20: Death of Poke

"Grace! And Lola!"

Poke murmured, his eyes flickering.

After a long while, Poke gritted his teeth and quickly left.

An hour later, Poke arrived at Grace's residence.

"Tell Grace I need to see her about something."

Poke said coldly. This time, he no longer concealed his intentions but openly gave orders to Grace's attendant.

The maid was surprised, but seeing Poke's stern expression, she dared not ask further and hurried back to report.

A moment later, the maid led Poke into the room.

"Poke?"

Grace was somewhat astonished, not expecting Poke to come looking for her again in the afternoon after they had met and planned that morning.

Could it be that something else had happened?

"Grace, I'm going to kill Barto!"

This shocking statement immediately made Grace turn pale with fright.

"Poke, do you know what you're saying?"

Grace stood up, looking at Poke with immense shock.

"First, look at this!"

Poke handed over the letter he had just received.

"What?"

After reading it, Grace's face also changed dramatically, and she slumped back into her chair.

She knew that the person she sent to deliver the letter to her brother was her personal maid, brought from home, a trusted confidante who would never betray her for this!

So, how did the blackmailer know that she had contacted her brother?

"Now, Barto very likely knows about what's between us."

"You, me, and even Lola, are in grave danger; we will surely die."

"So, we must make a decision quickly!"

Poke spoke gloomily, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

"Barto's injuries are very severe now; he is critically ill."

"So, I have two plans. One is to pack our things, and our family of three runs away."

"The other is to strike first and kill that scoundrel before Barto makes his move!"

"That way, not only will we have no worries, but we can even help Lola rise to power and seize his family fortune!"

"Grace, for Lola's sake, which one will you choose?"

Poke stared intently at Grace, his eyes filled with madness.

Grace, however, looked conflicted. After a long moment, she finally nodded with difficulty.

"Alright, if that's the case, then we can only kill Barto."

Poke grinned, a look of relief on his face.

So, the two of them tidied up and prepared to go to Barto's residence to act preemptively.

However, just as Poke was about to open the door.

He heard a whistling sound from behind him.

Bang!

The next moment, Poke turned around in disbelief.

He saw Grace, holding an iron-cast candelabra, her face contorted in a ferocious expression.

With a thud, he fell to the ground.

"Poke, don't blame me!"

Grace trembled all over, but the next moment, seeing Poke's body twitching, still trying to get up.

So, she raised the candelabra and wildly smashed it onto Poke's head.

Once, twice, thrice... A minute later, Poke had long lost his life, and Grace's face was covered in blood and brain matter.

Grace panted heavily, the candelabra dropping to the ground from her hand.

After resting for a good while, she finally stood up and simply wiped herself with a handkerchief.

Then she went out and called two personal maids.

"Madam Grace!"

When the two maids saw Poke lying on the ground, his head covered in blood, they were immediately terrified.

"Shut up! If anyone dares to scream, I'll have my brother kill all your family members!"

Grace said sharply, and the two maids immediately shut their mouths.

Although their families were not slaves, they were long-term employees of Grace's maiden family.

And Grace's brother was the captain of Hibo Town's security squad, holding significant defensive authority.

Therefore, they dared not resist, only standing there trembling, their legs shaking.

"Later, you two go out and arrange some work for a while, so the servants leave."

"Then, bring a thick carpet and clean this place up."

"Also, if anyone asks, say that Poke left after dinner, understood?"

Grace was very calm, arranging everything.

After the maids left, she rolled Poke in a carpet and placed him aside.

When the maids brought a new carpet, cleaned the floor, and re-laid it, the room was completely refreshed.

Immediately after, Grace and the two maids spent over an hour in an empty courtyard, digging a large pit and burying Poke's body.

"Don't worry, as long as you don't speak about what happened today."

"Then your families will receive rewards from my brother."

"Conversely, if this matter is spread by you, then the consequences... I don't need to say more, do I?"

Grace said sinisterly, and the two personal maids nodded frantically.

It wasn't until Grace returned to her bedroom that she let out a long sigh of relief.

"Poke, you were wrong!"

"Barto only wants to kill you."

"As for Lola and me, no matter how angry Barto gets, he would never dare to harm us!"

Grace sneered, her eyes full of shrewdness.

She was not some foolish housewife who could be easily deceived and manipulated by Poke.

As the sister of a Just Knight, she deeply understood her brother's position in Hibo Town.

Back then, Barto, as a self-made wealthy merchant with no background.

It was precisely because he remarried her after his wife's death that he was able to establish himself in Hibo Town and acquire his current vast fortune.

So, even if Barto truly learned of her illicit affair with Poke.

He would only dare to kill Poke, but not lay a finger on her.

However, whether Barto would completely abandon Lola afterward, or even divorce and drive them out, was another matter entirely.

"Poke, if you weren't so anxious, if you could have waited one more day..."

"Perhaps, everything would have been different."

Grace sighed; she actually still had feelings for Poke.

After all, he was the biological father of her child. How could she truly be indifferent when she killed him?

It was just that Poke was too impulsive.

Grace could see that Poke ostensibly gave her two choices.

In reality, he had already fallen into paranoia, only wanting to take the path of killing Barto.

Of course, killing Barto wasn't impossible, but it definitely wasn't tonight!

Because Barto's home currently had nearly ten Knight Squires guarding it.

With just her and Poke's strength, it would be impossible to kill Barto without alerting these squires.

Moreover, Poke's eldest son, Nem, from his previous marriage, would also be returning from Kura City tomorrow.

When he learned of his father's sudden death, how could he not investigate?

Therefore, this plan could only be implemented tomorrow, after her brother arrived.

But seeing Poke's fearful and frantic state, Grace knew that he absolutely couldn't wait.

To prevent Poke from causing trouble, Grace could only harden her heart and eliminate him.