Chapter 73
The doorbell jangled at 5:30 AM sharp. Julius was standing there, all calm and collected.
Hugo peeked out, grinning “Quiana is still dozing. She’s a real bear in the morning”
Julius just nodded, not a care in the world. “I hang tight until she wakes up.”
With a casual wave, Hugo shut the door, leaving Julius on the porch.
Leo was there, getting the vibe that Julius wanted to wait inside.
By noon, Quiana finally stirred. She turned on her phone and was bombarded with a flurry of notifications. There were 308 missed calls. As she was about to scroll through, another call buzzed in–from Alina, sounding frantic
“Quiana, where are you? Did you get yourself into trouble?” Alina asked.
Quiana stretched, still half asleep ut caring some rays
A beat of silence, and then Alina’s voice blared ugh the phone. “The whole town’s buzzing because of you, and you’re just sleeping?”
Quiana just shrugged. “The sky’s still
“Jubin said your scenes are on hold until you sort this out! Mice said instings didn’t get fixed, it was clear Quiana was out. They didn’t want her around, but they were also wary of Julius.
“They’re all playing politics,” Quiana commes
all because I’m just too good for them,”
Feeling a headache coming on, Alina Knew They Finede
i porites. the book a deep breath. “Text me your new place.”
Hugo tiptoed in, his voice barely above a whisper. Troy, Quiana, Julius here. He’s been waiting for ages outside
Quiana let out a calms “pot it” and made a quick ext 15 the
When she came back ten minutes later, she found Julius sitting in the Eving room, and Leo was in the middle of setting a table that looked like it could be in a fancy restaurant.
She plopped down, legs crossed, and said, “what’s up?”
“Dig in first,” Julius said, handing her a bowl of soup. “it’s from the chef at the Hawley
Quiana took a sip and shrugged. “It’s decent”
manor
Les looked a bit taken aback, Decent? That chat is a descendant of the royal chats!!
Hugo rolled his eyes. “Quiana’s cooling is way better than this.”
Julius raised an eyebrow, glancing at Quana. “You cook?”
Quiana replied softly. “A little”
Authey were eating, Zack burst in, looking like he’d just run a marathon. Seeing everyone calmly eating, he couldn’t help but tease, “You guys are just eating? Seriously
ice weak with a cough, “A big problem?”
it exactly…” Zack started to say, but then he
belat “Whoal is that a bur
sight of something white in the kitchen. It didn’t look like Ace, the wolf pup. He stared,
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Chapter 73
The creature had fur as white as snow and piercing blue eyes that seemed to glare at them. Leo glanced over, remembering his own shocked expression when he’d first entered. He nodded. “It’s a rare one.
Zack was speechless. ‘A wolf pup is one thing, but a fox too? And both are rare creatures from the icy plains, kept as pets? Who is she, really?”
The phone buzzed loudly, shattering the peace. It was Mandy on the line. Quiana paused and then answered.
“Where’ve you been hiding? What’s this all about? Getting caught is one thing, but you had to bolt too?” Mandy’s voice was razor–sharp with frustration, “Quiana, I don’t care what you’ve done, just turn yourself in, will you?”
Quiana’s face was a poker straight, her response as simple as could be. “Oh.”
“What’s that supposed to mean, ‘oh’7” Mandy’s voice rose, but Quiana had already hung up, cutting her off mid–sentence.
Before the silence could settle, another call came through. It was Daniel, his voice shaky with worry. “Ms. Levine, did mess up for you?”
Quiana’s voice was as cool as a spring breeze. “A bit.”
Daniel could almost feel the weight of his guilt over the phone. “I’ll make it right, I promise.”
The phone finally went quiet
Julius filled Quiana’s bowl with pre soup and turned to Zack. “So, what’s the scoop?”
Zack shook his head, snapping out of his daze. “The video was definitely snapped by some paparazzi and sold to Winona for a fortune. If everything lines. up, she’s the one who let it loose. Now everyone’s talking about how Quiana got caught and then took off…”
They all knew what really went down last night. Zack frowned, concern clear on his face, “Julius, should we…
Julius’s eyes narrowed, his voice colder. “What about the Justice Bureau or the cops? Any word from them?”
“Nope,” Zack replied, shaking his head. “Not a peep.”
Chapter 74
