Chapter 20

Chloe Madden

I was about to exit my room when a big burly hand appeared in front of me, I looked up to see the bodyguard who stopped me. "And who might you be?" I asked, feigning an air of sophisticated curiosity.

He looked down at me with a stony expression. "Carter appointed me to stand here because he has a very important meeting and he can't have you jeopardizing it."

I laughed, dramatically slapping a hand to my forehead. "Oh, the drama! The intrigue! The audacity!" I pretended to re-enter my room, but the moment he looked away, I ducked and darted under his arm, sprinting down the hallway like a caffeinated squirrel.

I ran through the labyrinthine corridors of Carter's mansion, my ears straining for any sound of conversation. After a few wrong turns and a brief detour through a linen closet, I finally heard voices. They were coming from a room that looked like his home office.

Bursting through the door, I declared, "Aha!" with all the drama of a soap opera reveal.

Carter looked