Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 176

"Just a simple bowl of vegetable and egg pasta. It's late, I don't want anything too heavy. A small portion is fine."

"Alright, wait here. It won't take long."

Julius got out of bed, threw on some clothes, and headed to the kitchen.

Stella also got up, freshened up, and made her way to the dining room.

...

Two days had passed since their explosive argument and subsequent reconciliation.

Jason had spent those two days hiding out at the old mansion, completely a nervous wreck.

Even Nadine noticed how out of sorts he was. "Jason, did you cause some kind of trouble out there again?"

He hadn't stepped foot outside for two whole days, choosing instead to shadow his grandmother around the house.

If it were her eldest grandson keeping her quiet company for two days, she wouldn't bat an eye.

But her youngest grandson was a hyperactive menace who couldn't sit still to save his life. If he wasn't in trouble, why was he being so well-behaved?

"Grandma, I'm a grown man. What kind of trouble could I possibly cause? I just haven't had much going on, so I figured I'd spend some time with you. But if you're sick of me, I'll just leave."

Nadine lightly swatted his arm. "Why would I ever be sick of you? I'm just worried about you."

"I swear I'm not in trouble, Grandma. I just wanted to hang out with you. Besides, I've got plans with some people tonight anyway."

It had been completely quiet for two days. Julius hadn't shipped him off to the diamond mines in South Africa, which meant Stella must have successfully smoothed things over.

He was finally safe, right?

"Well, that puts my mind at ease. Don't drink too much tonight, it's bad for your health." Since her youngest grandson was being so sweet, Nadine smiled so widely her eyes crinkled into little crescents.

"Dude, who was that short guy you hired to race for you? That was a beautiful victory."

"Right? I was hoping you'd introduce us. But then you vanished for two days and ignored all our texts. You're definitely paying the penalty in shots tonight."

Playing dumb, Jason replied, "I don't even know the guy. Someone else recommended him. The second he was done helping me, he bolted. You guys saw him leave."

"Alright, alright, enough shop talk. Let's drink! We're not leaving until we're on the floor tonight!"

There was absolutely no way he was going to breathe a word of the truth. If anyone found out the mysterious racer was his sister-in-law, he’d be a dead man. He'd be halfway to South Africa by dawn!

He also had to be careful not to let these degenerates get him too drunk, lest he start spilling secrets.

After a few rounds, he feigned dizziness and excused himself to get some fresh air.

He had only walked a few steps down the corridor when he spotted a silhouette so familiar it used to give him nightmares back in high school.