The Platonic Trap novel Chapter 18

Hearing his reassurance, a small smile tugged at the girl's lips.

"You don't need to be so overly cautious. Only wrongdoers need to apologize."

Alistair closed his eyes and added the sentence with slow deliberation.

—It was a reminder for her.

Celia smiled. "Okay, I understand, Uncle Alistair."

The car rolled to a stop outside the Stafford estate. Celia didn't get out immediately. Instead, she took out her phone and leaned toward the driver's seat. "Ken, would it be okay if we exchanged numbers?"

"You can send me the information for the repair shop later."

Ken nodded and pulled out his phone. "Of course, Ms. Stafford."

After they exchanged contact information, Celia smiled at Alistair. "Thank you for today, Uncle Alistair. Could you please not mention the car crash to my grandfather? I don't want him to worry."

Alistair gave a curt nod.

"Goodbye, Uncle Alistair!"

With that, Celia stepped out of the car. Through the window, she smiled and waved at the man inside.

Alistair looked at her. "Get some rest."

The window rolled up, and the car pulled away.

In the quiet interior, Ken kept his eyes on the road and remarked, "Mr. Zucker, Ms. Stafford is quite different from what the society gossip says."

She was perceptive enough to notice Norma's crush, but rather than spreading rumors and turning it into a scandal, she had confronted Norma with the truth so she could move on.

Furthermore, since Mr. Zucker's private number was never given out, Ms. Stafford had gracefully asked for Ken's contact instead.

She was assertive, knew her boundaries, and was nothing like the country club gossip that painted her as a pretty ornament fit only for a trophy wife.

Alistair didn't reply to the observation. Instead, he ordered, "Leak what happened today to Franklin. I want an answer from him."

"Understood, Mr. Zucker."

--

Celia walked into the Stafford home in silence. She went upstairs, shut the door to her bedroom, and let the warmth of the room bring her fully back to reality.

*Idiot.*

Celia rolled her eyes and immediately muted his notifications.

Her phone lit up again. She tapped the screen—this time, it was from Ken.

[Ms. Stafford, here is the address and contact info for the auto body shop. You can pick up your car from them later.]

Today's "car crash" had happened at the perfect moment. Celia hadn't walked away empty-handed.

[Thank you, Ken. I'm sorry for all the trouble today. Let me treat you to a meal sometime to make up for it.]

[It was my pleasure. There's no need for that, Ms. Stafford.]

She knew getting Alistair's private number directly was impossible.

But by having Ken's contact, Celia had a guaranteed way to make Alistair hand his number over to her eventually.

After thanking Ken once more, Celia received a new friend request.

She tapped it open to see the name: Evelyn Morgan.