Chapter 1778

[ 517 words ]

“Drink up. It’s good for your complexion.”

Watching Pandora’s effortless elegance, Padgett marveled at how he had ever believed Agassi was just a poor, country-bred student.

With a mother like her, there was no way he came from a simple peasant

background.

Claire graciously accepted the grandmothers’ doting, though her stomach was at its limit.

She managed half the broth before giving up.

Post-dinner conversation flowed easily among the elders; they had no shortage of shared experiences to discuss.

The gathering didn’t wind down until nine o’clock.

Claire hadn’t driven, and Padgett formally invited Pandora, Mary, and Queenie to stay at the Churchill estate.

However, all three politely declined.

Pandora and Queenie had kept their luxury hotel suites and insisted on staying there.

Mary preferred staying at Claire’s apartment.

Padgett felt a twinge of guilt for not playing the ultimate host, but he couldn’t force them.

Living alone in a sprawling ancestral mansion, hosting three distinguished women was logistically awkward anyway.

Money wasn’t an issue for any of them, so the lodging situation was handled smoothly.

Later, Padgett pulled Claire aside for a mild reprimand.

“Claire, why didn’t you tell me the moment they arrived in Cabinda?”

It wasn’t a scolding, and Claire knew it.

“It wasn’t that I meant to keep it a secret. I honestly just forgot.” Claire admitted the truth.

Her schedule had been relentless, and she didn’t have the mental bandwidth for social coordination.

She figured she could handle their visit without bothering him.

Padgett sighed, shaking his head. “So you just completely forgot about your grandfather.”

Claire smiled helplessly. “Don’t overthink it.”

“I just didn’t want to cause you any trouble.”

Padgett patted her shoulder. “I’m never troubled by family. I just don’t want them thinking I lack hospitality.”

Claire gave a reassuring nod, promising to do better next time.

He finally let her off the hook.

This gave Dane the perfect excuse to drive Claire back to campus.

Padgett actually thought highly of Dane, and despite the lingering sting of his granddaughter being swept away, he didn’t intervene.

Claire slipped into the passenger seat and rubbed her arms against the chill of the air conditioning.

Dane immediately instructed the driver to raise the temperature.

“Did that situation at the school gate get resolved?” Dane finally had a moment to ask.

Claire blinked. “What’s there to resolve? Norris had another professor take her to the emergency room.”

Dane glanced at her, realizing that

Let

sometimes the girl was terrifyingly

brilliant and other times she was surprisingly naive content

bet

“You saved that informant at the food street. Whoever was after him might be laying tow, but they haven’t vanished.

“How do you know that girl didn’t crash into you on purpose?”

It wasn’t paranoia. Claire had a target on her back.

A random skater losing control was a plausible cover for a sloppy hit.

Claire hadn’t considered it. She assumed the previous threat was neutralized.

“If it’s not over, why haven’t Finnian White and Steele Sterling been pulled from my detail?”

Dane shook his head, disagreeing with her relaxed stance.

Claire realized he had a point. If the danger had passed, her shadows would have been reassigned.

A skateboarder barreling toward her at the gates happened too fast for her bodyguards to intervene.

No one would expect an attack to look like a clumsy student accident.

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