Chapter 33
Chapter 33
The limited edition necklace, valued at that jaw–dropping amount, crumbled in Lenore’s hands. It was evident that Lenore, for whom $180,000 was insignificant, had no reason to steal a $1,000 necklace.
The crowd fell silent as Lenore, with a commanding aura and sharp features, made her way built–in quiet button.
Janet, what’s the holdup? You’ve been on this for ages, and you’re still not getting
the front. It was like she had a
it,” a a man’s voice interrupted the silence.
As Esther sought an escape from the awkwardness, Ivan Quinn, with a defiant airan’s voice.
from behind Janet, through a slightly open
door.
a slight bruise on his lip, emerged
Noticing two girls passing by, Ivan focused on the one dressed in black. With her cool demeanor and oddly familiar face, she made him frown, bringing back memories from the night before
Once the girls disappeared into the adjacent room, he dodged past Janet and the others, spun around, and hurried back into his own room, nearly spilling the drink of the guy inside. “Carlos You won’t believe it I just saw that girl!” he shouted.
They’d been chasing Lenore for ages and had finally tracked her down. Carlos, a handsome twenty–something who never finished college, lived off the Duncan family’s fortune. He enjoyed street racing, and as long as he kept out of trouble, his grandfather Lloyd overlooked his antics.
At his 21st birthday bash, with drinks and laughter filling the air Carlos, noticing Ivan’s excitement, asked, “Who’s the girl that’s got you so pumped?”
Ivan, the tough guy with a bruised face, winced and gritted his teeth as he recounted, “A few nights ago, she was with the traffic police captain on Riverside Avenue. They flagged us down and she hit me!”
Carlos’s eyes narrowed, his face clouding over. “Where is she now?”
“I saw her duck into the room next to ours,” Ivan quickly answered.
“Mr. Duncan, what’s your plan?” one of Carlos’s friends asked.
“Should we confront her?” another one added.
The whole gang’s on the edge of their seats, itching to act
Without a word, Carlos slammed his hand down on the table, stood, and strode out determinedly. “I want to see who’s got the nerve to tangle with me and my carl”
He had already put that traffic captain on ice, but even that didn keep him out of his grandpa’s crosshairs when he got home. Now, he was dead set on reclaiming his dignity-
Esther was trembling outside, still reeling from Lenore’s harsh words. She was gripping a necklace so hard her knuckles were
white.
The intense stares from the onlookers overwhelmed her, and she was on the verge of telling Janet she needed to leave, feigning illness.
But before she could slip away, Carlos and his friends, who had been lounging during the commotion earlier, emerged,
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Chapter 33
some with beer bottles in hand, looking ready for a fight.
Janet, caught off guard by the sudden movement, stepped forward and grabbed Carlos’s arm. “Hey, what’s the hurry?”
Carlos brushed her off. “Stay out of it.”
In the adjacent private room, Bonnie had just taken her seat as Silas passed the menu back to Lenore to order. Wayne was chuckling to himself. “I’ve seen some stupid stuff, but this is just ridiculous…”
The laughter stopped abruptly when the door to their room was kicked open with a loud bang. In stormed a group of five or six men, trouble written all over their faces.
Chuck’s expression turned to stone as he positioned himself protectively in front of Silas and the others, blocking the doorway. He commanded the space like an immovable wall. “What’s the deal?” he barked.
Ivan’s eyes narrowed in on Lenore, and he jabbed a finger her way. “Carlos, it’s her!”
Bonnie let out a sharp intake of breath, clutching Lenore’s arm. Lenore….” she whispered.
Ivan’s bruised mug was a sight Silas and Wayne knew too well. They got the message loud and clear–this wasn’t a friendly drop–in.
Wayne lounged back, a cocky grin spreading across his face as he sized up Carlos. “Not many people have the stones to barge in here. But it looks like we’ve got Duncan’s own flesh and blood.”
One of Carlos’s men tried to chime in. “Who do you think you are to talk to Mr. Duncan like this?”
“Shut up!” another one bellowed after the first man, but he was cut off mid–sentence by Carlos’s stinging slap.
-but
Carlos recognized Wayne but was unfamiliar with the man beside him. Yet, there was something familiar about the newcomer’s confident charm and good looks. It clicked when Carlos recalled his grandfather mentioning how Wayne and Silas from Denisville were inseparable in Jinslenburg.
If the newcomer was really the top guy from the Faulkner family in Denisville, he could wipe out the Duncan family without even trying. Carlos knew better than to mess with someone like that, no matter how many chances he thought he had.
The confidence Carlos had when he stormed in vanished in an instant, replaced by a wave of anxiety. He forced a smile that felt awkward. “I didn’t realize you were here, Mr. Garcia…”
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