Despite what George had said earlier, a quiet confidence in Skylar lingered in his heart. He couldn’t explain why, but he believed she would be able to handle the situation.
After all, Viola had personally passed on all her knowledge and skills to Skylar—something she wouldn’t have done lightly. If Skylar had been chosen as her successor, she had to be truly gifted.
Gloria nodded thoughtfully. “Skye is very capable. And it’s normal if this is something she can’t resolve. But Viola once left me a letter before she left. In it, she said that if Skye gets married and anyone in the family encounters anything evil or dangerous that others can’t deal with, we should let Skye try first.”
George sighed. “Where is Viola now?”
Gloria also exhaled with a touch of sadness. “She said she’ll return once she’s settled her affairs.”
George nodded, his eyes turning misty. “I hope she comes back soon.”
On the way to the Doherty Residence, Skylar sat in silent contemplation, her brows furrowed slightly.
Joe, watching her, spoke gently. “Don’t push yourself too hard. Grandma trusts you more than anyone else when it comes to these things, but if this turns out to be too much, we’ll find a specialist to handle it. It’s okay.”
Skylar nodded distractedly. “I know.”
Just then, her phone buzzed. A message popped up from Elliott.
“Sorry I left early this afternoon. Something came up. I’ll treat you to a meal next weekend.”
Skylar responded casually.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
Joe’s gaze inadvertently caught sight of the message. A shadow passed over his expression the moment he saw who it was from. His mood darkened slightly. Someone was clearly trying to get close to his wife—and he didn’t like it.
About half an hour later, they arrived at the Doherty Residence.
As soon as they stepped into the spacious villa, a child’s frightened cries echoed down from the upper floors. The sobs were piercing, as if the child was genuinely terrified.
Despite the crying, the maids on the first floor didn’t react. They continued with their work, seemingly accustomed to the sound.
Frank’s face turned ashen with pain. His eyes reddened with emotion. “Chad’s been like this for several days now. It breaks my heart every time I hear him cry. At my age, all I want is for my family to be safe and well.”
Joe’s expression hardened. Clearly, the situation was far worse than Frank had initially let on.
He glanced at Skylar. She looked solemn, but her eyes didn’t waver. She was calm—collected—even in the face of such strangeness. For someone so young, she had an unusual steadiness and courage.
Skylar turned to Frank. “Mr. Doherty, let’s go upstairs. I’d like to take a look.”
“Of course. Come with me.” Frank wasted no time and took the lead, heading up the stairs as Skylar and Joe followed closely behind.
Joe had visited the Doherty Residence several times before, but this time, an inexplicable chill wrapped around him. It was subtle, yet invasive—as if something invisible had brushed against his skin.
Just as he was wondering if it was his imagination, Skylar reached into her pocket and pulled off a red bracelet from her wrist. A small coin was strung through its center.
She handed it to him. “Take this. It might help.”
Joe glanced at her, then at the bracelet in his hand. The coin felt faintly warm from her touch. The moment he wrapped his fingers around it, the cold that had clung to his skin began to dissipate.
That strange chill—it was gone, or at least greatly reduced.
A faint smile tugged at Joe’s lips as he slipped the bracelet onto his wrist. Oddly enough, it didn’t just make him feel better—it looked quite good on him too.
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