?Chapter 813:


    This sleek machine belonged to Ernest.


    Eric guided Hadley a few steps closer, and the car door swung open with quiet grace. There sat Ernest, poised and unruffled.


    “Ernest,” Eric greeted.


    “Hello,” Ernest replied with a nod, his eyes flickering toward Hadley. His voice softened like a breeze. “Hadley, might I steal Eric away for a moment? I’ve got a few words to share with him.”


    “Of course,” Hadley replied, her eyes crinkling with a warm smile. Eric let her go with a tender pat on her hair. “Hop in my car and wait for me there—it’s chilly out here.”


    “Okay.” With a yful twirl, Hadley made her way to the Bentley—Eric’s vehicle—leaving Eric to slip into Ernest’s ride.


    Inside the car, the air hung thick with unspoken tension.


    “The one who came after you today…” Ernest began, his voice steady as he unraveled the threads of a mystery. “They’re tied to the Scott family.”


    “The Scott family?” Eric’s jaw dropped, disbelief washing over him. “How on earth could it be them?”


    The brothers locked eyes, their minds racing in sync.


    Ernest gave voice to their shared suspicion. “It seems someone in the Scott family might be onto you.”


    Eric rubbed his temples, exasperation creeping in like a shadow.


    They had initially pegged the attack as the work of a Flynn family foe—never once imagining the Scott family had a hand in it.


    “What do you reckon they’ve figured out?” Eric pressed.


    “Not certain,” Ernest admitted, his brow furrowing in thought. “For now, it looks like they’re fishing in the dark—suspicious, but not sold on it.”


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    Eric let out a bitter chuckle. “Suspicion alone justifies going for the jugr like that?”


    The assant today hadn’t pulled any punches—they hade to buy him! If not for Xander’s quick thinking and thebat skills Eric had honed over the years, he might have been toast.


    Ernest shook his head, cool as a cucumber. “The Scott family’s offspring, ever since Ferris took the reins, have been cut from the same clothcking spine, leaning on cheap tricks and dirty ys.”


    “Ernest…” A sudden realization flickered across Eric’s face, shifting his demeanor.


    Ernest caught the drift, resting a reassuring hand on Eric’s shoulder.


    “Easy now. Ferris likely doesn’t have a clue yet. If he did, given the Scott family’s current mess, it wouldn’t be those bumbling heirs gunning for you today.”


    “What’s that supposed to mean?” Eric tilted his head, puzzled.


    Ernest met his gaze, words teetering on the tip of his tongue.


    In the end, he held back—Eric had enough storms to weather already. “Never mind,” Ernest said, brushing it off with a wave. “Now that we’ve pinned it on the Scott family, just keep your wits about you.”


    “Will do.”


    “Off you go now. Hadley is waiting.”


    “Right.” Eric reached for the door handle.


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