Chapter 6

“Enough, Aunt Rowena.”

Travis’s voice remained cold.

“Blaming Hailey won't bring Calvin back. Don't let your grief turn this family against someone who had nothing to do with his death.”

Rowena stared at him.

Her eyes were red and swollen.

“Travis!” Her voice cracked. “That woman brought misfortune into this family. She should never have been allowed through our doors!”

Hailey stood silently nearby.

Then throw me out.

For once, she completely agreed with Rowena.

If the Blake family wanted her gone, Hailey would happily pack her things and disappear.

Unfortunately, Travis ruined that hope.

“She stays.”

Two words.

Nothing more.

Yet the entire room went quiet.

Hailey slowly turned toward him.

Rowena looked equally shocked.

“What did you say?”

“Calvin married her. He asked her to take care of you before he died.”

Travis looked directly at Rowena.

“Until Grandmother decides otherwise, Hailey remains part of this family.”

Hailey frowned.

Why did the matriarch get to decide?

What about her?

Apparently, nobody in the Blake family had considered that small detail.

Rowena gave a bitter laugh.

“Fine.”

Her eyes moved toward Hailey.

“Let her stay here and spend the rest of her life as Calvin's widow.”

Hailey's expression hardened.

The small amount of sympathy she still felt for Rowena disappeared.

She understood grief.

She understood anger.

But she refused to spend her life being punished for a death she had not caused.

Hailey turned toward Travis.

“You all seem very good at deciding my future without asking me.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Hailey.”

“I didn't ask to marry into this family.”

Her voice remained calm.

“And I certainly didn't promise to spend the rest of my life trapped here.”

Several servants lowered their heads.

Nobody seemed willing to breathe.

Travis and Hailey stared at each other.

Neither backed down.

Finally, Hailey turned away.

She had nothing more to say.

---

The next few days passed painfully slowly.

Blake Manor was enormous, beautiful, and completely suffocating.

Hailey quickly learned that being Calvin Blake's widow gave her a strange position in the household.

Technically, she belonged to the family.

In reality, nobody knew what to do with her.

Some servants avoided her.

Others became unusually formal whenever she entered a room.

A few whispered when they thought she couldn't hear.

Hailey ignored them.

At first.

By the third day, she was tired of eating alone.

By the fourth, she was tired of wandering through rooms that did not belong to her.

By the fifth, she couldn't take it anymore.

She needed to get out.

Hailey changed into simple clothes, grabbed her handbag, and walked toward the front gate.

The doorman looked surprised.

“Young Madam, are you going somewhere?”

“Yes.”

“Should I call your driver?”

Hailey stopped.

“My what?”

“Your driver.”

“I don't have a driver.”

The doorman looked confused.

Hailey didn't wait for an explanation.

“It's fine. I'll take the bus.”

She walked away before anyone could stop her.

The moment she stepped beyond the estate gates, a cool breeze touched her face.

Hailey breathed deeply.

Freedom.

She had almost forgotten what it felt like.

A smile slowly appeared on her face.

Maybe leaving Blake Manor for a few hours was exactly what she needed.

Unfortunately, she had one problem.

Transportation.

Hailey opened the navigation app on her phone.

Her smile disappeared.

The nearest bus stop was much farther away than she expected.

“So he wasn't lying.”

She remembered Travis telling her there wasn't a bus stop anywhere near Blake Manor.

At the time, she had assumed he simply wanted to force her into his car.

Apparently, the estate really was in the middle of nowhere.

Hailey sighed and started walking.

She had barely made it down the road when a black sedan approached from behind.

It slowed beside her.

Hailey ignored it.

The car continued following her.

She stopped.

The car stopped.

Hailey frowned.

The rear window lowered.

Travis Blake stared back at her.

Her good mood disappeared immediately.

“Why are you following me?”

Travis ignored the question.

“Where is your car?”

Hailey stared at him.

“What car?”

“The one assigned to you.”

“I don't have one.”

His expression changed.

Hailey shrugged.

“I'll take the bus.”

“There isn't one nearby.”

“I know that now.”

Travis looked toward the front passenger seat.

