Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Clara pressed her fingers to her forehead, trying to rub away the pain that stabbed behind her eyes. It just wouldn't let up, and she was starting to struggle to keep it together.

Charles watched her from the passenger seat, worry etched all over his face. He wanted to say something, but seeing how pale she looked, he held back.

That's when his phone buzzed. Griffin-his oldest brother.

This time, Griffin didn't bother with pleasantries. "What did you do at the Capital today?"

Charles's heart sank. So, Griffin had already heard about what happened at the Ferguson family's place.noveldrama

"Uh, bro, I..."

Griffin's voice dropped as he set aside whatever he'd been looking at. "How many times have I told you? Stay out of trouble."

Charles mumbled a reply. Honestly, he was never really sure what Griffin considered "trouble."

"Mitch, it's time to come back. The Ferguson mess isn't your responsibility. I can hardly guess what the old man wants, and there's no way you'll figure it out either."

Charles hesitated, glancing over at Clara staring blankly out the window. He took a long breath. "Griffin, let me stay a few more days, okay? My sister-"

"She's not family by blood, Mitch. I know you're lonely, but if you need someone to hang out with, I'll have Mitch come back too."

He didn't answer. No matter what anyone said, no one else could take Clara's place in his heart. But Griffin always acted like he was just going through a phase.

He looked down, stung for a second. But that wasn't like him—he shook it off almost immediately. "I'll come home another day," he said, then hung up.

It was the first time he'd ever flat-out refused Griffin.

On the other end, Griffin stared at his phone for a moment, then called Norman. "Aren't you still in Country Z? Go to the Capital, find Mitch, and bring him home."

Norman had just stepped out of his sports car. He paused, one foot still on the curb. “Mitch likes having fun, just let him be. You're going to get wrinkles if you keep stressing out like this, bro."

Griffin's jaw tightened. He let out a slow breath. "You're one to talk. Compared to you, Mitch is the responsible one."

Norman just laughed, smirking a little. "Alright, alright. On another note, I finally got some info about her. Once I find her, I'll come back."

Griffin felt like these two were going to be the death of him.

One was suddenly acting rebellious.

The other one Norman-was still obsessed with a girl he'd met at a masquerade in Country Z years ago. He'd turned down all kinds of

marriage proposals just to kno

looking for her. The funny part? He didn't even know what she looked like. Everyone had been wearing masks that night. Norman always said it was the way she moved that got his attention. He'd tried to run after her for her number, but she disappeared before he could even ask.

Griffin gave up and hung up.

Back in the car, Charles sat in silence. Ten minutes passed before he finally

spoke. "Clara, what do you want to do now?"

Clara's eyelashes fluttered. "I want to go back to Palm Bay."

"Alright. We'll go to Palm Bay."

He started the car, heading that way.

Clara tried to push down the anxiety twisting in her chest.

When they arrived, the first thing she did was head to Dylan's room. She knew it wasn't right to go through his closet, but her curiosity got the better of her.

She remembered spotting something that looked a lot like a school uniform before, but hadn't thought much about it at the time.

Now, as she opened the closet, there it was—a uniform, just as she suspected.

Her fingers tightened around the door. She didn't even dare touch it. She just closed the closet again.

Charles leaned against the

doorframe, watching her sit on the bed, lost in thought. "Maybe we should just storm the Ferguson house grab your fiancé, and get out of the Capital for good. There's nothing here worth staying for anyway."

Clara almost laughed. As if breaking into the Fergusons' place would be that easy. The only reason she got out today was because of the old lady's funeral-the old man didn't want to cause a scene, so he let her go. shovel

She took a deep breath. All she could do now was wait. Wait for news from the estate.