Goldsin (The Chrysophilist Trilogy Book 1)
Goldsin: Chapter 31

The woman in front of me isn’t the same woman I grew up with. Gone is the obedient wife who took her husband’s beatings without protest. This woman here, staring at me with the most wicked of smiles, is a fighter. Someone finally ready for battle.

I wish I’d met this version of her under different circumstances. Maybe then I would feel proud of her.

Her stare is glacial, the complete opposite to how she presents herself with the gauze wrapped around her stomach and the slight wiggle of her knees.

I glance around the room and realize this is where she’s supposed to rest. Her sons took a whole floor and made her a new home far from the haunting memories of her husband, so she could recover in peace.

And yet she killed Adrian.

I know she did. The fact she isn’t running to him in complete agony or shedding tears tells me she pulled the trigger.

She killed her son.

“Why?” I ask her, still having a hard time believing a mother could ever do this. “Why would you do this to your own son?”

A chuckle parts her lips. Her hand falls to her chest as she looks at me like I’ve just asked her the most trivial of questions. “Oh, dear, everything happens for a reason. People believe God plans their destiny—I guess I’ve been playing God for quite a while now.”

My knuckles whiten as I jerk the gun at her. “Why. Did. You. Kill. Adrian?” I grit out, each word punctuated with poison.

She may feel like the most invincible person ever, having accomplished the impossible from the shadows. But right now light is shining on her. And I see her for who she is.

“For Julian, of course.”

“Julian?” I whisper, my thoughts fogging as I try to make sense of what she just said. “How does killing his brother help him?”

Ignoring my question, she limps toward the bed. “You’ll have to excuse me.” Her voice is so calm, like we’re catching up over tea instead of in a room with her dead son. “I was stabbed recently, so I can’t stand for too long.”

She sits down on the edge of the bed, blue eyes challenging me to put an end to this.

I follow her every movement with the gun, making sure my aim remains glued between her eyes. I’ll kill her in an instant if the need occurs.

“Go on.” I flick the gun, motioning for her to continue. “Tell me why you did what you did.”

She grunts, sighing as she says, “I thought you were smarter than this, Aurelia. Must I really spell everything out for you?”

“Same goes for you,” I snap back. “You shouldn’t be testing the person holding the gun.”

I could kill her in an instant if I wanted to.

“Very well.” She clears her throat, threading her fingers through her black strands as she ruffles her combed hair. “You see, sometimes, in order for one person to rise, another must fall. I killed Adrian to put Julian next in line to lead.”

“But Julian doesn’t want to be the leader.” Confusion etches itself onto my face. It feels like there’s a missing piece to the puzzle. “He never wanted to be involved in the family business,” I argue back, trying to make sense of what she’s saying.

Lady Harrow lifts a shoulder. “Life isn’t about what we want.” Her voice drips with certainty. Experience. “He’ll change his mind once he tastes how intoxicating it is to be in charge. I’ll make sure of it.”

I stand still, gun trained on her as I struggle to swallow the bitter truth.

How can this woman who always seemed so weak and submissive be so cunning? How did she orchestrate all this without anyone ever noticing? How long did it take for this plan to take shape?

“This was your plan all along?”

Or did this happen because I killed Victoria, killing Lucian in the process?

“Since the day I saw my husband’s eyes glued to you. Since the day both of my sons did nothing but spend time with you.” She spits the last word before her features morph into a look of content. “Oh, and of course, since the day I planned for you to help me with it.”

“What?” I breathe.

She doesn’t answer me. Instead she goes on to say, “I would have killed my abusive shit of a husband sooner or later, but you killing Victoria was really a gift from above.” She smiles.

Smiles.

“I needed to replace someone to blame for his death, and your recklessness was just fantastic.” She looks me dead in the eye. “Oh, don’t make that face. It was time for him to die. Julian gave me the strength to do it, but you gave me the chance.”

“I don’t understand.” My voice is fading, but my grip on the gun persists. “Tell me everything. From the beginning, or I swear to God,”—my voice trembles with impatience as I clench my jaw—“I’ll shoot you just once . . . you’ll die a slow death.”

Anger for what she did to Adrian swirls inside of me as she just . . . sits there, the calmest I’ve ever seen her. Her hair and her clothes are in disarray, but she’s anything but.

