Volume 2: The Feast Above the Lies
The abruptly ended kiss burned like a flame, scorching the fragile rationality between them. Eileen pushed Shaun away forcefully, but instead of relief, an even more intense turmoil surged within her.
"We can't do this," Eileen's voice trembled as she took a step back, as if trying to create a safe distance from Shaun. "We can't betray Olivia."
Shaun closed his eyes in agony, then opened them again, revealing suppressed turbulence beneath. He reached out, wanting to touch Eileen once more, but eventually let his hand fall, clenching it into a powerless fist.
"Olivia... she's already gone," Shaun's voice was low and raspy, as if suppressing some profound sorrow. "We... we haven't betrayed anyone."
"No, we have betrayed," Eileen shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I live under her identity, deceiving everyone, including you. And you... you are being deceived and used by your family. We are all struggling in the quagmire of lies. Such feelings will only drag us deeper!"
The room fell into a deathly silence, punctuated only by their rapid breathing. Eileen's confession was like a sharp blade, piercing through Shaun's carefully maintained calmness, revealing the bloody wounds beneath.
He slowly walked to the window, turning his back on Eileen. His tall figure appeared particularly lonely under the moonlight. After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice cold as ice: "Did you come close to me just to tell me these things? You knew my identity and the secrets of the Rockefeller family from the start, didn't you? That's why you approached me with ulterior motives, right?"
Eileen's heart sank deeply. She knew this moment would eventually come, but when Shaun truly questioned her, she found herself unable to deny it.
"No, Shaun, it's not like that," Eileen tried to explain, but her words seemed pale and weak. "At first, I did have a purpose, but later..."
"Later you fell in love with me, is that it?" Shaun turned around, a mocking curve appearing at the corner of his mouth, his eyes icy and sharp. "Is this your meticulously woven lie? Do you think I would believe it?"
Eileen felt as if an invisible hand was tightly squeezing her heart, suffocating pain making it almost impossible for her to breathe. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but all words choked in her throat, turning into powerless sighs.
She knew that in Shaun's eyes, she was now a complete liar, a wicked woman who exploited his emotions to achieve her own ends.
"You're wrong, Shaun," Eileen held back her tears, trying to calm herself down. "At first, I did want to use you, but I never expected to... to truly fall in love with you. I love you, not because of your identity or wealth, but because of you, because of the sadness and loneliness in your eyes."
Shaun looked at Eileen silently, his eyes filled with suspicion and distrust. He had experienced too much deceit and betrayal, unable to easily trust anyone anymore.
"Love? What proof do you have of your love?" he asked coldly. "Your identity is fake, your name is fake, everything about you is fake! How can I believe you?"
Eileen felt a wave of despair. She knew that no matter what she said now would be futile; in Shaun's mind, she had already been sentenced.
Suddenly, she remembered something, rushing to the drawer in the room, pulling out a small velvet box. She opened the box, inside which lay a delicate brooch, adorned with a lifelike crimson iris, as if it could bleed at any moment.
"This is Olivia's brooch," Eileen handed the brooch to Shaun, her voice trembling. "She loved this crimson iris the most, saying it represented hope and rebirth. When she died, she wore this brooch. If you don't believe me, you can throw it away, you can avoid me forever, but I hope you know that every word I say comes from the bottom of my heart."
Shaun took the brooch, examining it carefully. His eyes were complex and deep, as if searching for the truth through this piece of jewelry.
The room fell silent again, time seemingly frozen. Eileen watched Shaun nervously, waiting for his verdict. She knew she was facing a choice of fate, one that would determine her future.
At that moment, a series of urgent knocks broke the silence of the room.
"Master Shaun, something has happened!" Victoria's anxious voice came from outside the door. "Mr. Howard... Mr. Howard has been attacked in the gallery!"
Shaun's face changed drastically upon hearing this. He raised his head sharply, looking at Eileen, his eyes filled with shock and concern.
"Karl?" Shaun's voice trembled slightly. "How is he?"
"The situation isn't optimistic," Victoria's voice carried a sob. "He was stabbed, and now he's in the emergency room."
Eileen's heart sank, a great sense of fear surging within her. She knew that things had spiraled out of control, and a more brutal conspiracy was quietly approaching.
"I need to go see him," Shaun said, preparing to leave.
"Wait," Eileen grabbed Shaun's arm, her gaze firm. "I'm coming with you."
Shaun hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He knew that now wasn't the time for arguments; Karl's safety was the priority.
They hurriedly left the room, leaving the solitary crimson iris brooch lying quietly on the table, witnessing this feast built on lies, heading towards a darker abyss.
On the way to the hospital, Eileen's heart was filled with guilt and unease. She knew that Karl's attack might be related to her. His appearance disrupted the peace of the Rockefeller family and brought her closer to the truth. And the truth, often, was deadly.
She looked at Shaun beside her, his face pale and weary, his eyes filled with worry and self-reproach. She knew that Shaun must also be concerned about Karl's safety, perhaps hiding some secrets she didn't know.
"Shaun," Eileen whispered. "Tell me, who is Karl really? Why was he attacked?"
Shaun was silent for a moment, taking a deep breath, as if making a decision.
"Karl... he's not as simple as he appears," Shaun's voice was low and raspy. "He... he is a descendant of the Howard family."
Eileen was startled by this revelation. The Howard family? The one that once competed with the Rockefellers for shipping supremacy?
"Haven't the Howards fallen?" Eileen asked. "Why is Karl approaching us? What is his purpose in getting close to me?"
Shaun's eyes were complex and deep, he looked at Eileen as if trying to penetrate her soul.
"Karl approached you perhaps because you resemble his mother," Shaun said. "His mother... also had a birthmark of a crimson iris."
Eileen's breath caught, a chill running up her spine. She suddenly recalled the blurry figure that repeatedly appeared in her nightmares, the woman with a crimson iris birthmark on her shoulder!
Could it be... Karl always knew her true identity? Did he approach her for revenge? Or for some other purpose?
Eileen felt dizzy, realizing she was entangled in a massive conspiracy, surrounded by darkness and lies, while she was merely a puppet manipulated by fate.
At this moment, she finally understood that she couldn't turn back or escape. She could only bravely face everything, uncover all the truths, to find her own destiny.
And the first thing she needed to confront was Karl's choice. Was he an enemy or an ally? How would his fate affect her and Shaun's future? All answers would be revealed outside the emergency room in the hospital.