He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 497

Scarlett’s heart plummeted. Her fingers instinctively tightened in a death grip around her phone. "Mom, what's wrong? Take a deep breath and tell me."

Over the line, Jacqueline’s voice was frantic and vibrating with rage. "Something is seriously wrong! La Belle Nuit has always run a clean operation. We don't touch that garbage. But last night, the police raided the club. They claimed there was a drug deal going down in one of the VIP rooms and arrested a bunch of guests—and Helen—right on the spot!"

She paused, catching her breath, her tone turning dark. "I think we were set up. I just got off the phone with Chief Stetson. He told me they caught them red-handed—hard evidence, everything. They're alleging that Helen was the one supplying the drugs to the guests. He said his hands are tied and he can't help me unless I can miraculously produce evidence to clear our names."

"Helen has been with me for years. She’s meticulous. There is absolutely no way she'd pull something this stupid! Scarlett, someone planted it, I know they—"

Before she could finish, a harsh, grating crash echoed through the speaker, sounding exactly like a phone being slammed to the floor.

"Mom? What’s happening? Mom!" Scarlett yelled into the receiver.

The only response was a chaotic scuffle in the background. Not another word from Jacqueline. Then, the line went dead. Scarlett dialed back immediately, but it went straight to voicemail.

A sickening sense of dread clamped around Scarlett’s chest. Without wasting a second, she dialed Conrad, her mother’s most trusted confidant and the general manager of La Belle Nuit.

He picked up on the first ring, the background noise on his end just as chaotic. Before Scarlett could even get a word out, Conrad’s panicked, cracking voice rushed through the speaker.

"Ms. Langley! I was just about to call you. It's a disaster! Another squad of cops just stormed in and took your mother! They’re charging her with harboring drug users and trafficking. They didn't even give her a chance to speak!"

Julian rushed forward and caught her by the arms to steady her, his eyes full of concern. "Scarlett, what's wrong? What happened?"

Her face was ashen. "La Belle Nuit got busted for a drug deal. Helen, Conrad, and my mom have all been taken into police custody! But my mom runs a tight ship—she has a zero-tolerance policy for any illegal activity. The club has been subjected to countless surprise inspections over the years and we've never had a single violation. She said someone must have set them up."

"Julian, I need to get back to Bay City right this second, but Dawn..." Scarlett cast a worried glance toward the crib where the baby was sleeping peacefully. Her mind was an absolute mess.

Julian didn't miss a beat. "I'll call my parents right now. They can come over and help Zara watch her while I go to Bay City with you to sort this out. How does that sound?"