Chapter 423
Yulia didn’t dare contact Simms-not when Simms still had no idea Violet had been taken away.
The fiasco at the wedding had been humiliating on an epic scale. The city’s elite, feeling their reputations tainted just by attending Violet and McNeil’s wedding, had gone so far as to buy the media silence. Not a single whisper about what happened was allowed to leak.
So right now, Simms was still in the dark about Violet’s disappearance.
“Give me McNeil’s phone number,” Yulia demanded.
Unless she found McNeil and forced him to make Victoria drop the charges, there was no way Violet would escape prison.
She never imagined that the spoiled heiress she once dismissed would prove so ruthless destroying someone’s life without even getting her hands dirty.
Violet had stumbled right into her trap, and she hadn’t even seen it coming.
Maynard looked startled. “Ms. Marchand has Mr. Langford’s number. Why not just ask her for it? I’m Mr. Langford’s executive assistant. I can’t give out his number without his approval. I’m sorry.”
The refusal was polite, but it made Yulia tremble with anger.
She’d already tried the police station, but they wouldn’t even allow her a visit-let alone let her ask Violet for McNeil’s number.
With Simms off the table, Yulia had no choice but to leave Vertex Dynamics empty-handed.
Meanwhile, Violet was stuck in a holding cell, desperate for Yulia to come to her rescue, completely unaware that Yulia was every bit as helpless.
Evermore City
The next morning, at six sharp, the doorbell rang, rousing the household before dawn. The maid who opened the door found Ms. Turner’s ex-husband standing on the step.
She only recognized him thanks to a tip from Miss Yasmine: “That’s her ex.”
“Where’s your mistress?” McNeil asked.
Behind him stood three bodyguards, each lugging giant shopping bags filled with groceries. The men looked exhausted. They’d spent two hours trailing McNeil through the market, and they were out of breath.
Brawling in the street was easier than this, they thought. Who would’ve guessed that the bodyguards of the richest man in Starfall City would one day end up buying groceries at a bustling market?
When they’d shown up in their tailored suits among the clucking chickens and fluttering feathers, people had stared at them like they were circus animals.
“Ms. Turner isn’t up yet. Is there something we can help you with, Mr. Langford?” The maid glanced uncertainly at the bulging bags. Six in the morning, and they’d brought enough food for a week.
“She said she has a big appetite,” McNeil replied, still baffled by the shopping list Victoria had given him.
One maid blurted, “Yes, today we’re supposed to “
But the other quickly stomped her foot, and she snapped her mouth shut.
“Supposed to what?” McNeil’s suspicion grew.
“Nothing! Ms. Turner just gets cravings, that’s all.” The maids hurried to take the groceries, disappearing into the kitchen.
Inside, one hissed to the other, “She told us to keep our mouths shut around Mr. Langford. If you can’t, you’ll get us both fired.”
The other maid stuck her tongue out in apology. “I won’t slip up again—just don’t tell Ms. Turner.”
They whispered in the kitchen for a good while before finally coming back out, looking sheepishly at McNeil. “Mr. Langford, there’s a lot to prepare today, and just the two of us can’t manage. Would you mind lending us your bodyguards to help prep the vegetables?”
The bodyguards looked mortified, forcing smiles that were closer to grimaces.
When McNeil saw the mountain of groceries-Yasmine had messaged him that the menu included a huge cookout, barbecue, and more than a dozen hearty dishes he realized two maids wouldn’t cut it. Even with his own help, it probably wouldn’t be enough.
“Fine,” he said at last.
He turned to his bodyguards. “What are you waiting for? Get to work.”
With that, he shrugged off his suit jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and revealed a frame that was all muscle beneath the crisp fabric. The two maids exchanged glances, giggling and blushing as they sneaked glances at McNeil.
McNeil didn’t notice a thing. He was too busy getting everything ready for Victoria.