“Your time is running out.” And so is my patience. I just want to kill her and give Adrian the funeral he deserves. “Start fucking talking. If you killed Lucian, did he stab you?”

“With that foul mouth . . .” Her face twists in disgust. “You really are your mother’s daughter.”

At the mention of my mom, my chest constricts.

“Speak,” I grit.

I’m struggling to control my emotions. The last thing I want is to bring my mom into this.

Sighing, her cold gaze locks onto mine. “Of course I didn’t let the pig stab me. I had someone else do it, making sure not to injure vital organs. I didn’t want to die.”

“That would have been such a shame.”

“Watch your mouth.”

“Or what?” I take a step forward, making sure she sees the barrel of the gun pointed right between her brows. “Now speak.”

I need to get as much information out of her as possible before I kill her.

“What do you want to know?”

“You said I helped you. How?” My finger twitches next to the trigger, ankle pulsing in pain with all the weight I’m putting on it. It’s not broken, but I’m pretty sure I sprained it when Adrian’s body fell on mine.

“I knew since the day you were born that you were going to be a pain in my ass. So I made you useful. I planted your mother’s diary so that Valentine would replace it and give it to you. All at the right time.”

My mother’s diary?

I feel my legs shake.

“Was the diary fake?” I demand, desperation clawing at me.

She scoffs. “I don’t have that much free time to write a whole diary filled with such disturbing details.”

“Then why did you give it to me?”

I already know the answer. But I need to hear it from her.

“Because I knew you were going to kill them.” She stands. “I needed those powerful people out of the way so they wouldn’t challenge Julian for the position.”

Disgust filters in, flipping my stomach.

You were going to kill each one of them either way. They deserved it, I tell myself.

The blood on my hands suddenly feels thicker than ever before. I was a key player in her scheme.

She made me her queen.

“You manipulated me into killing people for your own selfish reasons?” I spit at her, anger vibrating my whole body. “Is that all you have to say?”

“Selfish?” Her voice is shrill, piercing my ears. “Everything I’ve done has been to ensure my son’s future as the leader of this family.”

“What about Adrian!” My voice breaks as I scream. “Did he mean nothing to you?”

“Adrian was a necessary sacrifice.” She talks about him like he’s nothing but a recent acquaintance. “Julian is the one I chose to lead our family. I made sure of that.”

“How could you kill your own son?” I seethe.

She doesn’t lower her gaze. Doesn’t even feel the need to look at her son’s body lying there.

She tilts her head, considering my question, as my stomach turns over. “I simply love Julian enough to keep him alive.”

Her words petrify my insides.

How can she say something like that? What kind of mother is she?

“Julian will never forgive you for this.” My voice trembles with rage—with sadness for the neglected boy lying on the floor.

When Julian replaces out about this, he won’t be able to look at his mother the same way again. It’ll ruin the memory he has of her, but fuck if I care. She deserves far worse than this.

“Perhaps not.” She stands and takes a step toward me, and I steady my grip. “But sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good.” Her gaze is unwavering, blue eyes staring deep into my soul.

Julian’s same eyes.

“You’re a monster,” I seethe, eyes filling with unshed tears.

“Maybe so.” She casually lifts a shoulder, her short hair bouncing with the movement. “But I’m a monster who gets what she wants.” She takes another step closer to me and sticks her nose in the air. “It’s your turn now. You are the last part of my plan. I need you gone. I can’t have you threatening his position.” At my confusion, she adds, “Ah, you still don’t know who your father is.”

I lose it.

She thinks I give a shit about my father? I know he must be a member of the Inferno Consortium, but she must have lost it if she thinks I’d ever want to take the position of leader. I don’t want to know who my father is. I don’t want to know who the asshole who raped my mother is.

A hysterical laugh bubbles out of my mouth as tears finally roll down my cheeks. “My turn?” I shout. “I’m the one holding the gun, or have you forgotten?” My voice grows louder with each word.

She finally eyes the weapon in my hands. “Yes. The gun. So powerful, so deadly.” She takes a step forward.

“Stay back!”

She takes another step, ignoring my warning. “And yet sometimes the person not holding the gun is the one with all the power.”

I aim the gun an inch away from her face and fire.

The noise rings in my ears as the bullet slams into the wall behind her.

