Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

A figure slipped out from behind the hanging canvas, cloaked in darkness-just like that shadowy man from Palm Bay. Only his sharp, almost icy eyes were

visible.

Dylan didn't spare him a glance. Instead, he studied the dense rows of memorial tablets lining the ancestral hall.

The man came closer, stopping a few steps away before bowing and dropping to one knee.

Finally, Dylan's eyes moved from the tablets to the kneeling figure.

His lips parted twice before a soft, almost amused laugh escaped. "Show me your face."

The man hesitated, bowing his head even lower, pretending not to hear. Dylan leaned forward and tugged back the hood covering the man's head.

Dark hair, then a black mask beneath.

"Look up."

The man obeyed, lifting his head slowly, those fierce eyes still giving nothing away.

Dylan gently pulled the hood back into place. Just those eyes alone-so out of place.noveldrama

But from Walter to Mrs. Ferguson, no one had ever noticed.

No one had really looked at those eyes. Or maybe, they just never cared about the Ferguson son they'd thrown away years ago.

No one cared how he was getting by.

A discarded pawn is just that-forgotten.

The man on one knee stayed silent. Dylan, still expressionless, turned his wheelchair and spoke in a toneless voice.

"Go where you're needed."

"Yes."

That was all the man said before disappearing as quietly as he'd come.

The whole thing had taken less than ten minutes.

When Dylan wheeled out of the solemn hall, he spotted Walter sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard. Walter looked surprised to see him emerge so quickly, then seemed relieved.

"I thought you'd talk to him longer. You've wanted to see him for years, after all."

But people who are destined for bigger things can't afford to get

thght up in old feelings. Besides,

that boy hadn't been a part of the Ferguson family in ages.

If Dylan hadn't kept asking to see his brother all those years ago, Walter never would've arranged this meeting.

It hadn't been easy, getting someone out of that place.

Dylan reached the stone table, his face unreadable. He asked quietly, "He's the same age as me, isn't he?"

Walter's brows knit at Dylan's calmness. "You're twins. Of course he is." He hesitated. "If you feel bad for him—”

He never knew the family's glory, but he still had to carry their burdens.

"Father, you and Mother have always said it-it was his fate. From birth, he was a mistake."

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Walter took a slow sip of tea. "I'm glad you understand. Sometimes I worry you think your mother and I are too cold. But if you want to achieve great things, you can't let feelings get in the way. Your brother's done well for himself; they say he's made it to the top. If you ever need his help, the two of you together could do anything."

"Dylan, I've always believed you're the heir to the Ferguson family. That spot belongs to you."

Walter's eyes dropped to Dylan's legs, a flicker of regret there. "If it weren't for that car accident..."

He didn't get to finish-someone was approaching. It was Aiden.

Aiden looked worried, and bent down to whisper something in Dylan's ear. Dylan's expression changed instantly as he turned to Walter.

"Mother went to Palm Bay?"

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Walter calmly sipped his tea. "Probably. You know how she is-never hesitates. You left Clara Palm Bay. How do you think the Warren family feels about Tara now? Tara was raised to be your wife. You

used to like her, didn't you? Maybe you don't remember, but you promised you'd marry her."

Dylan didn't respond, steering his wheelchair toward the exit.

Aiden hurried to catch up, but Walter called after him, "You stay. I need a word with you."

Aiden paused, stiffening.

A few steps ahead, Dylan stopped too. "Father, my people answer to me. If the ancestors are upset that Aiden entered the chapel, their blame falls on me."

The Ferguson family's ancestral hall was sacred. Outsiders weren't allowed in.

Aiden had broken a major rule by coming in to find Dylan.

Family punishment would be the least of it—he'd be lucky to survive at all.

Walter sighed, still holding his teacup.

"You're getting more and more protective."

Aiden straightened up, pushing the wheelchair with a bit more pride.