Chapter 471: Where You Are Is Where I Belong

Not long after, Sunday responded, "Sir, the recent news about First Lord James has been primarily textual reports. The latest information suggests that yesterday, First Lord James visited Kinlin Air Force Base for an inspection. There are also rumors that James suffered a heart attack due to health issues on his way back to London last night. He was supposedly rushed to the ICU at 3 a.m., but after checking all the hospitals in London that we can access, I found no record of James being admitted."

"Hah, it would be surprising if you did find anything," William sneered, narrowing his eyes. "That old guy's been dead for a while now. Some people have no shame, even using their superior's corpse for their schemes."

Since James had no relationship or connection with William, and the delay of more than ten days worked to William's advantage, he couldn't care less about who was trying to manipulate James' body for personal gain.

However, this news would likely be reported soon, and the funeral might take place within the next couple of days.

Sure enough, by 6 p.m., the news reported that First Lord James had passed away from a heart attack at 5:11 a.m. due to overwork.

Upon hearing this, William immediately instructed Antonov, his mother's head bodyguard, to bring her back to Oxford Castle. Then, he called Ambrosio in New York, telling her to head to Brazil and personally select a house for her parents. He also arranged for a yacht to be sent to Brazil, promising to join her for a vacation soon.

This unexpected news delighted Ambrosio, who had been separated from William for over a month. She asked several times if he was serious, even playfully threatening to come to London if he dared to break his promise.

Two hours later, at 9 p.m., when Lena returned, she didn't scold William as he had expected. Instead, she gave him a knowing look, silently asking if something was wrong.

William smiled and nodded, moving forward to hug his mother. It seemed she had grown more shrewd after scheming against the old earl. She understood that William bringing her back to the castle without explanation meant something was either wrong or dangerous.

Lena, feeling uneasy after William's confirmation, whispered in his ear during their hug, "Be careful, my child."

"Don't worry, Mom. As long as you're safe, nothing will happen," William whispered back.

"Hmm, I know what to do. I'll stay in the castle and won't go anywhere for the time being. I'll also take care of some of the castle's matters."

"That's for the best, Mom. Ever since we bought the 34,000 acres of land surrounding the estate, I haven't had time to focus on it. Tomorrow, I'll have Anthony send a team of experts to help you manage the land. And if you don't mind, Abigail can handle some of the less important tasks."

"You really plan to keep her by your side?" Lena asked, surprised. "Managing the London estate is one thing, but handling Devonshire Castle is another."

"Don't worry, Mom, I know what I'm doing. Think of her as my personal assistant, helping with some of the minor tasks. As for the castle's confidential areas, Sunday is always monitoring everything, so there won't be any issues."

"God, that's not what I meant," Lena rolled her eyes at William. "If Abigail moves in, do you think your girlfriend in New York won't find out? What if she storms the castle?"

"I'm warning you now, if I see those two women fighting in front of me, I'll throw both of them out," she said, hesitating for a moment before adding, "I'll invite Tina over tomorrow. If you have time, stay and keep me company."

"No, I have to go back to London tomorrow to deal with some things," William quickly declined upon hearing that Tina would visit.

The thought of the charming fox-like Tina did tempt him, but William worried that if he pursued her and didn't take responsibility, it would strain his mother's friendship with Tina's mother, Aunt Mary.

After all, Aunt Mary was his mother's only true friend.

"Coward," Lena muttered, annoyed by William's hesitation. In her mind, her son's future wife had to be someone from noble lineage.

With a huff and a glance of disdain, Lena went upstairs, leaving William rubbing his forehead in frustration. He understood his mother's intentions, but he had no plans to marry, much less let any woman tie him down at such a young age.

The next morning at 8 a.m., after getting ready, William and a tired-looking Abigail came downstairs. Before getting into the car, William asked once more, "Are you sure you want to come back to London with me?"

"Of course," Abigail replied with an eye roll, frustrated. "I don't want to stay here. It's oppressive, and the way the servants look at me is like I'm some country bumpkin. Seriously, in this day and age, the aristocracy is practically extinct, but these servants still carry this ridiculous sense of superiority. If it weren't for you, they wouldn't even know where they'd be working, or what kind of jobs they'd be doing.

So I know, without you around, I don't belong here. Everything feels out of place."

"Are you saying you only belong with me? That wherever I am, that's your home?" William teased with a smile.

"Ha," Abigail scoffed at William, "Just start the car already. I need to catch up on sleep. If you drag me to work out again like you did before, I swear I'll pour water on you while you're asleep."

Yawning widely, she continued, "God, I must be crazy to agree to your ridiculous demands."

"Well, even though you won't admit it, I'm still happy to hear what you just said," William replied, laughing as he gallantly opened the car door for her. Then, he got into the driver's seat and drove back to London.

Upon returning to the Devonshire Estate on Kensington Garden Street, William gently woke up the still-sleeping Abigail.

Groggily, she opened her eyes and, realizing they were back at the estate, her mood immediately brightened. She stepped out of the car and took a deep breath of the fresh air. "God, this is where I belong. I really don't understand why anyone would want to live in such a depressing castle."

"Hah, that 'depressing castle' is the ancestral home where the Devonshire family has lived for centuries. If my mother hears what you just said, you'll be in trouble," William joked.

Hearing this, Abigail quickly changed the subject, hugging William's arm and asking, "Darling, how about we go shopping later?"

In a good mood, William thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, we've got the whole morning free. I need to go to Chelsea's stadium this afternoon, though."

"Great! Give me a minute to change," Abigail said, suddenly full of energy as she cheerfully ran into the main building of the estate.

Watching her, William couldn't help but wonder if her dislike for the castle was simply because there was nowhere to shop there.

Shaking his head, he walked into the living room and turned on the TV. Flipping through channels, he found that all of them were airing news about the funeral of First Lord James.

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