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.
“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.”
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