Back at the restaurant, M hadn''t exactly been at her wits'' end, but she''d been anxious enough—afraid Sophia would actually lose control and stab someone for real. Her heart had been pounding so hard she could barely hear herself think.


    She''d almost gritted her teeth and agreed to Sophia''s demands.


    Honestly, what choice did she have? If going along with Sophia bought her some time to figure out a solution, it was better than provoking her into a meltdown— nobody wanted to see blood on the floor.


    She''d long since learned not to count on unstable people to act rationally.


    But then, against all odds, someone had actually managed to talk Sophia down. M had no idea who pulled it off, but whoever had that kind of influence was someone she''d very much like to meet.


    And yet...


    She couldn''t shake the memory of the odd look Sophia had given her when she answered that phone call-a look that made M''s nerves prickle all over again.


    She knew she wouldn''t rest easy until she got to the bottom of it.


    Up in the driver''s seat, Leonard kept his eyes fixed on the road, his expression unreadable as he answered in his usual calm tone, "I just found an elder from the Pembroke family to have a word with her."


    "A Pembroke family elder?" M shot him a dubious look. "What business do they have meddling in my affairs?"


    "If Sophia ended up back in prison over this, the Pembroke family would have a hard time exining it. It would bring shame on their family''s reputation-and Nathaniel''s as well, especially with his engagementing up.” Leonard''s exnation was matter-of-fact.


    Family reputation? Engagement?


    It all sounded usible enough, and for a moment M almost let herself believe


    it. But if it was just a warning from the Pembroke family, how did that exin the strange look Sophia had given her when she took the call?


    And Sophia-was she really the type to listen to her elders?


    M remembered the story all too well. Back when the Pembroke family''s infamous murder case had gone to trial, Miranda Wayne had told her all about it. The family had tried every trick in the book-pleading mental illness, offering settlements—anything to get Sophia off without jail time. It was Sophia herself who''d blown it, mouthing off in front of the judge andnding herself six years behind bars.


    If she was ever going to listen, it would''ve happened back then. Why now?


    Something didn''t add up.


    M kept her doubts to herself, only casually asking which elder had intervened. Leonard said it was Sophia''s mother, who had moved overseas years ago and was no longer in the country. With that, M dropped the subject, but her suspicion only deepened.


    The Pembroke family really was something else. Sophia''s mother had left ages ago—couldn''t stand her cheating husband anymore. And from what M had heard, the man''s appetite for trouble was truly remarkable.


    Nothing was off-limits. No boundaries at all.


    Honestly, why did people like that even bother getting married? All it did was make everyone around them miserable. And if they made it through life without catching some disease, that was a miracle in itself.


    Sophia''s husband had been the same kind of disaster.


    And Nathaniel? He wouldn''t even hear of marriage.


    M wasn''t sure what to feel about any of it. She shook her head,


    casting a sidelong nce at Leonard, whose focus never wavered from the road. Sighing, she fished out her phone, her thumbs flying over the screen as she sent a quick text, eyes drifting to the city lights sparkling outside.


    Night had fallen by now, the streets glowing with neon.


    She watched the scenery roll by for a bit-until the car passed through a lively nightlife district. Her gaze snagged on the alley beside a bar across the street. She barely had time to register the familiar figure before a group of men dragged him into the shadows.


    "Stop the car!"


    Her voice snapped through the air.


    The car screeched to a halt at the curb, and M jumped out, barely remembering


    to wait for the light before sprinting across toward the bar.


    "Chairman Suthend?" Leonard called after her, not even bothering to worry


    about parking tickets as he hurried to catch up.


    By the time M reached the mouth of the alley, a couple of minutes had passed.


    Still rattled from the Sophia incident, she didn''t rush in blindly. Instead, she nced over her shoulder to make sure Leonard was close behind before darting


    in.


    She''d learned her lesson.


    The alley was pitch-ck-some


    busted bulb, probably. M ran forward, phone in hand, shlight and camera app both on. As the sounds of pain grew louder, she ignored the ache in her throat and shouted, "Hands up! The police are on their way!"


    She skidded to a halt, suddenly embarrassed.


    Her shlight beam swept over a scene of chaos-several men sprawled on the ground, groaning and cursing. The moment they heard her voice, they scrambled to their feet, fists clenched, lumbering toward her.


    Ten secondster, the tables had turned again-now they were all back on the ground. M crouched next to one, demanding, "Where''s the guy you dragged in here? What did you do to him?"


    "What do you think? The kid smashed up our bar-drunk out of his mind. We just wanted to talkpensation, but he went berserk-look at us!" The man tried to snarl, but one nce at Leonard, standing silently by, made him lose his bluster.


    Once she''d pieced together what happened and where the guy had gone, M stepped over the groaning men and hurried deeper into the alley. As she passed the back door of the bar, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure inside.


    "Eugene Montgomery!" she called out.


    The man stiffened, either startled by her voice or pretending not to hear. Suddenly, he picked up his pace and slipped into the crowd.


    "Eugene!" M shouted, racing after him.


    Behind her, Leonard''s brow furrowed at the name, but he kept pace, never letting her out of his sight.


    The bar was a blur of swirling lights and pounding music. M''s eyes locked onto her target, and she finally cornered him near the men''s room. She couldn''t exactly


    go barging in, so she stopped Leonard and told him to get Eugene out.


    As much as she wanted to believe she was mistaken, even without seeing his face, she was now certain-it was Eugene, no doubt about it.


    What the hell was he up to?


    Drinking himself stupid? Picking fights? Dodging her?


    "Chairman Suthend, are you sure you didn''t mistake someone else for him?” Leonard hesitated at the door-if it wasn''t Eugene, no harm done. But if it was, well, he''d rather not get involved.