The Harvey Family Dinner?
M picked up the invitation and nced at it, her brows arching in surprise. What was Giselle up to this time?
She and the Harveys weren''t just strangers-they couldn''t stand each other.
And now they wanted her to join their family dinner?
As if they had good intentions.
Still, whatever this was about, it would be easy enough to find out. She
remembered Charlotte, who she''d sent into the Harvey household some time ago. M pulled out her phone, switched to a virtual number, and sent Charlotte a quick message.
The response came back in no time-a whole flood of messages, actually.
As M read through them one by one, her expression grew colder and colder. Her grip on the phone tightened until her knuckles went white.
"What''s wrong?" Miranda, who was still trying to coax a sullen child into a better mood, noticed M''s face and asked with concern.
M didn''t answer right away.
She shot back a message, double-checking her words. Charlotte said she''d only overheard bits and pieces-nothing clear-but warned M not to attend the dinner. The Harveys were definitely up to no good, and she should be extra careful over the next few days.
M turned off her phone, her face darkening.
It was only after Miranda pressed her again and again that M finally talked about the second half of her recent trip-specifically, how she''d been chased into the woods by armed criminals. She left out one crucial detail, though: she''d identally trespassed onto a military site. She''d signed a non-disclosure agreement and couldn''t mention anything about that.
Miranda was equal parts shocked and furious.
"Is Giselle insane? Hiring thugs to kill you? What is wrong with her? Is all this just for Lysander? Has she lost her mind?"
M couldn''t help but feel the same way. If this was really just about a man, she was speechless. It''s not like she wanted topete for him—if Giselle was so capable, why didn''t she go after Lysander herself? Why drag M into it?
Were they all crazy?
To try to get someone killed over something so trivial—it was absurd.
"Or maybe there''s another reason?" M frowned, unable to make sense of it. In her memory, Giselle had never struck her as someone who''d lose her mind over a man or do something this reckless. Was Giselle really willing to get her hands dirty for a guy?
"Think about it," Miranda pressed. "Is there any other grudge between you two?"
M fell silent. Well, there was one thing: seven years ago, she''d married Lysander, taking away Giselle''s supposed ''perfect match''-after all, there had been an old family arrangement between them since childhood.
But did M even want that marriage in the first ce?
She was tired of being med for everything. Why couldn''t Giselle focus her energy on Lysander instead of making M out to be the viin?
It was ridiculous.
She''d nearly died because of all this!
"I''m calling the police!"
The memory of that night in the forest-being hunted and nearly killed-sent a wave of anger through M. She was about to dial 911 when Miranda stopped her.
"Do you have any evidence?"
M scowled. "If she hired hitmen, there''s got to be a big, suspicious transaction somewhere. As long as the police investigate, she won''t get away with it."
"That''s only if you can get the police to investigate," Miranda replied. "All this information you have is hearsay, stuff Charlotte overheard. It''s not strong enough to charge anyone. And even if you know Giselle''s involved, it''s not like she did it herself. Those thugs chased you all the way to the border-by now, they''re probably long gone. If you can''t find them, you can''t prove anything... And don''t forget who''s protecting the Harveys these days. Do you really think you''ll get anywhere?"
The Montgomery family was backing the Harveys now at least, Lysander was. "... You''re right."
M forced herself to calm down.
She remembered something else: the night she''d identally trespassed on military grounds and been interrogated for hours, Lysander''s cousin Carrol Montgomery-had been informed. When she was released, she''d signed a non- disclosure agreement and was still banned from leaving the country. There''d been no updates since not a word on whether those criminals had been caught.
It was as if nothing had ever happened.
Realizing where this might lead, a chill ran down M''s spine. "You''re right. I can''t go to the police. Not until I know exactly who''s protecting her. If I make a move too soon, I''ll only tip them off."
She''d only end up exposing herself.
For now, Giselle most likely still thought M was in the dark, which put the advantage in M''s hands. She was hidden; Giselle was exposed.
Now, M was prepared.
After thinking it through, she made a swift decision: she wired a hefty retainer to her hacker friend-one million up front-to dig into every member of the Harvey family, top to bottom, no exceptions.
She was convinced: if Giselle dared to pull something like this, if she had the connections to hire killers who would chase M to the border, this couldn''t have been a solo act. The Harveys had to be involved-maybe more than once.
She''d even started to believe Charlotte''s mother really had been left in aa by Charles Harvey. Now, it made sense.
They were the sort who treated human lives as disposable. If M found even a shred of evidence, she''d make sure everyst one of them ended up behind bars.
She wanted solid, irrefutable proof.
That way, even if the powerful Montgomerys tried to shield the Harveys, she could take the evidence straight to the highest authorities and force a trial.
She wouldn''t rest until justice was done.
If they dared to try to kill her, they''d better be ready to pay the price.
Now that she knew the Harveys'' true colors, the thought of those wolves made her shudder for Adrian''s sake. ording to Charlotte, Lysander had brought Adrian back to stay with the Harveysst night. With her son living so close to the den of wolves... M couldn''t help but worry-would her child be safe?