Chapter 44
Lenore rolled her eyes, her phone inching away from her ear as she sneered, “Who he is doesn’t mean anything to me. If his own dad won’t slap him down, I’ll do it for him. You got a beef with that?” she jeered arrogantly.
“He’s the Duncan family’s golden boy!” Troy’s fury was tangible like he could reach through the phone and throttle Lenore. Clenching his jaw, he barked, “You get your butt back here right now, and you’ll march with me to apologize to Mr. Duncan face–to–face!”
‘Bow and apologize? Without even asking the reason, he just drags me to bow and admit my fault. What a great father, Lenore thought, her eyes rolling.
Mockery glinted in Lenore’s eyes as she casually questioned, “What if I don’t?”
“Do you think a mere traffic cop is gonna save you? Let’s get one thing straight, Lenore. I’ve got my pride, and the Smedley family’s got a reputation!” Troy bellowed, his voice laden with rage. “You’re going with me whether you like it or not.”
He’d only just gotten his feet wet in Jinslenburg, and even though he had his eye on that inheritance, he couldn’t let Lenore bring down the Smedley family name.
With a dismissive snort, Lenore hung up, leaving nothing but silence behind.
Troy gritted his teeth, the busy signal buzzing in his ear as he redialed, but no matter how many times he tried, Lenore stayed mum.
Esther’s face was ghost–white, her tears tracing clean lines down her cheeks. “She got away with murder when we were kids, and now she’s out to ruin me and the whole Smedley family. I’ve always said Lenore’s a menace. Dad, you gotta do something.”
After today’s fiasco, Esther knew she’d never capitals
face Janet again without shame. She swore that Lenore wouldn’t wreck her future.
Given the mess they were in, the only play was to drag Lenore to the Duncans to kiss and make up. Troy’s face was as dark as a storm cloud. “I’ll pay her a visit myself tomorrow!” he vowed.
Up in the study, Darren itched to go see what was happening downstairs, but Sharon blocked his path.
Darren frowned, clearly annoyed. “Mom, Lenore’s picking on Esther again. I gotta go see if she’s okay. Don’t hold me back!”
Darren had always been tight with Esther, brown–nosing her so much that he sometimes joined in on the insults against Sharon. But Sharon kept quiet; he was her flesh and blood, and discipline was hard to swallow.
Though Sharon hadn’t crossed paths much with Lenore since she got back to Jinslenburg, she got the feeling Lenore wasn’t someone to trifle with. The spat between Troy and Lenore was their own damn business.
Sharon pursed her lips, locked the study door, and coldly told Darren, “That’s not our fight. You stay out of it.”
Esther was one cunning operator; she didn’t discourage Darren’s friendship, but she wasn’t about to let her boy be used as one of her pawns.
The Stormwings Operatives‘ sudden pullout from the 319 Biomedical Engineering scandal had everyone scratching their heads, but the force in Orinadia was still sniffing around. Without Stormwings in the mix, though, they were still clueless. Lenore was unfazed by the whole ordeal.
Siren: [Boss, since your last big show, we’ve had people lining up to hire us, all wanting to look into a racer named Sonic. They’re offering crazy money. You wanna start taking on the task?]
At the mention of Sonic, Lenore’s brow arched. She leaned back in her chair with her legs up on the table leisurely as she cracked open a milk can with one hand and typed with the other. [Who’s the client?]
Siren: [Just one name to the fore, Silas from the Faulkner family in Denisville. He’s throwing around 650 million.]
At the mention of Silas, Lenore paused with the milk can in her hand. She recalled he’d been into racing, and he even had a team in the international leagues.
‘Sonic fell off the map over three years ago. Why’s he suddenly hot on Sonic’s trail? But dropping 650 million? That’s some princely behavior, real high–rolling, Lenore thought, shaking her head.
Squinting, Lenore slowly typed out her reply. [I’m gonna pass on this one.]
Later, at the Duncan residence, Lloyd was a mix of flattered and petrified by Silas’s arrival.
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13
Chapter 44
After a long silence, Lloyd piped up in his baritone. “Mr. Faulkner and Mr. Garcia, if we’re still on about 319 Biomedical Engineering, I thought I’d made it clear at the Culinary Ascent. I’m far past my prime, just looking to enjoy my golden years…”
Wayne’s brows arched, his thumb rolling over the blue diamond in his ear as he smoothly changed the subject. “I heard your grandson’s your pride and joy, Mr. Duncan?”
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