Capítulo 19: Davin Dotmon
At the Payne estate in Cangnour, Drew Payne was in his garden with Mustache sparring. Mustache was clearly stronger, but he could not land a clear hit on the agile Drew. Drew kept on tagging him up until his butler Bernard came running into the garden calling him.
"Master, Master, I have news." Bernard only stopped when he was a few feet away from him. Stopping the sparring, Drew turned to Bernard.
"Speak," Drew instructed, wiping the sweat off of his face. Mustache sat down on the grass, catching his breath.
"Yes, I have just heard that two head servants of House Manchester have been killed, and before that, her new butler had been poisoned, but he had survived somehow." Bernard reported and then kept quiet, watching his master fall into deep contemplation. After a short while, Drew smiled and shook his head.
"This cannot be an assassination; the time frame is too close. I believe the two head servants were the two spies Arnold suspected were placed in his house, and somehow they were trying to get rid of Sarah, but the butler discovered their ploy, and they poisoned him. Or they thought they did, but then the butler took them out?" Drew was in doubt of his own words, but in reality, he did not know how close he was to the truth with his analysis.
"Keep a close eye on Sarah's new butler. I want his file. I believe he is not just a butler," he instructed Bernard. Bernard bowed and left.
"What do you think is the case here, Daniel?" He asked, staring at Mustache, whose name was Daniel.
"My gut is telling me that there's a connection between the butler and our other target." Drew understood who Daniel meant by "other target," but he doubted Daniel's words.
"What about the woman? Is she adapting to the gift?" He asked, changing the subject and deciding to ask about his experiment.
"She's making progress, but she is a little bit too aggressive. Is that normal?" Daniel asked, but he got no reply. For a moment, he thought maybe Drew did not hear him, but then a low chuckle came from Drew.
"Is there anything that screams 'normal' about what we're doing? We are playing God, and we should be happy we are at least getting results." Daniel shook his head and apologized, but Simon waved it off with a sigh.
"Her Majesty is getting more and more impatient. She needs the key of life. We have to find Josh Belling," Drew muttered. But Daniel heard him and nodded.
"Soon."
In Cangnour, at the Somerset residence, Augusta was in her room getting dressed by her maid servants. Today was the day she would get to meet the man she was supposed to marry. After they were done dressing her in a velvet dress, they all left the room and left her alone. Augusta tried not to think about the negatives. After all, the mysterious butler had promised to take care of this. Just a few meetings for the next few weeks, and after that, everything would return to normal, she told herself. Looking at her reflection one last time, she stood up and left the room, heading downstairs to meet the guests.
The meeting was to be held in her garden. Everything was set, and people, including the guests, were seated at the table. It was only her who was supposedly late.
When she approached the table, everyone's gaze turned to her, but she was already used to the pressure. Calmly approaching the table and taking the last remaining seat, Augusta did it all naturally. Her expression was of cold indifference, but in reality, her heart was beating like a drum. She sat next to her brother Shaun, who seemed rather bored. Her father, Douglas Somerset, was a fat, good-looking middle-aged man in a grey business suit. Everyone at the table was dressed in a formal fashion except for her brother Shaun.
Opposite their father was a calm-looking man, seemingly in his fifties. His brown hair had white streaks, and his chestnut eyes were as calm as a lake with a neatly shaven beard. Dressed in a black suit, this man was Davin Dotmon. From a first glance, one would see a very calm and elegant man, but in reality, this was one of the most cunning and cruel people around. Shrouded in a layer of deceit, no one knew what this man's real goal was except for himself.
Next to Davin was a young man who resembled him completely. This was his son, the one Augusta was supposed to marry. The young man had no beard, and he wore a grey suit with white horizontal lines. Behind them stood their butler, an old man in his mid to late sixties. Servants stood ready to serve the guests and their masters.
"Here she is, my beautiful daughter and the only child I have left," Douglas spoke with a soft tone. Shaun rolled his eyes; he had never gotten along with his father, especially with his career choice. His father believed that Shaun should be putting effort into building their family name, but the young man was not even married. At his age, most of his peers already had their own children and wives, but this son of his was headstrong and wanted nothing more than going around playing the piano. Shaun was the biggest disgrace of House Somerset, so he had invested most of his time in shaping his daughter, who seemed to be exceptionally good at everything.
Davin smiled and nodded. "She truly is beautiful, don't you agree, Arthur?" He turned to his son, who had his eyes on Augusta since the moment she arrived. "Yes, yes, she is very beautiful," Arthur answered in a low tone, moving his gaze away from Augusta, who did not even spare him a look.
"Arthur, my soon-to-be son-in-law, you and Augusta may be excused. Go and get to know each other." Douglas instructed, and both Augusta and Arthur got up and left the garden, walking side by side, albeit with a safe distance in between.
"Very good. Now that we have that out of the way, let us discuss business. With the marriage between our two children, our two families will merge. Since my son is marrying your daughter, I believe that your whole family should abandon the Somerset name and join us as the Dotmon family." Davin spoke with a strange calmness, as if he was addressing a small issue. The father and son pair locked eyes, and they both yelled, "What!?"
"I'm convinced you all heard me, but I do not mind saying it again, with—" Davin was cut short by Shaun.
"We heard you the first time, you bastard. Who the hell do you think you are to come here from a backwater city like Moonridge and tell us to dissolve into your family?" Shaun asked with a harsh tone that even his father was surprised by.
[He still cares for the family,] Douglas thought. He had been hard on his son on purpose. After all, Shaun was his only son.
"I am Davin Dotmon, and yes, I am telling you to let go of your family and join my family. There's no use in refusing my offer. I have already accumulated three-quarters of your assets. What I am offering you right now is mercy. Think about it. The Dotmon family is the future, and you better join the wagon or get left behind in a trail of dust." Davin's words reeked of confidence and boldness. Shaun opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it again the next moment because he had no words to refute.
"The Somerset household has been around for more than a hundred years. Our history goes a long way. If you think you have already taken everything away from us, then you are clearly mistaken. Our network of connections is broader. I can easily write a letter, and your whole family would perish." Douglas threatened, but Davin still appeared calm. He sighed and shook his head.
"If it was in the past, yes, you did have the power to make my family perish, Douglas, but now you are a shell of your former self. The Somerset household has lost most of its standing even amongst middle-class aristocrats. The power you possessed depleted ages ago. In the old days, I would never be brave enough to step into your house and speak to you in such a manner, but right now, I can even take a piss on your legs, and you would not do a damn thing." Davin's boldness seemed to increase whenever he opened his mouth. Shaun was boiling, and so was Douglas, but they all knew he was right.
House Somerset was not the same. Shaun's anger was increasing slowly, and he asked to be excused before leaving the garden too. Douglas hung his head in shame, and some of the servants present sneered while some had visible satisfaction on their faces.
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