?Chapter 446:


    Alice eyed the tension still lingering across the table. She leaned in close and whispered, “What the hell is going on here? Why are they both here? This feels like a scene from a horror movie.”


    I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Bryan moved in today.”


    Alice was stunned. “You’re kidding. That’s terrifying.”


    “You’re telling me,” I groaned, shooting her a look that screamed help. “Just eat, okay? Maybe if we finish fast, they’ll leave.”


    Alice gulped down her nerves and buried her face in her te, clearly not wanting to attract any more attention.


    She wasn’t alone in her panic. I was praying just as hard for this bizarre dinner to end before anything else happened.


    Thankfully, Alice’s presence seemed to diffuse some of the tension. Bryan and yton, though still stiff and brooding, finally took a few more bites before excusing themselves, each retreating to their respective bedrooms.


    As soon as they disappeared down the hallway, I let out a long, exhausted sigh, slumping back in my chair like I had just survived a hostage situation.


    Alice nced at me, her lips twitching with amusement. “Well, looks like you’ve got some fun times ahead.”


    I shot her a deadly re. “Keepughing and I swear I’ll make you move in with me.”


    Her smile vanished instantly. “No thanks.” She was clearly horrified by the thought.


    I rolled my eyes, remembering the fiery look on her face when she first came in. “What’s got you so mad? You stormed in here like a tornado.”


    Makenna’s POV:


    The moment I asked, Alice’s smile vanished. “It’s all because of that Hayley!” she bit out through clenched jaws.


    I frowned, leaning in. “What happened? Did Hayley give you a hard time?”


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    “I don’t know what her problem is!” Alice snapped, letting out an exasperated huff. “This afternoon, she kept picking on me. That would’ve been bad enough, but then she made me clean the toilets—over the tiniest mistake!”


    Hearing that, I felt some guilt. I thought back to the events of this morning. It didn’t take much to figure out why Hayley made things difficult for Alice. Her younger sister, Molly, had failed to get yton to return earlier, and now Alice was the scapegoat. I sighed and gave my friend an apologetic look. “Alice, I’m sorry. You got caught in the middle of this because of me.”


    She blinked at me, clearly puzzled. “Why are you apologizing? Makenna, what does this have to do with you?”


    I sighed again, deeper this time, and started recounting everything that happened that morning.


    By the time I finished, the guilt sat like a boulder in my stomach. “I’m pretty sure Hayley’s taking her anger out on you because of Molly.”


    Alice became even more furious. Her hands balled into fists again. “That Hayley is insufferable! And Molly!” She threw her arms up in exasperation. “She deserved to get bullied by Kristina before. None of them are any good!”


    The fact that Alice didn’t me me only made the guilt gnaw harder at my conscience.


    I couldn’t just sit by and let her suffer because of me. An idea sparked, and without a second thought, I jumped to my feet. “No! I’m going to ask the two princes for help. They can stop Hayley froming after you.”


    But before I could take a step, Alice grabbed my arm, yanking me back down onto the sofa. “Makenna, no! You can’t do that.”


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