The moment that shocked expression crossed Raphael's face, the crowd fell quiet. Conversations stopped at once as every gaze shifted toward him.
Brendan looked at Gemma again, but this time his eyes held a different kind of scrutiny.
He murmured under his breath, "What... exactly is happening here?"
Did Raphael actually know Gemma?
Jeremy and Averie nearly collapsed where they stood. If Darwin and Robert had not supported them, they would have fallen right there in front of everyone.
"Sallie," Jeremy said in a shaky voice, "you said Mr. Patterson works under Death. The way he looked at Gemma just now... Could it be that—"
Sallie cut him off before he could finish. She hid her damp palms and forced her voice to remain steady. "Dad, Gemma grew up in the countryside. She hasn't seen much of the world. How could someone like her know a person like Mr. Patterson?"
Her voice stayed low, yet it was enough to remind everyone of the life Gemma had lived before returning to this family.
Raphael heard those words clearly. The confusion that had clouded his mind began to settle.
He looked at Gemma once more.
She had just shouted at him, and her voice had sounded oddly familiar. Her appearance also carried a faint resemblance. That was what had startled him at first.
In truth, even though he claimed to work under Death, he had never truly seen her face. The closest he had ever come was a distant glimpse of her profile through a crowd.
Just now, Gemma had carried herself in a way that reminded him of Death, and that moment had shaken him enough to lose his composure.
The realization left him feeling embarrassed.
Sallie, eager to confirm her assumption, turned toward Raphael with a polite smile. "Mr. Patterson, you've seen Death before, haven't you?"
She then glanced at Gemma and spoke again in a softer tone. "My sister spent most of her life in the countryside. Could it be that she simply happens to look a little like Death?"
Raphael paused.
There was no way he could reveal the truth. He had never come close to Death's inner circle. The connection he claimed to have was nothing more than distant links he had exaggerated to gain status.
If Death herself appeared in front of him, he might not even recognize her.
His silence made Sallie's chest tighten. Anxiety pushed her to speak again. "Mr. Patterson, please enlighten us. Everyone is waiting."
Now that the crowd watched him like he held the answer, his confidence slowly returned.
Someone like Death would never fall so low as to become an unloved daughter in a family like the Elliotts.
Raphael cleared his throat and steadied his voice. "Your sister does resemble Death a little. But that resemblance doesn't give her permission to impersonate her."
The answer she'd hoped for came, and Sallie relaxed at once. "Gemma," she said with a troubled expression, "why would you do something like this? Everyone respects Death so much, and yet you still chose to pretend to be her."
Robert lost his temper immediately. "Gemma, are you trying to drag the whole family down with you?" he snapped. "Apologize right now. Or do you want Death to hear about this and destroy the entire Elliott family?"
Jeremy, no longer held back by fear, pointed straight at Gemma and raised his voice. "You shameless woman! Apologize right now and beg for forgiveness. If this causes trouble for our family, you will take responsibility for it!"
Darwin straightened his tie before speaking calmly. "Mom, Dad, Gemma is already married. She belongs to the Edwards family now. If Death truly decides to pursue this matter, the Edwards family would be the first to suffer." He then looked at Brendan. "Isn't that right, Brendan?"
The moment those words were spoken, Brendan's expression darkened.
He snapped his head toward Gemma, and anger broke loose in his voice. "Gemma, say you're sorry. Do it now."
A low laugh slipped from Gemma. Her calm was a sharp contrast to the accusations raining down around her. "Pathetic," she said. "Every one of you is pathetic."
Her eyes shifted to Raphael, and contempt filled her expression. "And you," she added with open mockery. "You've never even seen Death's face, yet you still went around claiming you're one of her people. Unbelievable!"
She had no intention of standing there any longer.
Just as she prepared to walk away, Sallie hurried forward as though she had anticipated the move. Wearing the expression of a concerned sister, she reached toward Gemma as if to stop her.
"Gemma, I know what happened to you last night has affected you," Sallie said gently. "But I can't allow this situation, where you pretended to be Death, to bring trouble upon you. If someone has to be the bad person and make you apologize, then I'll take that role."
While speaking, Sallie attempted to push Gemma down in front of everyone.
Her hand had not even reached Gemma yet when Gemma's lips curved into a cold smile.
Then she moved.
