Chapter 512
These days, Gwyneth rarely touched a race car. Now and then, she’d fool around with a simulator for a bit of nostalgia, but she didn’t like talking about her old life.
That didn’t mean she disliked Victoria, though.
Her mother’s little admirer didn’t bother Gwyneth in the slightest.
She just felt there was no need to get too close-after all, they’d only just crossed paths.
“Hey, where are you headed later? Mind if I tag along?” Leonie piped up, clinging to Gwyneth’s arm without hesitation. “I’m hopeless with directions, but I feel so much safer with you, sis!”
Gwyneth couldn’t tell if Leonie was always this forward or if she truly idolized her the way she did her mother.
Normally, Gwyneth wasn’t one for sightseeing buddies, but this time, for some inexplicable reason or maybe it was the thought of that creep who’d been eyeing Leonie earlier-she nodded her agreement.
“I’m going to Twilight Church, to say a prayer for my family. I’ll get a blessing for my dad well, for my father, too.”
Leonie’s eyes lit up. “Great! I’ll get one for my family as well.”
“The sun’s coming out,” Gwyneth said.
“Wow-look at that view!” Leonie gasped, her excitement mirrored by the crowd around them. The clouds on the horizon had been torn apart by the dawn, rays of gold slicing through and painting the sky.
Leonie waved her arms, calling out in delight, snapping photos, and even handed her phone to Gwyneth to take a few shots of her. When she finally remembered her manners, she blushed a bit. “Let me take one of you, too?”
Gwyneth just smiled. “No need. Is this your first time seeing the sunrise from the mountain?”
It was, though Gwyneth wasn’t nearly as giddy as Leonie.
Still, she respected the moment-nature’s grandeur always had a way of settling her heart.
ет
“No, not my first,” Leonie replied, looping her arm through Gwyneth’s again. Come on, let’s hurry. We might catch the end of breakfast at the monastery.”
Gwyneth rolled her eyes, but Leonie’s infectious energy made it impossible to resist. She let herself be pulled along, her mood unexpectedly buoyant.
Meanwhile, on the main road up the mountain, a sleek black limousine led a long procession of cars, all headed toward the monastery at Mount Wyvernrest.
After wandering the halls of the old stone church, Leonie and Gwyneth each lit a candle, said their prayers, and shared in a quiet, simple meal.
They were about to explore a little more when they noticed the staff gently ushering visitors out. One by one, the parishioners were politely led toward the exit by monks and attendants.
Gwyneth wondered what was going on, but Leonie, watching the entrance, suddenly paled.
“Oh no, no, no—why him?”
Gwyneth frowned, confused, as a car rolled to a stop outside the entrance.
The door opened, and a man in an immaculate suit stepped out. He was tall, striking, and carried himself with an icy confidence as he strode their way.
Leonie shrank behind Gwyneth, trying to make herself invisible—which was impossible, given her height. The man spotted her instantly.
“Who’s that? your boyfriend?” Gwyneth asked, brows furrowing. Wasn’t this, the guy they’d run into on the mountain road? He looked like a model citizen, but his actions earlier had been anything but. What a waste of a handsome face. Cóntent
“Come here.”
He halted before them, his voice low and commanding, impossible to ignore.
Gwyneth instinctively stepped in front of Leonie, but Leonie, looking utterly deflated, shuffled out from behind her.
“Uncle…” she muttered, clearly dreading what was to come.