to divorce Irene Spencer? Doesn’t, that look suspicious?”

Henry suddenly realized that it was true. “What do you think we should do, then?”

“Well, it’s not that difficult,” Moneypenny replied. “First, we embed a girl you appreciate in Master Isaac’s orbit, and have her inadvertently reveal that she had been here in the past and saved a boy. That way, Master Isaac will connect the dots on his own, without getting suspicious of anything”

Henry gave Moneypenny a look of approval-it was a good idea, but the question now was: who was the right girl? Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.

“Plenty of fish in the sea, sir,” Moneypenny replied when Henry asked. “You can take your time”

Meanwhile, Irene was sitting in a private booth opposite Zachary. He had been drinking himself silly for a while now, as he was still hung up on Lulu.

He came to the mansion looking for her soon after Isaac left. She wanted to say something to comfort him, but could not find the right words, and simply gave him company as he got drunk again.

“You women are liars-all of you.” His shirt was unkempt, and he burped a mouthful of alcoholic gas, and pushed himself off the couch, wobbling for a while and grabbing himself another bottle. As he sat, he missed the couch and dropped on the floor on his posterior, but simply leaned against the couch and stayed on the floor.

As he drank, he asked, “Tell me, Irene… What’s Lulu’s husband like?”

Irene pursed her lips. “I don’t know,”

How could she, after all? Lulu was never in another relationship after Zachary.

As she took a sip as well, Zachary was mumbling blankly while misery showed in his eyes. She betrayed me… married another man and even had a child. Have you met the kid?”

“He was just a tiny button,” he rasped as he gestured with his hands. “If only the kid were mine…”

Irene listened to him ramble in silence, suddenly able to understand Zachary’s pain.

She knew that Isaac might divorce her soon, and actually felt a sense of loss.

She knew she should not feel that way-to harbor such unnecessary feelings.

”

Finishing her drink, she said, “That’s enough. No more juice for you-get up, it’s time to go home.”

“No…” Zachary waved her off.

Unable to move him by herself, Irene asked Jimmy the chauffeur to help carry him to the car and drove him home, after which they returned to the mansion.

She was feeling tipsy and wanted to take a short nap, but dozed off instead.

She was sleeping soundly and did not wake up even though the door opened.

It took a while when she woke up with a groggy head. Night had fallen outside, but since no one turped on the lights in her room, it seemed even darker inside.

She rubbed her eyes, but noticed a shadow standing by the bed just as she got up.

“Is that you,

Isaac?” she asked tentatively.

There was no response!

As she reached out to the shadow, however… she was suddenly pushed down!

“Kyah!” she yelped as she felt as if she was pushed into the mattress, and pinned down violently!