Page 53 of Never Been Gargoyled
Found something interesting about your case. Call me.
I dialed immediately.
“Feydin? I've been thinking about what you told me,” she said. “You mentioned the biological daughter claimed she'd contacted the deceased multiple times over the years.”
“That's right. She said Helga never responded to her letters.”
“That could actually work in your favor. If we can prove Helga received those letters and chose not to respond, it strengthens the argument that her will reflects her true intentions.”
My heart leaped. “How do we do that?”
“Paper trail. If she sent letters to Helga's address, there might be postal records. If she tried to call, there could be phone records. Email records if she used those. You’re inside the estate, correct? Look around and see if she saved them. The point is to show that Helga was aware of her daughter’s existence and made a conscious choice to leave her estate to someone else.”
“And that could invalidate the biological daughter's claim?”
“Not invalidate it, but it would significantly weaken her case. A judge would have to consider why a mother would ignore her biological child's attempts at contact and leave her estate to a great-niece instead.”
Hope bloomed in my chest. “Perfect. We’ll put together dates, methods, and see if we can find those letters here. And I'll start working on a counterargument.”
“Awesome.”
“I appreciate your help.”
“Anytime, Feydin. Anytime.”
After I hung up, I sat back in the leather chair and allowed myself to feel cautiously optimistic for the first time since Rebecca had walked into the tea shop. We had a strategy. A real chance to fight this.
From upstairs, I could hear the gentle splash of water and knew Dazy was still in the bath. The wine would be loosening the knots of tension in her shoulders. The flower petals would be reminding her that beautiful things could bloom even in difficult circumstances.
I'd given her what comfort I could, but she was still facing the possibility of losing everything. And I was still hiding the most important truth of all.
That I loved her. That she was my fated mate. That I’d follow her anywhere, do anything to keep her safe and happy.
But how did you tell someone that without sounding out of your mind? Humans didn't believe in fated mates or bonding or the idea that two souls could recognize each other instantly. They believed in dating and gettingto know each other slowly and making rational decisions about compatibility.
They didn't believe in the kind of love that hit like lightning and burned away everything else.
Maybe someday I'd find the courage to tell her how much she meant to me.
But for now, I'd be content to love her quietly, to show her through my actions what I couldn't yet say with words.
I'd be her protector, her provider, her devoted gargoyle.
And that would be enough.
Chapter 20
Dazy
Isank into the flower-scented bath Feydin had prepared, letting the warm water ease the aches from my sore body. The wine made me feel floaty, and the croissant was perfect, sweet and delicate and full of chocolaty goodness. Everything about this moment felt like a dream.
He'd done all this for me. Flower petals floated around me like tiny stars, and candles flickered on every surface. Even my book waited on the small table, though I was too overwhelmed to read.
Nobody had ever taken care of me like this. Not romantically, anyway. The men I'd dated before had been more interested in what I could do for them than what they could do for me.
But Feydin was different. He noticed things. He paid attention to what made me happy and then went out of his way to provide it.
I stayed in the bath until my fingerspruned and the water started to cool. When I finally got out, I felt more human again. More ready to face whatever came next.
