Chapter Twenty-Five
If you observed closely, you would notice that although everyone was chatting casually, their glances would occasionally dart toward the second floor.
“But didn’t the Rivers family stop participating in events after the former head died a few years ago? Why have they suddenly—”
“Shh—” The speaker glanced around cautiously. “I heard that after John Rivers’ funeral, that lovely widow and Arthur both disappeared. And after that, neither of them was ever seen again.” This cautious person’s words were anything but careful; he even seemed smug about revealing inside information that others didn’t know.
The rest looked as if they’d suddenly understood, instantly grasping the implication left unspoken. The two vanished together, and only Arthur returned; moreover, it was rumored their relationship was anything but ordinary. After all, two young people of similar age—no one would be surprised if there was something between them. In fact, it would be more suspicious if there wasn’t.
Just as the man was about to continue, suddenly all the lights in the hall went out. In an instant, silence fell; everyone held their breath, eyes fixed on the spiral staircase leading upstairs.
A sound came—the old wooden door creaking open. A gentle white beam illuminated the doorway. The deep brown door slowly parted, and with every inch, the hearts of those present thudded faster and louder. Everyone knew the story: years ago, the former head of the family had died suddenly on his wedding night, and the young master had abruptly vanished. The late head could be considered fortunate in love—over fifty and still able to marry such a beautiful bride, something to make anyone envious. It wasn’t that none of them had beautiful wives, but finding such a remarkable beauty was rare indeed. What a pity…
Recently, someone mentioned that the beautiful widow who disappeared after the funeral inherited most of John Rivers’ fortune, a fact that left many sighing in amazement. But once the sighs faded, desire took over—the immeasurable wealth made their eyes burn with envy, prompting subtle schemes and quiet maneuvering.
Arthur Rivers himself had disappeared after the funeral, which emboldened others to take bolder actions, their ambitions growing by the day.
But now, things were clearly not unfolding as everyone had expected. And, if you thought about it, who would be foolish enough to entrust the family legacy, built over generations, to a young girl who’d barely had the chance to enjoy it, rather than to one’s own pure-blooded son?
Besides, this son was anything but ordinary. Who didn’t know the legend that had swept through the racing world these past years? In recent times, every young lady from the city’s prominent families, regardless of age, had become die-hard fans of Arthur Rivers.
The real reason people had stopped their scheming was, in truth, laughable. Up until now, nobody really knew what the young master was capable of. But this was no longer a question of ability—it was about a person with such a formidable background, someone utterly unafraid of death. An existence like his was a rarity among the nobility, and inevitably, his presence was destined to be terrifying—perhaps even something that everyone would want to eradicate.
Everyone feared death—especially those who stood at the very top of the social hierarchy. Naturally, they would never allow anyone who might threaten them to exist. Someone like Arthur would either have to subjugate everyone under his command with overwhelming strength, or else disappear from the world entirely, ceasing to be a threat. Either way, the price Arthur would have to pay would be unimaginably steep.