Chapter 197
Claire shot him a surprised look. He hadn’t said a word the whole time, so she figured he didn’t really want her here anyway. She never bothered asking what happened after that incident. Even if there was something, she doubted she’d get dragged into it. It wasn’t that she trusted their enemies. She just trusted Dane.
“Alright,” Claire said.
Baldrick finally cracked a smile. “That’s the spirit p>
Time on the private jet seemed to move faster, maybe because there was always something to do and nobody just sat around bored. When they landed and got through the airport, Claire didn’t even have to touch her luggage. The bodyguards handled everything. The others, though, still carried their own bags. They knew not to take advantage. With the grandfather and grandson bringing so many bodyguards along, it was clear they had their own dangers to deal with. The rest of the group tried not to cause any trouble.
As soon as she stepped off the plane, Claire didn’t stick with Baldrick and Dane. Lemuel mentioned that the school had sent a car for them, so all they had to do was wait. Claire chose to stay with her own group this time. Baldrick didn’t try to stop her. No matter how capable she was, she still needed to fit in with everyone else.
Somewhere nearby, someone noticed Claire’s face and couldn’t resist snapping a few photos. He sent them to a chat with just three brothers.
“Take a look at this. Who messed up and had an affair p>
What was that supposed to mean?
The two brothers went silent after seeing the photos.
Norris wrote, “She really looks like someone p>
Phil replied, “Her nose is just like Dad’s p>
Owen chimed in, “Whose eyes does she have p>
Norris said, “Mine p>
Owen joked, “Norris, you got a daughter this old p>
Phil said, “Don’t be ridiculous. She looks about eighteen. Norris is only in his thirties. He couldn’t p>
Norris shot back, “I couldn’t have had a kid with a woman at fourteen p>
Owen teased, “Stranger things have happened p>
They kept tossing ideas back and forth, staring at the photos until they ended up heading straight back to the Churchill Estate Their grandpa was still around, and their parents didn’t visit that often.
“Grandpa, what’s for dinner?” Owen called out.
Padgett sat in his chair, humming along to some old song. “Whatever you want, just ask the cook. New Year’s is coming up, but who knows when your aunt will be back p>
Owen fell quiet. Every year, Grandpa brought up how Melissa never came home for the holidays. She’d been gone for so many years. Owen always thought Melissa was pretty cold hearted. Just because she didn’t want to marry the guy Grandpa picked, she ran off with someone else? She’d been gone forever. Didn’t she ever miss the family?
“Grandpa, look at this,” Owen said, holding out his phone. “I saw a girl at the airport today. She’s maybe eighteen or nineteen, but she looks exactly like someone from our family p>
Padgett gave Owen a sharp look. “Owen, don’t get any ideas. You’re in your twenties now. Don’t go bothering young girls. The men in this family don’t act like that p>
Owen quickly protested, “No, Grandpa, I’m serious. She just looked familiar, so I took a photo. Who knows, maybe she’s a mistake Dad or Norris made when they were younger p>
“If your father doesn’t put you in your place, you’ll never learn Padgett grumbled, reaching for the phone.
The moment he saw the picture, he jumped up from the sofa.
“Go get my reading glasses p>
“Grandpa, do you know her?” Owen asked, frowning. For a second, he wondered if this was some long-lost secret of Padgett’s. This was huge. Should be tell Mom first, or his two Older brothers?