Chapter 54
“It’s possible,” Tobias replied slowly.
Devin fell into deep thought as well.
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In the Bennett family, as soon as Kaia walked in, Andrea jumped right in.
“Kaia, you’re finally back! The SAT is over, so why are you still not coming home?” Andrea asked.
“What’s it to you?” Kaia said, not bothering to argue with Andrea. She went straight to the sofa, sat down, and grabbed an orange from the coffee table to eat.
Andrea deliberately made her eyes look red and teary as she glanced at Ruth, then turned away and pretended to wipe away a tear.
Ruth’s temper flared up. “Kaia, Andrea is just worried about you. You didn’t have to be so mean.
Kaia gave a half–smile. “Oh, she’s worried about me, huh? So worried she almost barged into the private room where Dr. Bennett and her team were having dinner. That’s some nerve.
Andrea froze in shock, while Ruth was left momentarily stunned.
“What are you talking about?” Ruth asked.
Andrea quickly tried to change the subject. “Mom, you must be exhausted after such a long day. Let me rub your legs for you.
Kaia’s smile widened even more. “Andrea, you’re being so obvious. Do you think I’m that easy to fool?”
“I want to know exactly what happened,” Ruth demanded, grabbing Andrea by the arm. Kaia’s words rattled her so much that even her heart was trembling.
She remembered Andrea had heard about the anniversary celebration at Dr. Bennett’s institute a couple of days ago. Andrea had called her, acting all casual and saying she couldn’t find where Dr. Bennett and her team were having dinner. But then, hearing Kaia’s version… If Kaia was telling the truth, then Andrea was hiding something from her.
And seeing how Andrea’s face had gone pale, Ruth was sure her suspicions were right.
“Oh, it wasn’t anything major, Kaia said, her voice full of mockery. Dr. Bennett and her team were having dinner, and Andrea was lurking outside, trying to stake them out. Too bad she got caught by
the institute staff
Ruth was even more shocked, and her eyes widened as she stared at Andrea “Is this true?
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Andrea’s face went even paler.
Alright, no need to answer. That said it all.
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“Andrea, how could you be so brazen? You told me you were hoping to bump into them by chance, but you actually had the nerve to wait outside and stake them out?” Ruth scolded sharply.
And on top of that, she even got caught!
“Tell me, did you actually see Dr. Bennett?” Ruth demanded.
Andrea put on a pitiful look, eyes brimming with tears. “No… I didn’t see Dr. Bennett.”
“Did you offend anyone?” Ruth asked sharply.
“I…” Andrea bit down on her lip, harder and harder.
Kaia lounged on the sofa with her legs crossed, looking at Andrea with a laid–back smile. “You’d better come clean. If you keep hiding things, even as your sister, I can’t help you.”
‘Damn you, Kaia! This is all your fault, and now you have the nerve to act like you’re helping me?‘ Andrea fumed inwardly, feeling both angry and helpless.
“If you don’t say it, then I will,” Kaia said. “You stood right in front of all the institute professors and accused me of seducing someone, basically hinting that Dr. Bennett’s institute is some filthy, corrupt place. Because of what you said, you pissed off every professor there. Professor Weaver even said straight up that you could never enter the institute.”
Ruth felt like her world was crashing down, and Lincoln, who had just come out of the study upstairs after hearing the commotion, was so shocked that he nearly missed a step and tumbled down the stairs.
“No, that’s not how it happened!” Andrea blurted out, trying to defend herself.
“Andrea, are you still not going to admit it? Do you really think making excuses will help? Or are you saying I’m making this up?” Kaia said coolly.
Andrea’s eyes went wide as saucers. She couldn’t figure it out. Kaia had always been too proud to even argue with her, so why was she suddenly so determined to put her in her place today?
By then, Ruth and Lincoln had already figured out who was lying.
“Andrea, you really messed up this time,” Lincoln said, his voice cold. “If Dr. Bennett had gotten involved, the Bennett family could’ve been finished in Morganburg Go to your room and reflect on what you did. You can’t go out until summer break is over”
Andrea’s tears streamed down her face, but with Ruth and Lincoln still fuming, no matter how much she tried to play the victim, it was useless.
