214 A Moss
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Chapter 214 A Mess
“Yeah. Cade tried to keep it calm, but Preston swung, fir. They were grappling near the shelves when Caroline chucked something at Cade a potted succulen from the reception counter, Ceramic. Heavy,”
“Did it hit him?”
“His chest. Not the face, thank God. He dropped hard, gabbed his ribs. Caroline and Preston froze like they hadn’t meant to actually hurt him.”
“And Serenna?”
“She freaked when she recognized Cade. Said he’s some influencer with a massive following. Started yelling at them to stop before it got recorded. Dragged Caroline toward the door.”
I heard a shaky inhale.
“Are they still there?” I asked.
“No. Yvaine and I were trying to check Cade’s ribs. They slipped out while we were distracted.” Priya sounded worn out.
1 pressed my thumb against my palm.
I’d expected a mess.
I just hadn’t expected them to finish making it before I got there.
“Is Cade alright? Did he go to the hospital?”
“Yvaine just took him. They left maybe two minutes ago He could walk, so probably nothing serious. We called the police. I’m waiting here for them now.”
“Don’t touch anything they broke. Let the cops see it all exactly how it is.” I exhaled. “They’re loud but spineless. They won’t come back right away. Just stay put and wait for the officers.”
“Okay.”
I ended the call and turned to Ashton. “I’m going back. This networking circus can carry on without me.”
He’d been standing close enough to hear every word.
Before I’d even hung up, he was already typing.
“I’ve got the driver on standby,” he said. “If we leave now, we’ll hit the airport in forty minutes. There’s a flight leaving in an hour.”
“Fine.”
I texted Daniel to smooth things over with the organize
Ashton and I skipped the hotel, went straight out the lobby and into the car
Gino kept the accelerator pressed
Two hours later, we pulled up in front of the studio.
Chapter 214 A Méss
Fluorescent light poured through the glass door.
Inside, Priya was bent over the floor with a dustpan, sweeping broken bits into a metal tray.
There were chunks of dark brown ceramic near her feet and soil scattered across the tiles.
I didn’t wait for the car to stop completely.
I shoved the door open and jumped out.
“Priya!” I stepped inside and grabbed her arm to check her over.
No cuts. No bruises.
Her ponytail was a mess, but she wasn’t limping.
“What did the police say?”
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“They finished taking photos and said I could clean up. They sent someone to the Vances‘ place, but it was empty. Phones all off.”
She’d already swept the biggest chunks into a plastic bag, but I could still see where the mess had been- mud streaks on the tile, torn paper near the back door, a dent in the filing cabinet.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Caroline.
Voicemail.
I dropped the call.
Typical. They’d realized they’d smacked someone with a public following and now they were probably holed up somewhere trying to figure out how much trouble they’d brought on themselves.
“Stop cleaning. We’re closing for a few days. Go home, get some proper sleep.”
She nodded without arguing.
I turned to Ashton. “Let’s go.”
We headed straight for the hospital.
When we got there, Cade was in bed, propped up by two white pillows.
His leg was in a soft brace, but he looked smug as hell.
Yvaine sat beside him with a peeled orange in her lap.
“I’ve been breakable since birth,” Cade announced “Topped over a crack in the sidewalk when I was four, snapped my arm clean through. This one’s just a small facture. Doctor said it’ll heal in three weeks.” He grinned. “Some psychic told my mum I’d never make it Guess these little disasters scare the bad luck away.”
Yvaine looked like she wanted to strangle someone.
Her lashes were wet
twenty. I’m twenty–one now and still kicking.
Cade gave her a pitiful look. “Yvie, it really stings. Comeub it for me?”
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Chapter 214 A Mess
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“The doctor said don’t touch it. Tough it out.”
She popped a segment of orange into his mouth and tapped the tip of his nose.
Two quick knocks landed on the door.
Yvaine turned. Her face relaxed when she saw me.
She stood. “You got here fast.”
I stepped closer to the bed. “He alright?”
“Just a hairline fracture. Landed square on his collarbone. He’s young. He’ll heal in no time.”
I exhaled through my nose. “Thanks for stepping in. If you two hadn’t shown up, they might’ve trashed the whole place. Sorry you got dragged into it.”
Cade waved from the bed. “Come on, it was nothing! Like I’d let them gang up on a girl in broad daylight. I’d have handled all three of them on my own.”
“Shut up, Cade.” Yvaine rolled her eyes. “Mira, any luck with the police? Did they find them?”
“No. All three vanished. Phones off, nowhere to be found.”
. I dialed Caroline.
Straight to voicemail, again.
Same for the other two.
Then, two minutes later, my phone lit up.
I answered. “Finally turned your phone back on? Thought you could beat someone half to death and just disappear?”
Her voice had changed. No shrieking this time. Quieter. Meeker. “Mirabelle… did you call the cops? We didn’t mean for it to go that far. We’ll pay for the hospital bills, alright? Just drop the charges. Preston got hurt too. He’s sore all over. It was mutual. Not all our fault.”
“You barged into my studio, smashed property, threatened my staff, sent someone to the ER, then fled the scene. That’s criminal. If any of you had a shred of sense you’d hand yourselves in before it gets worse.”
“You wouldn’t even pick up my calls! Preston lost his temper-”
I cut her off. “Fine. All three of you show up at the hospital. Apologize to Cade, face–to–face. Sort out the medical bills properly. If you do that, maybe I’ll conside settling this privately.”
“You’re serious?”
“Dead serious.”
