"Why are you spying on my wife?" Blaze's voice cut through the air like a blade—low, frigid, and sharp enough to draw blood. Harriet jumped, nearly dropping the tray of chocolate muffins that trembled in her unsteady hands.
"Mr. Anderson..." Her voice cracked, weak and exposed—like someone caught red-handed in a crime they didn't have the strength to deny. "...You frightened me
Blaze took a slow, ominous step forward. "That wasn't an answer." His eyes darkened, sharp as storm clouds ready to break.
"Why are you spying on my wife? Or did your lunatic of a husband send you to finish what he couldn't?"
"What?! No!" Harriet gasped, her eyes flaring in horror. She clutched the tray tighter. "Desmond and I... we haven't spoken since I confronted him. I don't know what he's doing now—and I honestly don't care."
Blaze cocked his head, feigning sympathy with venom behind his smile. "And I'm supposed to believe that?"
"I swear, Mr. Anderson," Harriet raised one trembling hand, the other clutching the tray like it was her last shield. "Desmond and I are over. He betrayed me. He betrayed everything we built. He broke my heart and my trust. I haven't been able to forgive him… or myself."
Tears streamed freely now, triggered by violent flashes of Desmond and Pearl—tangled together in shadowy corners of her memory—mocking every vow ever made.
But Blaze was unmoved by her brokenness. He knew who this woman was beneath the facade of her misery. She was as guilty as her husband and the others who were currently locked behind bars awaiting their final trial. If justice were left in his hands, he would throw her into the same cell as her criminal-minded husband—if not worse.
"Mr. Anderson," Harriet pleaded, voice thin, as guilt and desperation warred in her chest. "I understand why you can't trust me. God knows, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't either. I've made terrible mistakes. Some... I can never undo."
She faltered, emotions ripping through her.
"But I'm trying," she whispered, "for the sake of my children, I have been going for therapy and seeking help. I don't want them to inherit our sins. I don't want them to make the same mistakes we have made."
She paused to catch her breath, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.
"I've made peace with Gregory. He has forgiven me and accepted my children. Now I just need Amelia's forgiveness. Please, just let me speak to her. I won't take much of her time. And since you do not trust me, you can be right here watching and listening to our conversation. I won't do anything to hurt her or even breathe wrong."
Blaze's silence grew colder. He stared at Harriet and then down at the muffins she was holding.
"Is this for my wife?" he asked, voice curling with disgust.
"Yes," Harriet murmured, looking down at the colourfully decorated chocolate muffins. "It's my peace offering. I baked it myself with so much love. I know Amelia used to love chocolate muffins... back when she was still a girl."
A flicker of a feverish smile tried to cross her lips—but Blaze's glare smothered it dead. She could guess what he was thinking.
"You don't have to be worried. The muffins are safe. I will be stupid to hurt Amelia after everything that has happened. And to prove myself, I'll take a bite.
Harriet picked up a muffin and took a bite. "See?" She munched on it and swallowed. "It's safe. I'd never harm her. I swear."
"You can eat the whole tray for all I care," Blaze sneered. "But it won't cleanse the fact that you're a venomous snake who deserves to rot in hell for what you and your husband did to my wife. If it were up to me, you wouldn't be standing here. You'd be locked far away—forever—and nowhere near my wife."
Blaze's words hit Harriet like a hammer, causing her to recoil, as tears streamed down her cheeks. Then he stepped closer, his presence suffocating.
"Now listen carefully. You know exactly who I am and what I'm capable of. I don't give a damn if you are a woman or have children. If you so much as look at my wife the wrong way, I will break every last one of your bones and feed your flesh to the fishes in the ocean."
He leaned closer, fire behind every word. "As for your so-called peace offering, you can take it and shove it down your throat until you choke. My wife does not need anything from you."
Amelia's soft voice slipped into the room like a balm, instantly cooling her husband's fire.
Blaze fury melted, his face softening as he turned to her.
"Baby…" he left Harriet without another glance to meet his wife by the entrance.
"What's going on?" Amelia asked, welcoming a brief kiss from him, her curious gaze shifting from her husband to Harriet, whose body still shook from the verbal assault.
"It's nothing relevant, sweetheart," Blaze murmured as he gently tilted her face and kissed her again, this time more intimately, as if Harriet didn't exist.
"Blaze..." Amelia pulled away with a teasing frown. "That doesn't look like nothing. I know the effect of your work when I see one. What are you up to with that poor woman? Are you going to tell me or do I have to tickle it out of you?"
Blaze nuzzled Amelia on the nose while holding her hypnotic gaze. "She is no poor woman but a heartless manipulator who doesn't deserve your attention. Secondly, I wouldn't mind option two. But since we are in your father's house filled with a lot of family members and nosy mothers, I would prefer we wait until we are all alone in the comfort of our bedroom. Then you can tickle me all you want."
Amelia giggled like a child as Blaze nuzzled the side of her neck, his hands snaking around her waist.
"Baby stop..." Amelia playfully pushed him away, still giggling. "Tell me what you did to her that's making her cry."