“Call the manor.”

The bodyguard immediately took out his phone.

Hailey folded her arms.

“What are you doing?”

Travis didn't answer.

A short conversation followed.

Then the bodyguard turned around.

“Eldest Master, a car was assigned to Young Madam.”

Hailey blinked.

“It was?”

“Yes.”

“Then where is it?”

The bodyguard hesitated.

“The driver hasn't reported for duty.”

Travis's expression cooled.

“And nobody thought that was a problem?”

No one answered.

Hailey suddenly understood.

Someone had actually arranged transportation for her.

She simply hadn't known.

Travis looked at the bodyguard.

“Have the butler find out what happened. If the driver abandoned his post without permission, replace him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hailey watched the exchange.

Something about it bothered her.

Not because Travis was angry.

Because he had apparently arranged things for her without ever telling her.

“Did you assign that car?”

Travis looked at her.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

His expression remained blank.

“You're living at Blake Manor. You need transportation.”

“That doesn't answer my question.”

“It answers it perfectly.”

Hailey stared at him.

This man was impossible.

“I didn't ask you for a car.”

“And yet you're walking several kilometers to find a bus.”

“I can walk.”

“I can see that.”

His gaze dropped briefly toward her shoes.

“How long were you planning to walk?”

“As long as necessary.”

“Stubborn.”

“Controlling.”

Samuel suddenly coughed from the driver's seat.

Hailey suspected he was hiding a laugh.

Travis's eyes narrowed.

Samuel immediately became silent.

Hailey almost smiled.

Almost.

Then Travis looked at her again.

“Where are you going?”

Hailey hesitated.

“Out.”

“That isn't a location.”

“It isn't your business.”

Travis's jaw tightened.

For a moment, Hailey expected another argument.

Instead, he reached forward and opened the door.

“Get in.”

“No.”

“You'd rather walk?”

“Yes.”

Travis stared at her.

Hailey stared back.

Neither moved.

Finally, Travis leaned against the seat.

“Fine.”

Hailey blinked.

Fine?

That was surprisingly easy.

She turned and started walking again.

The Bentley moved beside her.

Hailey stopped.

“So you're going to follow me?”

“Yes.”

Her mouth fell open.

“Why?”

“Until your replacement driver arrives, I'm making sure you get where you're going.”

“I don't need you to.”

“I didn't ask.”

Hailey stared at him in disbelief.

Then she looked at the long road ahead.

Then at the comfortable car.

Then back at Travis.

Her pride screamed at her to keep walking.

Her feet had a different opinion.

The bodyguard stepped out and politely opened the door.

“Young Madam.”

Hailey glared at Travis.

He waited.

She finally sighed.

“This does not mean you won.”

Something almost like amusement appeared in his eyes.

“I wasn't aware we were competing.”

“You're incredibly annoying.”

“So I've been told.”

Hailey reluctantly climbed into the car.

The door closed.

Travis looked toward the driver.

“Take her wherever she's going.”

Samuel nodded.

“Yes, sir.”

Hailey froze.

Wherever she was going.

She slowly looked at Travis.

“You're not coming?”

“No.”

For some reason, that surprised her.

She had assumed he wanted to know where she was going or control what she did.

Instead, Travis reached for the door.

Before getting out, he looked at her.

“Next time you need something, ask.”

Hailey's expression hardened.

“I don't like owing people.”

His gaze stayed on hers.

“Then don't consider it a favor.”

“What should I consider it?”

Travis paused.

“Calvin asked us to take care of you too.”

Hailey's heart stopped for a second.

Calvin?

She remembered his weak smile in the hospital.

But she remembered his final request clearly.

He had asked her to take care of Rowena.

He had never asked Travis to take care of her.

Hailey frowned.

“Calvin never said that.”

Travis went still.

For the first time, Hailey saw something uncertain flash across his face.

Then it disappeared.

He stepped out of the car without answering.

The door closed.

Hailey stared through the window as Travis walked away.

Her suspicion grew.

Why had he lied?

And if Calvin had never asked Travis to look after her...

Why was Travis doing it?