The room was cramped to begin with, and with an extra bed, it felt like the walls were closing in. The nurse pushed the beds together, and Trevon climbed onto his with a scowl, bracing himself for the IV needle."You're all wound up," the nurse said, a note of exasperation in her voice as she patted his hand."Relax."Trevon's glare could have frozen the sun, and the nurse shuddered. "Relaxing helps, you know."Madeline could not watch that any longer. "Stop scaring her. If you make her cry, you're going to get jabbed by a shaky hand. That'll hurt worse."Trevon did not say a word. He took a deep breath and let his arm go limp.Once the needle was in, they all exhaled in unison.Madeline, feeling the weight of the day, lay down and turned away from Trevon, curling into a small cocoon under the covers.He hesitated, his mouth opening and closing, unsure of how to break the silence.The air hung heavy between them once more.After a brief pause, Trevon, realizing Madeline was n
Trevon's injury had not flared up again.Once Madeline was sure of it, she left him be and did not say another word to them for the rest of the trip.Trevon, looking down, did not seem to mind.Daniel fidgeted, touching his nose and pushing up his glasses more than he usually did.When they arrived at the Redenbaugh City Hospital, Madeline would not let Trevon come with her. She went alone to see how the Yates family was doing.Trevon tried to protest, but Daniel held him back. "Mr. Gibson, you're familiar with Mrs. Gibson's fiery temper. If you tag along, she might just blow a fuse. I think she still cares about you, so let's not ruffle her feathers again, okay?"Trevon reluctantly backed down.Inside the hospital, Caleb looked pretty grim. "Zander's awake, Mrs. Jeppesen and her husband are still out cold. The doctors aren't sure if they'll come around."He handed Madeline a phone. "Zander handed this over, saying it belongs to Mrs. Jeppesen."It was filled with messages and
Lydia was escorted away by the police.Skylar felt completely lost and quickly called Cilix."The police have Lydia. You have to help her."Cilix was swamped with work.The Sanders Group was on the brink of going public, which meant rolling out a fresh line of fashion designs for the launch. On top of that, they were ramping up their scale and production capacity.His plate was more than full.His brow creased at the call. "What's she done this time?"The moment Skylar heard the accusation, she bristled with irritation."What do you mean Lydia's in trouble again? It's that snake Madeline stirring up drama, trying to pin Bella's death on Lydia.lWhat's Lydia done to deserve this? Just because she and Trevon have history, Madeline's got to spin these wild lies to take Lydia down?"Cilix listened, his expression turning stormy. "Madeline called the cops?"Skylar began to cry. "Who else would it be? Bella's gone, and now we're her punching bags."Cilix had no patience for tears
Josiah had no choice but to get up and answer it.A police officer was there, with Cilix right beside him.They had dug into Lydia's family background during their investigation and instantly knew that man was Lydia's dad.Josiah scowled. "Ever heard of protocol? This isn't a place for visitors. Get them out of here!"The officer, phone in hand, looked like he was in a tough spot. "Captain, the chief's on the line."Josiah's face turned stormy as he took the call. Whatever he heard only made him look more severe.He glared at Cilix, his frustration clear. "You must be Lydia's father. You've got ten minutes!"It was not by the book, but the chief had spoken, and Josiah had to follow orders.He despised how wealthy folks had always skirted the rules, making his job harder and more complicated.Cilix ignored Josiah's attitude, gave a nod, and headed in with a lawyer to see Lydia.Seeing her father, Lydia's tightly wound nerves eased. "Daddy."Lydia's voice broke, and tears foll
"So, you're just going to cut ties with me just like that?" Lydia's red eyes were locked on Trevon, desperate and searching.He met her gaze and replied, "Is that all you wanted to say? If that's it, then we have nothing to discuss."He stood to leave, but Lydia reached out in a panic. "Trevon! No, please don't go."He paused, allowing her to hold onto him. "Go on, I'm listening."A surge of bitterness welled up in Lydia.It was exactly that coldness from Trevon that made her despise Madeline even more. Trevon was hers first, so how could Madeline just waltz in and steal all his affection?Why did everything always seem to fall right into Madeline's lap?Lydia had to claw and scrape for every single thing.She raised her eyes to Trevon. "I need Yardley Hawk to be my defense lawyer."Trevon pulled the clothes from her grasp with a snap and shook his head firmly. "Yardley works for the Gibson Group. He only takes on cases for them."Lydia's voice was icy. "Get him to defend me,
Trevon said, "No, just do what you normally do."Yardley was totally lost.Trevon seemed to care about the plaintiff's odds of winning, and everything he said seemed to root for Madeline's victory, yet he told Yardley to play it straight.If Yardley played it straight, he would aim for a slap on the wrist or even a full acquittal. That what his rep and career were built on.He was more than capable, so what was Trevon really getting at?Trevon was not about to reveal it and just shooed him away.Yardley was majorly stressed out.The next day, still on the fence, he hit up Daniel for some intel.Daniel gave him a pitiful look and said, "Mr. Gibson owes Lydia a huge one for saving his life. She asked, and he couldn't say no. He even promised that you'd go all out for her defense."Yardley was speechless. "What about Mrs. Gibson? Mr. Gibson can't actually be into..."Daniel let out a heavy sigh. "Just give it everything you've got. No matter how it shakes out, Mr. Gibson won't h
The office was cozy, with one desk and a tiny corner set up for meeting clients.Computer screens hid the desk.If not for the clacking of keys and the click of a mouse, Madeline would have thought the place was empty.She cleared her throat. "Hello?"The typing and clicking cut off, and a guy stood up. "You the one Mr. Larkins sent over?"Madeline blinked. The guy was way younger than she expected. He wore a white tee and had a buzz cut, looking like he might still be in college.Asher had said 'friend', and she pictured someone at least in their forties.Madeline asked, "Are you Bennet?"The guy flashed a grin. "Bennet's my dad. He's out at the moment. I'm Xoan. That's what you'll find on my phone too. Dad retired, so I'm the one running the show now."Madeline still looked a bit unsure, so Xoan added, "What, you think I'm just a kid who can't cut it? Let me tell you, I've been in the game since I was fifteen, a whole decade now. There's nothing in Redenbaugh City I can't ha
Stepping out of the detective agency, Madeline's phone rang. It was Dallas."Ms. Sanders, there's interest in the painting you left at the shop. Could you swing by?"Madeline did not hesitate, hailing a cab straight to Oralia."Mr. Scott, which painting caught the client's eye?" she inquired upon arrival.Dallas looked uneasy, letting out a sigh. "Ms. Sanders, you might want to check out the VIP room."With a puzzled frown, Madeline pushed open the VIP room door to find a man sprawled on the sofa."You're Madeline?" he asked lazily.Madeline nodded. "Which painting did you fancy?"She scanned the room, spotting several paintings—her paintings—that she had entrusted to Stephen to sell.Dallas quickly stepped in. "Ms. Sanders, meet Mr. Hector Ferguson, the second son of the Ferguson family."It clicked for Madeline.Without even a glance in her direction, Hector addressed Dallas. "Mr. Scott, since when did the Fergusons start slumming it? These paintings are an embarrassment t