CHAPTER 546: IGNORANCE IS BLISS

"It’s so surreal that I sometimes doubt myself," Geneva said, turning to Shelby and Ian, just as Alex added. All of them knew to whom the two were referring, except for Alicia, who looked on confused.

"For all that she had done, I had thought that we would have done something more to her."

Shelby smiled, but it was Ian who answered.

"Oh, she got more than she deserved."

He leaned back with quiet intensity. "When my Elfin metes out punishment..."

His gaze softened, just for a heartbeat, as a doting look flashed in his eyes. There was reverence there, admiration. The Ian in this moment, adored his wife to levels that was incomprehensible to humans and for a moment, that reverence spread through all in the room as their eyes landed on Shelby.

"... believe me, you don’t want to be on the receiving end," Ian finished, the warmth vanishing as quickly as it came. "Killing that mer —" he paused, catching himself, then smiled wryly, " —would have been far too swift."

He turned to Brad, his tone shifting, lighter.

"Brad, I think you and your fiancée need to talk — really talk. Get to know each other properly. And... maybe have a word with Carmichaels as well, yeah?"

Alex caught on, especially as Ian had paused at the word, ’mer-’

"Since you only have a few days till you tie the knot, you’re excused from breakfast. Use the time to get to know yourselves better and speak to Carmichaels too, as your brother has said." Alex added, just as Shelby threw a look at Suzie. Suzie did not need an explanation to understand. She instructed a two-person light meal set to be sent to Brad’s quarters.

Brad also caught on and nodded, sensing the unspoken reason behind the suggestion. "Yeah. That’s... a good idea."

Alicia rose with him, casting a polite glance around the table. Her smile was composed, but her eyes flicked briefly to Ian. Something about him unsettled her in that moment. There was an unapproachable air, a weight, a silence, like something that she could not put her finger on.

She didn’t know what exactly made her skin prickle — perhaps it was how everyone else had fallen respectfully silent — but she chose not to question it, and it was not like she was in a position to.

She said a polite greeting and followed Brad out.

As the couple exited, Ian’s smile fell away like a dropped curtain, and all eyes turned back to him. At this time, all the workers had been excused and only Suzie remained.

"As you said," Ian resumed, voice now low, "a swift end would’ve been too kind for Aliya. She’s trapped. Caught in a loop where time isn’t really moving, but dragging and keeping her in a slow, twisted agony. A place made entirely of elements that go against her very nature."

He stared down into his cup, swirling it gently. As he spoke, the warmth drained from his voice, replaced by something far colder.

"That picture frame holds her whole existence. She doesn’t even feel the hours go by .... only the weight of them. Each breath burns. Each heartbeat is a curse. She’s awake, she’s aware... and she’s completely powerless. It’s not death. It’s worse. A mer-person, corrupted or not, would not survive a day in the scorching desert."

Ian looked up, eyes steady.

"Mercy is for those who deserve it. She doesn’t."

Geneva flinched — just slightly — at Ian’s expression. It was the kind of look that didn’t belong on a human face. In that moment, she saw the depth of what he meant by punishment — talk of danger itself.

Alex tried to hide his emotions, but his hands trembled, and he was unsure why. Ingrid looked on calmly, as if Ian was talking about the colour of her dress, and Gabriel was fascinated. Samantha was slightly affected, though her face went pale, but she held her ground.

All these aside, what shook Geneva and probably everyone the most wasn’t Ian. It was Shelby who had enabled such a fate for Aliya.

Geneva’s gaze slid, unbidden, to her daughter-in-law — the young woman still smiling ever so sweetly and so gently.

It was hard to comprehend that this innocent-looking beauty had conjured the horror her son described.

The thought chilled her, but strangely, it also warmed something in her heart.

Her sweet girl had that deadly capability? The silent strength to bring a predator to her knees? They had all seen Aliya at work, and even the word predator did not do her justice.

Though it scared Geneva — truly — it made them all feel a strange, fierce pride.

They had vastly underestimated Shelby, but that would be their family’s little secret.

