“Bye-bye, Mommy!”
“Bye-bye, Joy.” Hadley wrapped her daughter in a fierce embrace before forcing herself to release her. She faced Brady with desperate eyes. “I’m counting on you.”
“You don’t need to worry about anything, Hadley.” Brady gathered Joy protectively against his chest. “She’s your daughter and my niece. I will keep her safe no matter what.”
Hadley’s nod carried absolute faith. She knew Brady would guard Joy with his…
“It’s time for me to go.”
“Right,” Brady said, his nod firm and resolute. “Joy and I will stay up here, so you have to leave alone.”
“I get it completely.”
With Tamara and the guards still lurking downstairs, Hadley had no choice but to slip out through the back staircase. If Brady and Joy remained upstairs, anyone watching would assume the three of them had spent the entire time together. By the time Tamara discovered Hadley’s absence, she would already be miles beyond reach.
Hadley slipped through the villa’s back door, hailed a waiting taxi, and directed the driver straight to the funeral home.
During the ride, she dialed Savannah’s number.
This time, Savannah picked up the call personally. “Hello, Hadley?”
“Mrs. Brown,” Hadley said, her fingers gripping the phone like a lifeline. Her voice came out rough and barely above a whisper. “Are you doing any better today?”
“I’m managing better now…” Savannah’s reply carried the weight of exhaustion, fragility, and grief that no words could disguise. “Elissa… she…”
“Mrs. Brown,” Hadley cut in with the gentlest interruption. She had dialed her number for exactly this purpose. “I’m catching tonight’s flight to Ontmond. I’ll personally bring Elissa home to you.”
“What?” Savannah’s sharp intake of breath carried pure shock, her voice shaking with overwhelming emotion. “Are you serious? But… won’t that cause you terrible trouble?”
? ? : g?ν
“It’s nothing at all.” Hadley’s head shook with firm determination. She shifted the conversation quickly. “Mrs. Brown, apart from bringing Elissa home, there’s something crucial I need to share with you…”
“What is it? Please, tell me.”
Hadley spoke quietly with Savannah for several more minutes.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Tamara kept her vigil. Even when Hadley failed to appear after an extended period, suspicion didn’t immediately creep into Tamara’s mind. After all, this was Brady’s territory, his domain. However, her professional instincts kicked in after a full hour had passed, driving her to investigate upstairs. The moment she crested the top of the staircase, Brady stepped out from one of the rooms with Joy cradled in his arms.
“Mr. Jenkins,” Tamara offered a respectful nod before her eyes swept past him, searching. Hadley was nowhere to be seen. Her brow creased with concern. “Where’s Hadley?”
.
.
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