Page 70 of Rosabel and the Billionaire Beast

“It’s no longer for sale,” Eudora said.

“But—” That was preposterous. If that was the case, then why hadn’t her assistant said anything in our correspondence? Whoever he was, she needed a new assistant.

Eudora leaned forward in her chair. “Do you know why I left Chicago, Duncan? Why I left my friends behind?”

I wasn’t sure where she was going with this. Was she talking about the postcard the GGs had shown to Maddox? Either way, she was going back to a topic I thought we’d moved on from.

“What does that have to do with my offer? I’m willing to pay cash, Eudora. Today.”

“The house isn’t for sale. It’s already under new ownership.”

“That’s something you could have communicated to me before we arrived,” I said, rising to my feet—mostly in an effort to quell the frustration boiling inside of me as well.

“The Pact my son created was never meant to be taken so seriously, but it has been. Which means I can’t connect myself to you in any way. So when I got a different offer, I took it.”

“You should have told me sooner.”

I bit down the curse word threatening to leave my lips and threw caution to the winds. She’d mentioned knowing about our trouble with The Pact when I’d first arrived. Did that mean she’d known about Faye Carroll’s kidnapping two months ago?

Did she know who had sent the notes threatening Rosabel?

EIGHTEEN

duncan

“Has Will or Ulrich contacted you?”I asked. “Are they threatening you, too? Is that why you’re doing this? Do you know what they’re up to? Ulrich’s supposed to be in jail, but he escaped in the middle of being moved from the county jail to the state pen. Did you know that?”

Her gaze shifted to the fireplace behind us, and a thread of uncertainty crossed her brow.

“I’d heard something like that…”

“How?” My voice rose in pitch, but I didn’t care. “How did you hear that? Eudora, what do you have to do with The Pact?”

Was she in line with them, somehow? I didn’t like this at all.

We should leave. We never should have come here.

I’d have to take Rosabel somewhere else. I’d thought the mountains would be random enough. Safe enough. What if Ulrich and whoever else he had at that made-up business of his somehow found out I’d brought Rosabel to Eudora’s freaking house?

“What pact?” Rosabel asked. Her gaze darted from me to Eudora and back again.

This was going to come back to bite me. But if Eudora knew what was going on, I needed to know.

I ignored her and pushed the issue. “Did you sign it, too? Did you sign some kind of agreement along with it?”

I hadn’t realized I’d risen to my feet until the older woman stood as well.

“My son, Finn, created that pact, and he used my name when he did so. It’s tied to me. He convinced me to sign the papers agreeing that the scholarship money you boys received for being a part of Sigma Phi Rho was contingent on your agreeing to such a ludicrous arrangement. But I want nothing more to do with it, and you’re still tied to it, Duncan.”

“What are you talking about?” Rosabel demanded.

“Nothing,” I said.

In that moment, I knew my fears regarding Eudora were unprecedented. From the sound of things, her hand had been forced. She was as much a victim in this as Gabby, Ella, and Adelie had been.

Which meant I was done here.

I still couldn’t figure out why she hadn’t just told me the sale wouldn’t go through. Why have me come at all? Unless she wanted me to know her connection to The Pact for some reason…

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