The two inside argued endlessly while Maxine waited patiently by the door,
Caught up in their heated argument, the two ended up downing glass after glass. It wasn’t long before they both passed out cold right there in the room
For aesthetic reasons, the entire villa was designed with only large windows. During renovation, the owners were so confident that no one would ever attempt a break–in that they didn’t install any security system at all.
Once Maxine confirmed they were sound asleep, she carefully pushed open the large window and crept inside or tiptoe.
The room reeked of a pungent mix of alcohol and stale smoke, making Maxine wrinkle her nose in disgust as she unlocked the door. Before she could react, Brian burst out and threw his arms tightly around her waist. “Mom!” he cried, clinging to her.
Before Brian could finish, Maxine gave him a light smack on the bottom and scolded, “If you ever take matters into your own hands like this again, don’t even think about coming home!”
Brian wasn’t bothered, muttering under his breath, “They wouldn’t dare hurt me anyway.”
‘After all, he’s just a child who sees things too simply,‘ Maxine thought with a helpless sigh. She said, “Let’s talk about this when we get back. I’ll get you
out of here first.”
With that, Maxine bent down, scooped Brian into her arms, and headed out.
The whole thing had gone suspiciously smooth. Retracing her steps with him in tow, Maxine was about to make their escape. But just as they reached the garden gate, her heart skipped a beat, someone suddenly stood blocking her path.
The butler, dressed smartly in a suit, said courteously, “Ms. Hudson, Mr. Jenson requests your presence.”
Behind him stood two men. Left with no choice, Maxine carefully set Brian down and followed them back into the room.
Hamlin was sitting comfortably on the sofa in the living room. Upon hearing the commotion, he opened his eyes, glanced at Maxine with a sly smile, and said, “Well, Ms. Hudson, I must say I’m impressed, both by your skills and your guts. To think you’d dare come here alone, and even managed to sneak the child out right under our noses.”
Maxine eyed him warily. ‘This old fox is clearly up to no good,’ she thought.
Maxine stepped forward, shielding Brian behind her. With an icy expression, she stared at Hamlin and said, “This lawsuit is between us. I won’t allow you to drag a child into this.”
‘Hamlin wasn’t the least bit annoyed. He gave a dry chuckle and said, “We never intended to involve the kid in the first place. After all, Mr. Mason and I
have had business dealings before. But I have to admit, I didn’t expect the boy would go so far as to sacrifice himself just to keep you safe.”
Hamlin idly twisted the wedding band on his ring finger, his knowing smile fixed on Maxine. “Of course, Ms. Hudson. You’re a smart woman, you know exactly what I’m after.”
Maxine’s expression turned icy as she pulled out her phone and slammed it onto the table. “Is it the trial documents you want? I’ll give them to you. Now let us go.”
Hamlin was already past sixty. Years of hustling in business had clearly taken their toll. His hair was now salt–and–pepper, and his eyelids drooped heavily with age. Yet from time to time, those lids would snap open, revealing a shrewd, calculating glint in his eyes.
“Are you deliberately playing dumb with me, Ms. Hudson?” Hamlin’s voice turned icy. “You’ve already filed a lawsuit with the court, those documents are worthless to me now. All you need to do is stay here until the day after the trial starts.”
“Not a chance,” Maxine said coldly.
Maxine thought to herself, ‘With the trial still over two weeks away, there’s no way I can stay here, cut off from the world, for that long. That’s absolutely
1/2
09:25 Thu 26 Jun
Chapter 2201
out of the
question.
Hamlin
sighed negotiating.”
helplessly. “I could let you
go,
but you’ll
need
Ito show some
faith. good If
you
agree not
(2)
appear
In
court for the trial, then we can keep
A
AD
