?Chapter 864:


    A genuineugh slipped from her. “Sounds good. See you soon.”


    Sliding her phone into her bag, Maia shot a quick look at the man seated at the wheel beside her.


    The way Chris handled the car — calm, precise, and unhurried — offered afort she couldn’t quite exin.


    Now that Pattie was in the loop about the two of them, sharing a meal together hardly felt out of the ordinary.


    Before Maia could bring up her own thoughts, Chris spoke first, his voice low and certain. “Dinner’s on me tonight. You and Pattie are my guests.”


    Meanwhile, over at Wront University’s advanced cement ssroom, Mnie went straight to Ethan the moment the bell rang.


    “Ethan, your sister’s back in town!”


    Excitement rang in her voice, impossible to miss.


    The past several days had left their ns to investigate Maia’s disappearancepletely stalled. Mnie’s worries had grown, especially when even Ethan couldn’t get through to Maia. Those concerns led her to confide in her father, Hurst, who immediately dispatched people to find answers — only to discover that Maia had traveled to Sceibar.


    “Check out this headline,” Mnie said, offering her phone to Ethan. The screen disyed a photo of Maia at the airport, surrounded by a crowd of reporters.


    Mnie had caught sight of Chris standing at Maia’s side and couldn’t help but scowl. She wondered what business he had acting as Maia’s bodyguard. Given Chris’ reputation as the Cooper family’s illegitimate son, Mariana had never approved of him, especially since Maia was her chosen future stepmother.


    That left Mnie uneasy, especially with Chris shadowing Maia everywhere and inte gossip swirling that she wanted no part of.


    Without another word, Ethan said, “I’m calling Maia now. Tonight, we move forward with our old n — the detective’s on standby.”


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    He was surprised to learn that Maia had gone to Sceibar with Chris. No connection between Maia and Justiceze was something he wanted to ensure.


    Meanwhile, Marisa made her way to the entrance of the advanced cement ssroom after catching wind of the news, only to spot Mnie standing ufortably close to Ethan once again.


    With a quiet scoff, Marisa muttered, “Seriously, Mnie, what game are you ying now?” and turned away in irritation.


    Storming off, she puzzled over the source of her anger.


    If Ethan chose to spend time with anyone, that was his business. So why did seeing him with Mnie always leave her feeling unsettled?


    Out in the parking lot, Maia and Chris had just found a spot when her phone lit up with an iing call from Ethan.


    Ethan’s voice came through, eager and warm. “Maia, I saw the news that you’re back. Will you being to Marvelous Garden tonight?”


    It urred to Maia that a visit with Kathie and Ethan was long overdue. “I can drop by, but it might bete,” she said after a pause.


    Ethan’s excitement was unmistakable. “Perfect. I’ll tell Kathie you’reing — we’ll make sure your favorites are on the table,” he added, sneaking a nce at Mnie and giving her a slight nod.


    A gentle apology followed from Maia. “Actually, I have dinner ns tonight and won’t make it back in time. How about we all eat together tomorrow instead?”


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