Two Times the Charm (Clara and Emmett) novel Chapter 463

Aiden tugged at Alex's sleeve and whispered, "Alex, now's not the time to throw a fit. Didn't Mom tell you she's gonna pick us up soon? Let's head back. Any minute now, that guard by the door is gonna sniff out something's fishy. And if he calls Grandma, we're gonna have a whole mess of trouble on our hands!"

"No way!"

Alex jerked his hand away in a huff.

When he looked up, there was Clara, staring him down with those eagle eyes.

"If you can't keep it together even when you're with Aiden, then I'm not taking you with us! And if I ever make it back, I'll only take Aiden, not you!"

Alex's lip quivered, and tears started spilling like a busted faucet.

"Why? Do you only like Aiden now? Don't you like me anymore?"

"Look, kiddo... if you play nice, I'll like you just fine. But if you're gonna be a little rebel, how do you expect me to deal with that? Aiden's got his act together. You guys were born what, an hour apart? Learn from your brother, will ya?"

Before Alex could even get a word in, Clara heard footsteps approaching and hissed, "Scram, you two! Don't get caught!"

Aiden caught the hint, grabbed Alex, and they bolted.

Just as they vanished around the corner, the butler appeared before Clara.

"What are you skulking around here for? Slacking off again?"

Clara quickly lowered her head and answered, "No, not at all. I was just on my way to tidy up the front hall."

"I don’t want to see you! If it weren't for you, Mr. Melendez wouldn't be in this state!"

"Nah, that can't be. The Melendez family is loaded. They'd spend whatever it takes to bring him back."

"But money can't cure everything, now can it?"

Clara suddenly shouted behind them, "Emmett is definitely coming back. He's not gonna die! Keep spouting nonsense, and I'll tear your mouth!"

The maids jumped, startled!

When they spun around and saw Clara, their expressions shifted to disdain.

"Well, look who it is! The ex-Mrs. Melendez, huh? What's the use of your bluster now? Trying to win Emmett over? We saw all about it in the news! What right do you have to shout at us? Do you still think you're the lady of the house? Take a good look at what you're wearing – it's a maid's uniform!"

The other maid was practically rolling on the floor laughing. "She must be regretting it now, trying to prove something. Let's get out of here. We don't chat with her kind. Don't want her bad vibes rubbing off on us!"