Chapter 97: Comfort from Boston

Emerald’s POV

I found Uncle Dante in a small private living area upstairs.

He was sitting alone on one of the sofas, his attention fixed on nothing in particular.

The room was quieter than the rest of the house, away from the relatives gathered downstairs and the staff moving around with the funeral preparations.

I stopped at the doorway. "Uncle Dante."

He looked up. His eyes settled on me for a moment before he gave a slight nod. "Emerald."

I walked into the room. "I came to offer my condolences."

His expression remained composed. "Thank you."

I did not know what else to say immediately. Dante had just lost his daughter, and there was no sentence that could make such a loss easier.

"I am sorry," I said again.

He nodded once. "So am I." His voice was quiet, but controlled.

I studied him carefully. He did not appear to be the kind of man who would allow grief to take control of him in front of others.

Whatever he was feeling, he kept it behind the same restraint he had always carried.

"How are you holding up?" I asked.

He looked away briefly. "I am managing."

I nodded. My eyes briefly moved around the room before returning to him. "Do you know anything more about what happened to Vera?"

"No." His answer came without hesitation. "The police are still investigating."

I took a slow breath. "What about her husband? Have you heard from him?"

"He is missing," he revealed.

"Missing?" I exclaimed, my voice climbing unexpectedly. I was caught off guard. Vera’s husband is missing? How could that be??

"Yes." Uncle Dante nodded. "And no one has been able to reach him, including the police."

That made my stomach tighten. The situation felt increasingly strange.

Vera was dead, and her husband could not be found. Yet no one seemed to know exactly what had happened.

"The police said they would come later this evening and brief us on their investigation," Uncle Dante said to me.

I nodded. There was nothing else I could ask without simply repeating the same questions.

Uncle Dante glanced at me. As if realising something, he asked, "You arrived from Boston?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"You were told to come immediately?"

I didn’t hesitate. "Yes."

He gave another short nod.

I did not explain that I had barely had time to pack before the men took me to the jet. There was no reason to discuss it.

Before either of us could say anything else, a servant appeared at the doorway.

"Mr. Hugo, they need you downstairs."

Uncle Dante turned toward the person. "I will be there."

The man left, so Uncle Dante turned his attention back to me and gave me a brief nod before getting up and leaving the room.

I waited for a moment before following him.

As I made my way through the hallway, I passed two family members speaking quietly near the staircase. They stopped talking as soon as they noticed me.

I continued walking. A little farther down the hall, I heard another conversation.

"Has anyone heard from him?"

"No."

"Still?"

"Nothing."

I slowed down a bit. I didn’t need to ask who they meant —Vera’s husband.

I kept walking. There was no point standing there listening to a conversation that was not meant for me.

My mother’s words came back to me. I needed to find a black dress ASAP!

I headed upstairs. As I climbed the stairs, I could still feel some of the family’s eyes following me whenever I passed someone.

I ignored them. I had already explained why I was dressed differently. I was not going to waste my energy explaining myself repeatedly.

All I wanted now was to find something black, change, and wait for the police to arrive.

Then perhaps I would finally learn how Vera had died.

---

I entered my old room and closed the door behind me.

The room was clean and looked almost exactly as I remembered it. Nothing was out of place, making it easier to search the wardrobe without dealing with piles of clothes.

I searched through several dresses before finally finding a black one.

It took longer than I expected, but at least I had something appropriate to wear.

I changed quickly and gathered my hair into a ponytail before checking my phone again.

Michael had replied to my message since.

He offered his condolences for Vera’s death and then comforted me, reminding me that I should take care of myself. He also asked whether I was okay and told me to let him know when I arrived at the Hugo residence in Washington.

I read his message twice. Something about his words eased the heaviness in my chest.

Even from Boston, he still managed to make me feel less alone.

I typed my reply.

"Thank you for your condolences. I’m okay. I’m at the old house now, and the entire family is here."

I sent the message and noticed another message waiting for me. It was from Elias.

He had been checking in because he had not seen me in class.

I replied quickly and told him there had been a family emergency and that I had to fly to Washington.

After sending the message, I slipped my phone into my bag and exhaled deeply.

I still had no idea what had happened to Vera, and I knew the police would be coming later to brief the family.

For now, there was nothing more I could do, so I opened the door and stepped into the hallway. I then headed downstairs, where the rest of the family had gathered.

I was in time to see the rest of the family moving toward the large sitting area.

I followed them and found an empty seat beside my father. My mother was already seated on his other side, and the moment I sat down, she leaned toward me.

"What took you so long?"

I looked ahead and said nothing.

Sometimes I wondered if my mother had forgotten that I was a grown woman with full control over my own life.

She always seemed to have something to question, correct, or complain about.

Thankfully, before she could say anything else, the room fell silent at Grandfather’s arrival.