You Are Mine (English)

Chapter 371: Chapter 371: You Are His Weakness

For some reason, Childe didn’t come down and have breakfast with Edie and Anne. Edie couldn’t help feeling relieved. ’What is he up to?’ she wondered. Just as they were leaving the table, one of the maids stopped Edie and said, "Miss Lara, Mr. Yates is looking for you."

Edie stood there for a second, she looked down at Anne and said, "When I come back, I’ll read you a story."

Anne nodded her head. "Okay," she said excitedly and waved to Edie as she walked out with the maid.

The maid took Edie outside and led her to a greenhouse. "He’s inside waiting for you," she said.

Edie hesitated before going inside. ’Why of all places, does he want to meet me here?’ she wondered. She opened the door, and a rush of warm, humid air laden with a sweet scent hit her nostrils, and she breathed deep. "It’s beautiful," she gasped. The view was miraculous. She stepped forward and touched the silky petals of a red flower in full bloom. There were flowers everywhere. Delphinium, bunches of lilac and carnations, masses of carnations, roses, and irises, "All of this feels like a fairytale," she said.

Edie slowly walked through the building and came to a large archway that leads to another room. Inside there were numerous paintings. She glanced from one to another, and each one was so delicate and vivid. As she walks closer, she stops and gasps. "It’s Stuart. Every painting is of Stuart." She looked at them with amazement, and they were so detailed. He was showing all his facial expressions. At the same time, she felt confused. "Who did this," she said. "They’re beautiful!"

"Welcome to my secret place," Childes’ voice came from behind her.

Startled, Edie flinched away slightly as she looked to her right, seeing Childe standing there. "Did...you.....paint these?" she asked.

Childe smiled and swept his glance over the paintings. "Yes, but they’re quite old. I don’t paint anymore." His tone sounded indifferent.

"Why not?" Edie asked, for now, her curiosity was aroused. She stood in front of the paintings, and she could feel her heart starting to beat faster. "You have an amazing gift. It’s as though you’ve brought your paintings to life. I look at this painting, and it feels like Stuart is right here in front of me." Looking at the pictures, Edie couldn’t help but feel sad. "Stuart, I miss you," she whispered. free𝑤ebnovel.com

Childe nodded his head and smiled slightly, "Yes, but I can’t paint anymore because of my hand."

His voice brought her out of her thoughts, "I’m sorry. What did you say?" Edie asked him.

Childe raised his hand. "I don’t paint because of this," he said.

Edie stared at his hand and wondered how he injured it. "What happened?" she asked curiously.

"This is what happens when you go against your mother. I was eighteen when she did this to me," Childe laughed wryly. "I guess I shouldn’t feel sorry for myself, and it could’ve been worse."

Edie thought about the story, and he told her and how the mother took away the things he loved the most. "Painting was what you loved the most? That’s why she....."

Childe interrupted before she could finish. "Yes, she took everything from me," he explained.

Edie was too shocked and surprised to hide her reaction entirely. Her eyes widened, her bottom lip sagged, and the sharp gasp was audible. Then she closed her eyes, and her lips reluctantly parted. At last, she spoke, "Your face...Was that your mother’s doing?"

Childe turned toward Edie with a slight smile on his face. "I can barely use my right hand because it causes me too much pain. I’ve wanted to learn how to paint with my left hand, but I didn’t dare, or she would’ve taken that away as well." His tone remained the same, showing no emotion.

Mutely, as if dumb with sorrow that her lips could not express, she listened to those sad, bitter words. Thinking how awful she thought Stuart’s mother was, and now Childes’ mother was a monster. ’How could a mother do this to her own child?’ she wondered. It made her mind and heart raced out of control, and her knees trembled under her. She was indeed scared.

"You think I haven’t seen this expression on your face before?" Childe asked. He knew what Edie was thinking. "Are you frightened?" he laughed softly, sounding pure evil. "I’ve warned you to leave Stuart, but you never listen to me. Now you’re stuck in the middle of our feud. What do you have to say about that?"

Edie opened her mouth to respond. She clenched her fist as she searched for some response. "What do you want from me? Can I help it if I’m in love with your brother?"

Childe looks at her suspiciously and says, "The reason I asked you here is that I know how to put an end to it all." He looked at her with an expression of amusement, waiting to hear what she had to say.

Edie looked away, knowing he was staring at her intently. "What is it?" she asked, her voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Leave Stuart," Childe said. "You’re his weakness, and once you leave him. I will have defeated him. As long as you stay with him, you’re not the one who’s in danger, and it’s always been, Stuart." His eyes narrowed, his tone growing more intense. "If you leave him, I will give you whatever you want. Take you wherever you want to go, but you must leave him."

’Leave him?’ These words echoed in her mind. Edie looked at Childe with a blank expression on her face. She was at a loss for words.

"Would you like to know why you haven’t seen me the past couple of days?" Childe said in a low voice.

Edie shook her head. "I just thought...you....." her voice trembled as she spoke.

"You thought what?" Childe shot back at her. "I was using you as a bargaining tool. I asked Stuart to give up his position as the CEO and his shares from the L. N. Group. Guess what? He agreed. It doesn’t matter what I ask him to do as long as you’re involved; he’ll agree," he paused and drew a deep breath. "After all these years of me failing to defeat him and finally I have the solution. It was always you." He placed his hands on his hips and sounded intensely frustrated.

His words were burned into Edie’s brain like a scar from a branding iron. She finally understood, and her eyes widened at the knowledge coming to her so clearly, like a light. ’He doesn’t hate Stuart. He worships him. It must have been hard to grow up in Stuart’s shadow, but Childe was always proud of him.’ She wanted to tell him what she was thinking, but she couldn’t find the words.