"Mmmmm"

Alex and Geneva nodded. A light knot and worry in their subconscious was loosened. They all knew that they did not have to worry about the kids, as they seemed to have wanted Aliya gone even faster than the adults. The three had fully bonded with Shelby in a way that they were inseparable.

"But .... How did Suzie know what to do and wh-"

Geneva started and then asked herself, ’Of what use is this information to me?’ She smiled, "Never mind!"

But Alex had one more question: "What is Shelby?"

His voice was low, almost reverent, as he looked toward his daughter-in-law.

The room quieted. Even the youngest one, Gabriel, stopped fidgeting with their food.

He wasn’t asking out of suspicion. No, this was something else — curiosity, awe, maybe even a little fear. It was hard to believe that Shelby was just a human if she had these capabilities.

Ian didn’t answer immediately. Instead, a flicker of that earlier softness returned to his face — the doting gleam of a man in love. He leaned close to Shelby and brushed off the bangs on her forehead, kissing them gently.

"She’s mine," he said simply. "But beyond that..."

He leaned back slightly, eyes unfocused as if turning over the impossible truth in his mind.

"She’s something... older. Wiser. Made of more than magic or bloodline. She’s what happens when grace survives hell. When something breaks... but doesn’t stay broken."

Ian’s words made no sense, but he didn’t elaborate after that. At one point, he had wondered about this and even believed Shelby was just an ordinary human with an extraordinary father, after speaking with Mr. Monroe, Shelby’s father. However, after spending time with her, he came to understand.

The silence that followed was thick with thought.

Geneva folded her hands and whispered almost to herself, "The stars must have woven her, for the fates should not be questioned."

And no one disagreed, but that marked the end of that conversation. Some things were better left untouched, and what one did not know could not harm them. Ignorance was bliss, and Geneva did not press further.

***

Brad walked into his room in the West wing and held the door open for Alicia to enter.

"Welcome to my quarters."

Brad said in a welcoming gesture, waiting patiently for Alicia to pass by him.

The two walked through an open space and then out into the backyard where their meal had been set out.

"I guess we’re really doing this, huh?"

Alicia nodded, then took out her phone. She dismissed the earlier strange atmosphere from her mind and let out a sigh. The day was going contrary to what she had planned, but it was not like she detested the new direction.

"I’m calling my dad."

Without giving Brad the time to respond, Alicia hit the call button, leaning back into the plush outside sofa placed beneath a beautiful arch on the patio. Brad sat beside her, watching curiously, and for the first time in the morning, amused.

Alicia was like a totally different person, talking to her dad. Gone was the prim woman and in her place, a slightly mischievous one, just based on her mannerisms. It was clear that father and daughter had a good relationship.

The screen lit up.

Carmichaels answered, coffee in hand and glasses perched on his nose. "You’re calling early. What’s wrong?"

"Nothing’s wrong," she grinned. "I just got engaged!"

His coffee paused halfway to his mouth. "...You what?"

"Engaged, Dad. As in, marriage. Wedding bells. Vows. Your daughter finally said yes, all because of your constant nagging!"

He lowered the mug slowly, pretending to be astonished at the news. "To who? I mean you just went out this morning to work and now?...."

She turned the phone to show the man beside her.

There was a beat of silence.

"Well, well, Brad Thornston.... I thought you said you didn’t want my daughter.... So? What changed?"

Brad cursed inside, knowing that Carmichaels was pulling his legs, but he had indeed said this, maybe, not in the exact words he was using.

Before Brad could answer, Alicia stepped in.

"Dad, didn’t you give me a two-month ultimatum?"

"Hahahahahaaa.... Yes, two months, not two hours?"

"Dad!"

Carmichaels sat down, all smiles.

"Well, fate played this well. Because I had wanted to introduce Brad to you and vice versa, but you both declined. Now that you have made your choice, Dad will support you, but that is only because it’s you, for Brad...."

Brad closed his eyes and sighed internally, dreading Carmichaels next words, because Brad knew of the grief that he had let this man go through just because of the intended blind date.

Carmichaels had caught him fair and square. Even the fact that the man had his daughter’s back did not register with Brad yet. He had nothing to worry about, though, at least not from his new father-in-law’s way.

*********

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