Leonard’s hands clenched into fists at his sides as he listened to Aaron, his jaw tight with suppressed rage. Sally wanted to be at his side, to help him through this, but her own life was in peril.
“But I had no evidence,” Aaron went on with resentment. “So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I figured if I could not expose him, I’d do the next best thing. Get rid of him. I sent him a bottle of wine, fine wine from the best winery in France. I pretended it was from a rival looking to make a deal. And I added something a little special to it.”
Leonard’s eyes widened in shock as he realized the full extent of Aaron’s deception, while Sally continued to try her best to put it all together. “You poisoned him,” he breathed.
Aaron’s lips curled into a cold smirk as he nodded. “With arsenic,” he confirmed, his gaze locking with Leonard’s. “After that it was easy enough to worm my way into your business. You were so eager for a partner, a friend. It was pathetic.”
“But why?” Leonard demanded. “Why did you want to harm me? I told you all I did was try to help my father’s victims.”
“We both know that’s a lie. You are just like him, you always have been. You always will be. I’m doing Sally a favor dispatching her from the world, and you.”
Sally knew she had to do something, for this would not end well for any of them if she hadn’t found her voice. Gathering her courage, she spoke up. “There is a ball going on,” she declared. “Everyone will know it was you who did it. My sister knows you two were fighting.”
Where are they anyhow? Rosy went for them so long ago, can she not find them?
Aaron’s eyes narrowed with suspicion as he regarded Sally, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face. “You lie just like he does,” he scoffed, with arrogance.
“I don’t! It’s true. They will be here and they’ll come for you,” Sally said as she desperately scanned her surroundings for any possible means of escape. Her heart hammered, the fear of what Aaron might do next threatening to overwhelm her. But then, her gaze fell upon the fireplace poker nestled in the corner, within Leonard’s reach. That was it. That was the answer!
With a quick glance at Leonard, Sally silently implored him to understand her plan. Raising her eyes wide to catch his attention, she subtly motioned towards the poker with a slight nod of her chin. Leonard’s eyes flickered towards the poker, and though he didn’t dwell on it for long, he gave her an imperceptible nod in return.
Feeling a glimmer of hope ignite within her, Sally turned her attention back to Aaron. “You’re right,” she said, her words carefully chosen to appeal to Aaron’s sense of injustice. The next words were hard to force out, and she could do nothing but pray that Leonard would understand she meant not a word of them. “Leonard is a despicable man.”
Aaron’s grip on Sally’s arm loosened ever so slightly, his brow furrowing with uncertainty. Sally pressed on. “But what about me?” she continued, her tone filled with feigned vulnerability. “I’m just as much a victim as you are. I didn’t choose to be caught up in Leonard’s schemes.”
As Sally spoke, she saw Aaron’s resolve begin to waver, a flicker of doubt crossing his features. She seized the opportunity to push further, her words carefully calculated to sway him to their side.
“We could work together,” she suggested “Expose Leonard for who he truly is. Humiliation is better than death, isn’t it?”
Aaron hesitated, his grip on Sally faltering as he weighed her words. Sally held her breath, her heart pounding in her chest as she waited for his response. And then, to her immense relief, she saw the tension drain from Aaron’s frame, his expression softening ever so slightly.
“What’s in it for you?” Aaron asked, his voice low and cautious.
Sally’s mind raced as she searched for an answer, her thoughts whirling with possibilities. And then, with a surge of courage, she met Aaron’s gaze head-on. “Freedom. I’ll be shamed for having been married to a blackmage, but I might have a chance to marry again, willingly this time,” she replied. “If we bring Leonard down together, I’ll finally be free from his grasp.”
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Aaron’s lips as he considered her offer. And then, in a moment of decision, he loosened his grip on Sally’s arm, his gaze softening with newfound understanding.
“Alright,” he said. “Let’s do it.”
With a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins, Sally seized the opportunity to act. “NOW!” she shouted and threw herself forward, slipping out of Aaron’s grasp in a blur of motion.
At the same moment, Leonard sprang into action, his hand closing around the fireplace poker with a steely grip. With a swift and decisive motion, he swung the poker towards Aaron, aiming for the man’s head with deadly accuracy.
The room erupted into chaos as Sally darted towards safety, her heart pounding in her chest as she watched Leonard’s decisive strike unfold before her eyes. And then, the only sound filling the air was a metallic clang and then – a thud followed by silence.
CHAPTER37
Leonard
Leonard’s chest heaved as he dropped the fireplace poker on the ground, the metallic clang echoing through the room. With trembling hands, he turned to Sally, who sat huddled on the floor, her body shaking with fear and relief. Without hesitation, he knelt beside her, pulling her into his arms and cradling her close.
“It’s over now,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion as he gently kissed her forehead. “You’re safe.”
Sally’s tears flowed freely as she clung to him, her whole body trembling with the aftershocks of their ordeal. “I’m sorry,” she choked out between sobs. “I didn’t mean the horrible things I said.”
Leonard’s heart ached at the sound of her voice, filled with pain and regret. Tenderly, he brushed away her tears, his touch gentle and reassuring. “Even if you had,” he murmured, “I’d have deserved it after how I treated you.”
Sally looked up at him, her eyes filled with disbelief and longing. “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