Lady Harrow smiles. “I told you.”

She glances over my shoulder before her face suddenly changes. “Julian!” she cries out. The purest form of fear stretches her features.

In an instant she’s staggering into his strong arms as he appears in the doorway.

“Julian,” I breathe, and I turn to see him standing there, his chest rising and falling as he breathes heavily, as if he just ran here.

He looks at me with confusion, eyes narrowing as he takes in the gun I’m pointing at them—at Lady Harrow. Then his body tenses, wrapping around his mother in comfort and a hint of protection.

“Stay back!” I try to warn him. “She’s dangerous.” My voice cracks under the weight of the situation. The heaviness from before is lifted from my shoulders at knowing he’s here to help.

“Is that so?” he says.

His mother sobs into his chest, her body trembling like a leaf as she clings to him like a lifeline.

“It’s all an act!”

His eyes fall to the spot behind me. Adrian.

The cold steel of the gun bites at my skin. Its presence is heavy as he glances back at it.

Before I can replace the words to explain the absurdity of the situation, Lady Harrow’s voice fills the dense atmosphere of the room, panting as she paints a story of tragedy. Of lies.

“I was resting in bed, with Adrian keeping me company, when Aurelia just . . . walked in and . . . shot him!” She breaks into sobs again, tears streaming down her face as she clings to his shirt.

“Julian, that’s not true!” I feel panic rising in my chest. “Please, Julian, listen to me!” I stammer, struggling to replace my footing in the lies she just spilled. “She killed Adrian. And Lucian. She planned all of this!” I yell, feeling myself going mad.

He needs to believe me. He needs to believe the truth.

“Put the gun down, Aurelia.” His voice is low, almost threatening. “You’re only making things worse for yourself.” He moves his hand behind his jeans. To the gun he probably has hooked there.

No.

“Adrian sent me a message to meet here, but when I arrived he was already dying. She’s lying! She killed your brother!” I’m panting, tears burning my eyes, my skin, as they slide down. “I can show you the texts! I left my phone at home, but I⁠—”

“How convenient,” Lady Harrow drawls.

He doesn’t say a word. His eyes are the blankest they’ve ever been as they take me in.

“Julian, I swear,” I whisper, eyebrows pulling in at the middle as I slowly realize. As I see his resolve. “I didn’t kill Adrian.” Desperation fills my voice. “You have to believe me.”

“Believe you?” His jaw clenches. “You’re standing here covered in my brother’s blood, pointing a gun at my mother. How can I believe you?”

“Because it’s the truth!” I cry out, my voice breaking under the weight of my emotions as the gun I’m still pointing at them shakes.

My whole body shakes.

“Julian, please, just listen to me!” I scream. “She killed Adrian because she wants you to take your father’s position. She’s behind everything! Everything! She-she made sure I’d replace my mother’s diary and kill all those people. She used Victoria’s death to pin your father’s death on it! God, she got someone to stab her!”

I’m panting, my vision blurring as I frantically blink the tears away.

“She killed Adrian,” I whisper, my voice breaking.

But he doesn’t seem to hear me. He stares at his brother’s lifeless body as he holds the only family he has left in his arms.

“I heard the gunshot, Aurelia,” he whispers back. Like he doesn’t want to believe a word he’s saying. “What were you doing?”

My lips wobble, my head tilting to the side in a plea, begging him to believe me.

“She tried to shoot me, but she missed!” Lady Harrow says. “Look, Julian,” she urges, calling his attention away from me. “See for yourself.” She points to the hole in the plaster where the bullet went through.

My heart sinks.

“It’s not . . . it’s not what it looks like.”

“So you didn’t shoot at my mom?”

I feel my feet threatening to give way. The look on his face carves a hole in my heart, numbness filling it.

“I told Adrian about Victoria,” he says. “I know he must have texted you to talk about that . . . and now he’s dead.”

No, no, no.

“No, Julian, it’s just a coincidence,” I insist. “I didn’t kill him.” I shake my head madly. “I never would! You have to believe me—please. I promise!”

Something flickers in his eyes. The moment those two words reach his ears, his face turns to stone, mouth setting in a hard line.

“Please,” I beg.

Believe me. Believe me. Belie⁠—

He raises his gun.