The Beta's Regret (Eden and Eros) novel Chapter 205

ADONIS POV

“What’s wrong?” Beauty asked

I kept my gaze glued to the plate, and played around with my food. Finally, I leaned against the chair with a deep sigh.

"Nothing.” I ran a hand over my face. “I've just had a long day, that's all.”

She raised a brow.

“Ever since you came back inside, you haven't been yourself.” She nodded towards the bowl of soup. “That's one of your favorites, and you hardly took more than a few spoons. That doesn't seem like nothing.”

As usual, Beauty was too observant to be deceived. There was almost no difference between her and Eden. They were two peas in a pod.

Before I could respond, we heard the front door open and close.

Beauty and I exchanged a look.

“Let's do this later.” I said and stood up.

I walked out of the kitchen to the hall. Arthur was still dressed in the same clothes he wore when he left earlier.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw me standing in the hallway. The air grew thicker with tension as he looked at me with displeasure. It was obvious he didn't expect me to be here, right where I stood waiting.

I kept a neutral expression. There was no use if he knew I was beginning to catch on to some of his lies.

“You are back.” Arthur said casually.

I noded. “Yes. We were surprised we didn't meet you here.”

He shrugged. “The meeting ran late into the day. Where's Beauty?”

I thrust a thumb behind me. “In the kitchen, having dinner. Do you want some?”

Arthur shook his head. "No, thank you. I already had dinner.”

“Are you sure?” I narrowed my gaze on him.

“Yes.” He said more firmly.

We stared at each other for a few moments; none of us said anything. Then suddenly I broke into a smile.

“How was the meeting?”

Arthur eyed me. I thought I saw something like guilt pass over his face, but it was too fast for me to confirm. He glared at me.

“It was fine.” He said.

“I see. So what exactly did you discuss?” I took a step closer.

Arthur chuckled. He looked down with a smile, then raised his face to look at me. He took a step closer to me too, his stance slightly threatening.

“What is this? An interrogation?"

I shrugged. “Not really. I just wanted to know if there was anything to share that we need to work on as a team.”

Arthur scoffed. “Don't be ridiculous.” He stepped back. "Look, I'm tired, and I would like to rest for a bit.”

“I see,” I said.

He rolled his eyes at me and walked away. As his footsteps faded down the hall, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Startled, I turned to see Beauty behind me.

“What the hell?" I gasped in surprise. “How long have you been standing there?”

When Arthur was out of the door, I stood up and hurried out. I had to wait until he was out of sight before I moved. This was it. This time, I would make sure I got the answers I needed.

Arthur didn’t take the car. He walked.

As soon as he was out of the mansion grounds, he took a path through the forest, and I followed.

Things took a strange turn when Arthur dropped the bag he held and pulled out a black cloak, which he wore, covering himself completely.

At a point, he stopped and looked back as if he sensed my presence.

I dove as quick as I could and hid behind a tree. I closed my eyes as I heard him turn to my direction.

He walked towards me slowly and carefully. I held my breath. He was only a few feet away from where I stood when a bird cried in the air. It created a distraction.

Finally, Arthur moved away and continued going in the opposite direction. I let out a breath of relief, grateful he didn't see me.

The last thing I wanted was to get into a fight and make him figure out that I was suspicious.

I waited a few seconds before I continued to follow him, and after a while, I saw him stop in front of three figures wearing the same cloak with hoods that hid their faces from me.

Whatever they were talking about, I couldn't hear them. They spoke in hushed whispers that even my heightened sense of sound could not catch.

I had begun to give up when one of the men shouted harshly.

"No! We do this my way!”

I perked up. The voice sounded familiar. The same man placed a hand on his hood and pulled it off. I almost gasped when I saw it was King Pison.

I held myself together. The other figures didn't reveal their identity.

It finally looked like their meeting was about to come to an end. I quickly slipped out and hurried into the shadows, going back the way I came.