Chapter 526
“Are you worried about me?”
Alicia leaned against the car window, tilting her head playfully as she asked.
“I… I just think it’s too dangerous for you to stay behind. Why don’t you come with me instead?”
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Zeke wasn’t heartless–quite the opposite. He valued loyalty and emotion. Alicia had risked her life to get him out, and it wouldn’t be long before Zorro discovered the deception. When that happened, Alicia would be the first person to suffer the consequences.
Why was it so hard to just admit he cared?
Alicia wanted nothing more than to crack open his head and see what was going on inside.
She smiled sweetly and teased, “What’s this? Are you asking me to run away with you?”
Zeke froze, flustered by her directness.
“If you agree to marry me, I’ll go with you right now. What do you say? Will you take me?”
Faced with such an upfront question from a girl, Zeke was completely at a loss for words.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Alicia’s eyes, but she kept the smile on her face.
“Never mind. Just get going. I have to head to the military base too. If I take too long, Mr. Preston’s going to get suspicious.”
She waved brightly as she stepped back. “Goodbye, Zeke. If we both make it through this alive, you better come back and marry me. I’ll be waiting!”
With that, she told the driver to go.
Only once her car had disappeared did Zeke finally turn away and climb into the vehicle waiting to take him to the airport.
Looking down at the forged ID, plane ticket, and burner phone Alicia had prepared for him, Zeke let out a long sigh. He couldn’t quite explain it, but something inside him felt different now–like a tiny thread of attachment had formed without him even realizing
But he didn’t have time to dwell on it.
Right now, what mattered most was what was happening in the US. Had Samir arrived already?
On the way to the airport, Zeke used the phone Alicia had given him to call Caitlin
But her phone was off.
He tried to recall Sebastian’s number, but came up blank. All his contacts had been stored on his old device, and in ho memory, the only number he truly knew by heart was Cantlin’s
Left with no better option Zeke sent het a message and hoped she would turn her phone bass on toon
He had to get to the US as tad es possible and expose what Vamir was planning
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17:55 Fri, 22 Aug
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At Vanderbilt Manor, the old estate of the Vanderbilt Family, Caitlin was in the kitchen, preparing a special lunch to celebrate their marriage registration and also to send Hayden off–he was returning to Departure City in V Country that afternoon.
Though the meal was meant as a farewell for Hayden, Federico had, unsurprisingly, invited himself to the table.
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Ever since he took Howard on as a student, Federico had been shamelessly living at the Carriage House, eating and sleeping under the same roof as the Vanderbilt family without the slightest hint of restraint.
While Sebastian and Hayden were chatting in the living room, Federico came to the kitchen to help bring out the dishes.
“You made all this? Wow, I hit the jackpot today!”
“Aren’t you supposed to be watching your diet?” Caitlin said knowingly.
Federico was notoriously disciplined about his figure, especially with his performances. He never overate and always kept fit.
But ever since moving into the Vanderbilt estate, all that discipline flew out the window whenever Caitlin cooked. His six–pack was rapidly vanishing.
“I’ll hit the gym after! It’s not every day I get to eat your cooking–I have to enjoy it while I can.”
Caitlin laughed, shaking her head. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, “By the way, I noticed you weren’t teaching Howard yesterday. You were showing his aunt something on the piano, right? You and Hazel…?”
“No! Nothing like that! She just happened to walk by and asked me a few piano questions. I explained some things, that’s all–free of charge.”
Federico spoke with such an innocent expression that Caitlin decided not to press him further.
Once the food was ready, she told him, “Alright, time to eat. Go let the others know.”
“On it!”
Soon, Sebastian and Hayden made their way to the dining room. Molly also showed up since she had the day off, and surprisingly. Vincent and Hazel joined in too , abandoning the main dining room of the estate.
Sebastian raised a brow at the unexpected guests. “Why aren’t you eating in the main hall? What are you all doing here?”
“I smelled food!” Molly declared cheerfully. “You’ve no idea how good Caitlin’s cooking smells–it was calling to me. I followed the scent without even realizing it!”
Vincent gave a sheepish smile. “Same here.”
“There might not be enough food for all of you. We only planned for Hayden and Federico.”
“No worries, Molly waved it off “I already told the kitchen to send up extra dishes. We won’t tire Caitlin out”
She hurried off to fetch the food, white Ving ent lifted a bottle of red wine “Sebastian, F’m not here just to mooch 1 brought some excellent wine”
Hazel held up a bottle of juice “And this is for Caitlin–non alcoholic, of course
Hazel no longer held any grudges against Caitlin Over time, her attitude had softened She had grown to respest Catim, even accepting her as her sidder in law Her other reason for being here, though unspoken, has more to do with Feders–a bittle secret
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7:55 Fri, 22 Aug
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she hadn’t told anyone yet.
As everyone settled around the table, the kitchen staff brought out a few more dishes, turning the lunch into a full–blown banquet.
Hayden looked around the lively group and smiled. “The more the merrier. I like this–it feels like family.”
Just as they were about to start eating, Molly looked around and asked, “Where are the kids? My nephew and niece–where did they go?”
“I sent all four of them to eat with Beatrice,” Caitlin replied.
She didn’t want the kids to be left out or isolated, and figured their company would cheer up the older members of the family.
Molly sighed with admiration. “Caitlin, you really are the thoughtful one.”
They had all been so caught up in their own plans, no one had even thought about how the elders might feel. Caitlin had considered everything.
Meanwhile, back in the estate’s main dining room, the table was set, but only a few people remained.
Beatrice, Raymond and his wife, and Jasper sat around in near silence .
Beatrice looked at the mostly empty seats and sighed. “Where did everyone go? Where’s Molly? And Yosef and Hazel? Why aren’t they here for lunch?”
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