I stayed in the kitchen for as long as possible to avoid Alexander. But that n didn’t work out so well when I brought the finished mashed potatoes to the table, and the only seat left was next to Alexander. I red at Ava and Richard, knowing that this had been orchestrated by them just like they had me to sit next to him in the car when we were in Ld.


    I didn’t want to make things even more awkward by pitching a fit about where I sat. But my mouth dried when I sat next to him because I could feel the warmth and energying off of him. My body was overly aware of him.


    Thankfully, as the six of us loaded our tes with lobster mashed potatoes, Mac and Cheese, and buttered corn on the cob, Alexander was quiet. He made polite conversation with Richard, who was on his other side, and he didn’t use that intimate nickname again. Maybe he had realized that he had crossed a line. Hopefully, he would be on his best behavior for the rest of the night.


    “Oh!” Ava said, turning to me. “I heard that Chloe and her mother have enlisted their family to help them get out of their legal trouble. And I also warned Sarah and Kelly to be careful and stick together.”


    I nodded and took a bite of the juicy lobster. I already knew this information.


    “Theres nothing to worry about,” Richard announced. “Chloe and her mother will not get away with their crimes this time. I just got back from Ld, and Chloe’s well–connected aunt wasn’t enough to help her. Chloe has pleaded guilty to all charges, and she was sent to jail today.”


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    I dropped my fork in surprise, and it ttered onto my te, but Richard wasn’t finished.


    “Tonight, I’m going to go back to Ld to monitor the situation and make sure everything goes smoothly,” Richard exined. “I’m also watching out for Sarah, Adam, and Kelly.”


    Ava leaned forward. “Why didn’t Chloe’s aunt influence work? I thought she was a member of some sort of secret society.”


    “Chloe’s aunt left after one meeting with her niece,” Richard said, his lips twitching into a smile. “Even that crazy woman knows when she can’t win this hopeless case. The evidence against Chloe was too overwhelming. There was nothing she could do. From the research that I’ve done, there’s nothing special about Hana Cater, even though Duke seems to think there is. Hana headed back to New York only an hour after meeting her niece. It was more of a courtesy call than anything from what I can tell.”


    This seemed too good to be true. Maybe I was a pessimist, but I felt like Chloe’s case was far from over. With how well–connected her family was, I didn’t think that she would stay in jail for long. I had seen genuine fear in Duke’s eyes when he spoke about Hana. She was a woman that you didn’t want to mess with because when she sank her teeth into something, she didn’t give up easily. And after only an hour of speaking with her niece, I didn’t think she would give up.


    But Alexander and Richard both had satisfied expressions. They seemed so sure that our problem with Chloe was over.


    I didn’t think that was the case, and when I locked eyes with Ava, I could tell that she didn’t think so either.


    “What about Felix, Chloe’s brother?” I asked. “Did hee back to New York, too?”


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    This time, Alexander was the one to answer. “No, he hasn’t returned.”


    My hands gripped tightly around my winess. “Is he still trying to get his sister out of jail?”


    “No,” Richard said. “He’s given up on his sister. But he seems to be


    using all his energy and resources to keep his mother from going to jail.”


    Chap 283


    288 Vouchers