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Kaia watched as Andrea trudged upstairs alone, thinking to herself, ‘I have to make sure Andrea learns a lesson she’ll remember for the rest of her life. She needs to understand just how badly she messed up today. Only then will she think twice before ever trying to get close to anyone from my research institute again.
If it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t have bothered wasting her breath arguing with Andrea.
After sending Andrea to her room, Ruth turned to Kaia.
“Why were you with people from Dr. Bennett’s institute?” Ruth asked.
“I know them,” Kaia replied, not planning to go into details.
“Who do you know?” Ruth pressed.
“I’m not at liberty to say,” Kaia answered, worried Ruth wouldn’t let it go. She quickly added, “That person specifically told me not to talk about it, so I really can’t.”
Ruth frowned, her brows knitting tight. “I don’t know how you got mixed up with people from Dr. Bennett’s institute, but let me tell you. They’re not ordinary folks. With the way you are, it’s way too easy for you to rub them the wrong way. Never try to cozy up to them just to get in their good graces. If you mess up, it’s not just you who’ll pay–the whole Bennett family could get dragged down with you, including me and your dad.”
Kaia didn’t respond.
Ding! Her phone chimed with a message from Tobias.
Tobias: [Are you not coming back tonight?]
Before Kaia could even type a reply, another message from Tobias popped up.
Tobias: [If you don’t come back, same as last time. The wedding date gets postponed for another ten days.]
Kaia was speechless for a couple of seconds, thinking to herself, ‘Seriously?‘
Then she quickly typed out a reply. I’ll be back right away.1
Upstairs, Andrea stood by the window, quietly watching Kaia leave the house.
Kaia, you made a fool out of me today, but you really think that’s enough to beat me? Keep dreaming. Let’s see who gets the last laugh. This game isn’t over until it’s over, Andrea thought to herself, her eyes cold.
She pulled out her phone and made a call. “Follow Kaia. And listen–be extra careful. Don’t let her
you. Once she gets wherever she’s going, make sure to get photos or videos and send them to
notice
me,”
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Kaia didn’t go straight back to the Moreno family. Instead, she headed over to Britera Pedestrian Walk. Thinking about it, she realized she hadn’t set foot there even once since she started working on her new nanomaterial project.
Someone was tailing her.
Kaia paused and glanced back over her shoulder.
Behind her, the street was packed–people everywhere, all sorts, every type you could imagine.
But one guy instantly grabbed her attention. He was almost 6.5 feet tall, decked out in a fisherman’s hat, a mask, and sunglasses. His whole face was covered up so tightly that it was almost comical.
When he saw Kaia looking his way, he hurriedly squeezed deeper into the thickest part of the crowd, trying to lose her.
Kaia just shook her head, speechless. “With a body like yours, you seriously can’t pull off a disguise.”
Hearing that, Joel gave up on hiding and sheepishly stepped out of the crowd.
“Am I really that hopeless at disguises?” Joel said, taking off his sunglasses.
“You’d better put those sunglasses back on before someone recognizes you. There are people everywhere. If you get recognized, there’s nowhere to hide,” Kaia said.
At that moment, Joel was using his real face, not his usual Frank disguise.
“Fair point,” Joel admitted. He wasn’t worried about being recognized himself, but if his identity got exposed and caused a scene, Kaia could end up in danger.
“Why are you following me?” Kaia asked.
“I’m your bodyguard. Of course, I have to protect you at all times,” Joel replied, his eyes sweeping the area with sharp vigilance.
Kaia rubbed her forehead, thinking, ‘When he’s working, he goes around as Frank, but when he’s off the clock, he just shows up as himself.
‘Whatever. I could talk his car off, and it still wouldn’t get through to him.
“There’s a hot dog stand up ahead. It’s pretty tucked away. Want to grab a bite there?” Kaia suggested.
“Okay,” Joel replied.
They picked a spot in the corner and ordered some fried chicken and a couple of beers.
The moment Joel took off his mask, he whipped his head around, eyes locking onto something in
the distance.
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Chapter 55
