After the Secret Wedding Rise of My Queen

Chapter 227 Your Feelings for Him

Xander stared intently at the tightly closed door. The fleeting glimpse he caught earlier gave him a strange sense of familiarity with the person inside the room. Ivana was also staring at the door.

Richie frowned slightly and tried to divert their attention. "Ivana, have some tea."

"Oh, alright." Ivana took a small sip before letting out a sigh, her gaze softening with pity as she looked at Richie.

"You poor child! I remember when you and Leslie used to visit our house all the time. Now you've grown so much, but poor Leslie ..." Her voice cracked, and tears welled up in her eyes as she lifted a hand to wipe them away. Xander pulled out two tissues and handed them to her.

Then, his eyes drifted back upstairs, his mind returning to the person Richie fought with last night.

Judging by the figure, it had been a woman-could she be the one upstairs now?

"Richard, how have you been all these years?" Ivana asked.

"Thanks for asking, Ivana. I've been doing well. I even started my own company," Richie replied politely.

"That's wonderful! Richard, you've made something of yourself! Your parents must be so proud, watching over you from above." Ivana's gaze was warm, almost motherly, as she looked at him.

"By the way, I remember seeing the hospital surveillance footage back then. Someone was trying to kill you. Do you know who it was?"

Hearing this, Isabel quietly cracked the door open again as her ears perked with curiosity.

Richie shook his head. "The ones chasing me were wearing masks and sunglasses. Their faces were completely covered. I was so desperate to escape that I didn't get a good look at them." If he had, he would've avenged Leslie and his family long ago.

The thought made Richie clench his fists tightly until his knuckles turned white.

"I'll continue looking into it. If I find anything, I'll let you know immediately," Xander said.

"Thanks," Richie replied, his tone softening slightly.

After a brief pause, Xander asked bluntly, "Was the woman from last night with you?"

"I don't know her," Richie answered.

Xander's sharp eyes scrutinized him, but Richie's face was devoid of any signs of deceit.

"Then why did you protect her?" Xander pressed, still puzzled.

Richie frowned. He had considered telling Xander it was because of the emerald guardian angel pendant the woman had worn, but that wasn't the full truth.

There was something about her that made it impossible for him to feel hostility toward her.

It was surprising that she knew about the mechanism hidden in the sofa too.

These thoughts weren't something Richie planned to share with Xander. It wasn't about distrust; it was simply that Richie had already made up his mind to bear the burden of revenge alone. While Xander had been close to the Nelsons, he was still an outsider.

Seeing that Richie was unwilling to elaborate, Xander didn't push further.

This was, after all, the Nelsons' matter, and it wasn't appropriate for him to interfere too much.

"I have something to give you," Ivana suddenly said and turned to Leo.

Leo signaled for someone to bring in a locked safe.

"What's this?" Richie asked puzzledly.

From upstairs, Isabel leaned out slightly, her eyes fixated on the safe.

What could be inside?

As she stared, a woman's voice suddenly whispered in her ear.

"Leslie, this is the treasure your parents left you. The password is... What?

Isabel shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

Was it a hallucination? Or something real?

Her mind spun in confusion.

"This was left behind by your parents. It might be a coincidence, or maybe it was planned, but a month before the Nelsons' tragedy, your parents sent this to us. They said the contents were Leslie's treasure. Since Leslie gave the emerald guardian angel pendant to Xan, this was meant to be her dowry.

"But now that Leslie and your parents are gone, it's only right to return it to the Nelsons," Ivana explained.

Richie reached out and traced the safe's lock and combination dial.

"This..."

"We don't know the password either," Ivana admitted. "The safe requires both the password and the key. You parents didn't leave us the key. I suppose they assumed Leslie would marry into your family and kept it to themselves. But no one expected...

Her voice faltered.

"I'll keep it for now," Richie said, determined to keep anything related to Leslie close to him.

The emerald guardian angel pendant too.

Richie looked directly at Xander. "Can you give me the emerald guardian angel pendant?"

Hearing this, Isabel gasped sharply. Her heart, which had just begun to calm, started racing again.

Please don't let them figure it out! If Xander and Richie connected the dots, they'd immediately realize that I was the one from last night.

"Uhh..." Ivana hesitated because Xander had given the pendant to Isabel.

"I'll return it to you in a year," Xander replied.

"Why a year?" Richie asked in confusion.

Ivana was visibly upset, unable to understand why Xander had entrusted the pendant to Isabel. That was Leslie's keepsake!

Xander paused momentarily before repeating calmly, "I'll deliver it to you personally in a year."

Seeing Xander's firm stance, Richie realized pressing further would be pointless. Besides, the pendant had been Leslie's gift to Xander. Technically, he had no right to demand it. But-

He felt so alone. It was the thought of revenge that kept him going all these years.

Having something of Leslie's around gave him a sense of solace.

"Alright, one year," Richie agreed.

With that, the conversation came to an end. Isabel silently breathed a sigh of relief. Her nerves had been tested enough for one day.

After some more casual conversation, Richie escorted Ivana and Xander to the door.

"Richard, come visit us sometime," Ivana said warmly.

"Alright," Richie replied politely.

When the door finally closed behind them, Isabel let out a long breath, patting her chest.

That was so close! I thought for sure I'd be caught.

Richie locked the door, then called upstairs, "They're gone. You can come out now."

Isabel pushed open the door and came downstairs.

"Thanks for covering for me earlier. If you hadn't, I'd be in so much trouble."

"Why are you afraid of Xander?" Richie asked, not out of gossip, but simple curiosity.

Maybe it was because Leslie used to talk about Xander so much that he couldn't help but feel intrigued.

"Afraid? Why would I be afraid of

him? He doesn't bite," Isabel replied

with a shrug as she plopped onto

the couch. "It's just that he's insanely possessive. When he gets jealous, he doesn't care about anyone. So,

avoiding unnecessary

misunderstandings is always better."

Richie took a seat across from her.

"I'm curious-how did you two meet?"

Richie had done his homework on Isabel. She was an ordinary heiress, worlds apart from Xander's status. They shouldn't have crossed paths.

"Wow, didn't think you were the nosy type," Isabel teased playfully.

"I'm just curious. If it's inconvenient to share, forget it."

"Nah." Isabet summarized the events

of their meeting in a few simple sentences. "That's it. I was mad and we ended up getting married. He had been stood up anyway, so it worked out for both of us."

Richie had imagined countless scenarios, but this wasn't one of them.

He thought it'd be some kind of Cinderella and Prince Charming tale. "So you don't have feelings for him?"