A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 985

Over in Yoran Country.

The moment Herbert ended the call, he tracked down Yardley Hoggart and announced his immediate departure for the Cyrus Sea.

Yardley stared at him. "Right now?"

"Yes."

"Do you honestly believe she's hiding out there?" Yardley's eyes narrowed. The timing was far too convenient. "Doesn't this feel a little too deliberate?"

"What if it's true?" Herbert shot back. "Even if there is only a one-in-a-million chance, I have to go bring her back."

Seeing Herbert's desperate fixation on Starla, Yardley let out a heavy sigh. "That little brat... why is she being like this?"

Yardley was furious, yet deeply frustrated by how fiercely his sister guarded herself against him. But telling Herbert to fly out tonight? If this wasn't a trap, he would eat his own shoes.

"You do realize she's aligned with Amos right now, right?" Yardley pointed out. "And don't you think this is a bit too obvious? It's a blatant diversion. She's practically insulting our intelligence."

"I have to go," Herbert said, his voice locked in absolute certainty.

Yardley gritted his teeth. "She's playing you."

Despite wanting Starla back under his control, Yardley knew she was actively manipulating the board.

Taking a deep breath, Herbert finally spoke. "She threw her lot in with him because we pushed her to it. It's our own damn fault she doesn't trust us."

Regret tasted like ash in Herbert's mouth. He wished he had never brought her back to Yoran Country. "If I had known you were going to use her as leverage to get what you wanted from Licht, and if I had known about that old bastard's twisted obsession with Brinley's death, I would have kept her in Marina City!"

She had been happy there. Bringing her back here had ruined everything.

"Oh, spare me the self-righteousness," Yardley scoffed. "What we do is completely standard in our world. She's the one who decided it crosses a line."

Herbert cut him off. Yardley was blind. He thought using people was 'standard,' failing to realize that to Starla, sacrificing family was an unforgivable betrayal.