Chapter 6
"Who else could it be but you?" Evander's voice was firm and unyielding.
Samara flinched at his words. 'Is this really what he thinks of me?' she wondered.
"It wasn't me," she said firmly.
Evander snorted coldly and ordered the butler to call the maid upstairs.
The maid who entered was the same one who had kept an eye on Samara in the room that day.
"Miss Thorne stole the necklace!" the maid accused the moment she saw Samara.
She didn't hesitate to point at Samara, her voice sharp and certain.
"After Miss Thorne left the room that day, she told me not to tag along. I didn't want to upset her, but I was still worried, so I followed her anyway," the maid said.
"I saw her go into Mr. Hale's room myself, and when she came out, she looked really suspicious," she added.
As she spoke, the maid rolled up her sleeve.
"See this scar? I tried to stop Miss Thorne from causing trouble, but she shoved me down and I got scratched," she said.
Evander fixed his gaze on Samara, his calm demeanor sharpening with a hint of fierceness.
"Samara, what explanation do you have left?" he demanded.
"I didn't go into your room. I was in a rush that day because I had to get to the hospital," Samara insisted.
Evander's disbelief was written all over his face.
"Samara, is your mom the only excuse you know? Why not just say she died and you had to run off to her funeral?" Evander spat.
Samara slapped Evander, hard.
She could take Evander's insults, but her mother was off-limits.
Immediately, everyone dropped their heads, pretending nothing had happened.
Evander wiped the blood from his mouth with a careless swipe, his eyes locking onto Samara's backpack.
"Search her," he ordered.
Before the words had even faded, two bodyguards had already grabbed Samara, pinning her in place.
The moment her backpack was grabbed, Samara let out a guttural scream, her desperation echoing through the room.
"Stop!" she shouted.
Evander shot a frosty look at the bag.
But after they searched through every pocket, there was nothing but some cash and a black box inside.
He picked it up and weighed it in his hand, examining it briefly.
"Evander, put it down!" Samara shouted.
Evander narrowed his eyes, his voice turning even colder.
"Is it in here?" he asked.
He lifted his hand, slow and deliberate.
Samara struggled with all her might, and just as the bodyguards released her, Evander let go of the box too.
"No!" Samara screamed.
The box crashed to the floor, and ashes scattered across the ground.
Evander crushed the ashes under his shoes, stalking toward Samara with every step.
"When you killed my mother and planned that fire to have me kidnapped, did you ever think you'd be brought this low?" he spat, his voice trembling with fury.
Samara slumped to the ground, her mind completely blank, not hearing a word Evander said. She just instinctively grabbed a handful of ashes and squeezed them tight in her palm.
Evander seized her jaw, forcing her to meet his gaze.
He snarled, "I'll settle the score with your whole family!
"Whether it's you or your mom stuck in that hospital bed...
"No one escapes this!"
'Mom?' Samara thought, jolted back to reality.
She snapped back to reality, locking her gaze on Evander.
But before she could get a word out, he flung her to the ground.
"Take her to the basement and lock her up. No one lets her out unless I say so!" he barked.
'Is he really going to lock me up?' Samara thought.
"Evander, you can't do this to me!" she screamed.
The only answer she got was the heavy thud of the basement door slamming shut behind her.
Trapped in total darkness, Samara could only huddle in the corner, trembling.
His earlier accusations kept replaying in her mind.
'Did Evander really accuse me of killing his mother?' Samara thought.
'And he thinks I planned the whole fire and kidnapping?' She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
The kidnapping and murder of Evander's mother had rocked the entire city of Bryston.
Three whole years passed before the police and the Hale family finally tracked down those kidnappers.
Word was, there might've been a mastermind behind it all, but those kidnappers are still locked up in prison.
As for what happened to Evander during the fire and kidnapping, she didn't know anything.
That day, Samara was walking home like she always did.
Passing by an old abandoned warehouse, she smelled something burning in the air.
When she got there, the warehouse was already on fire.
"Is anyone there?" she shouted.
She called 911, yelling to see if anyone was inside.
Finally, she heard a weak voice coming from inside.
A faint voice cried out, "Help me..."
Samara felt fear grip her heart as she stared at the roaring flames.
But as the voice inside grew weaker, she couldn't hold back any longer. She dashed inside.
Inside, she found Evander bound and helpless.
She pulled out the knife she kept on her and sliced through the ropes, freeing Evander.
It took everything she had to drag him outside, but just then, a blazing beam crashed down from above.
She threw herself over Evander, taking the hit as the red-hot beam slammed into her shoulder.
"Perfect. Guess we're both dying here," Evander said with a bitter laugh.
When Samara woke up, she saw Evander sitting beside her, his eyes fixed on her.
"You saved me?" he asked.
"Guess I did," she replied.
From that day forward, she stuck with Evander.