The two inside argued endlessly while Maxine waited patiently by the door,

    Caught up in their heated argument, the two ended up downing ss after ss. It wasn’t long before they both passed out cold right there in the room

    For aesthetic reasons, the entire vi was designed with onlyrge windows. During renovation, the owners were so confident that no one would ever attempt a break–in that they didn’t install any security system at all.

    Once Maxine confirmed they were sound asleep, she carefully pushed open therge window and crept inside or tiptoe.

    The room reeked of a pungent mix of alcohol and stale smoke, making Maxine wrinkle her nose in disgust as she unlocked the door. Before she could react, Brian burst out and threw his arms tightly around her waist. “Mom!” he cried, clinging to her.

    Before Brian could finish, Maxine gave him a light smack on the bottom and scolded, “If you ever take matters into your own hands like this again, don’t even think abouting home!”

    Brian wasn’t bothered, muttering under his breath, “They wouldn’t dare hurt me anyway.”

    ‘After all, he’s just a child who sees things too simply,‘ Maxine thought with a helpless sigh. She said, “Let’s talk about this when we get back. I’ll get you

    out of here first.”

    With that, Maxine bent down, scooped Brian into her arms, and headed out.

    The whole thing had gone suspiciously smooth. Retracing her steps with him in tow, Maxine was about to make their escape. But just as they reached the garden gate, her heart skipped a beat, someone suddenly stood blocking her path.

    The butler, dressed smartly in a suit, said courteously, “Ms. Hudson, Mr. Jenson requests your presence.”

    Behind him stood two men. Left with no choice, Maxine carefully set Brian down and followed them back into the room.

    Hamlin was sittingfortably on the sofa in the living room. Upon hearing themotion, he opened his eyes, nced at Maxine with a sly smileb, /band said, “Well, Ms. Hudson, I must say I’m impressed, both by your skills and your guts. To think you’d daree here alone, and even managed to sneak the child out right under our noses.”

    Maxine eyed him warily. ‘This old fox is clearly up to no good,’ she thought.

    Maxine stepped forward, shielding Brian behind her. With an icy expression, she stared at Hamlin and said, “Thiswsuit is between us. I won’t allow byou /bto drag a child into this.”

    ‘Hamlin wasn’t the least bit annoyed. He gave a dry chuckle and said, “We never intended to involve the kid in the first ce. After all, Mr. Mason and bI /b

    have had business dealings before. But I have to admit, I didn’t expect the boy would go so far as to sacrifice himself just to keep you safe.”

    Hamlin idly twisted the wedding band on his ring finger, his knowing smile fixed on Maxine. “Of course, Ms. Hudson. You’re a smart woman, you know exactly what I’m after.”

    Maxine’s expression turned icy as she pulled out her phone and mmed it onto the table. “bIs /bbit /bthe trial documents you want? I’ll give them to you. bNow /blet us go.”

    Hamlin was already past sixty. Years of hustling in business had clearly taken their toll. His hair was bnow /bsalt–and–pepper, and his eyelids drooped heavily with age. Yet from time to time, those lids would snap open, revealing a shrewd, calcting glint in his eyes.

    “Are you deliberately ying dumb with me, Ms. Hudson?” Hamlin’s voice turned icy. “You’ve already filed awsuit with the court, those documents are worthless to me now. All you need to do is stay here until the day after the trial starts.”

    “Not ba /bchance,” Maxine said coldly.

    Maxine thought to herself, ‘With the trial still over two weeks away, there’s no way I can stay here, cut off from the world, for that long. That’s babsolutely /b

    b09:25 /bThu b26 /bbJun /b

    Chapter b2201 /b

    bout /bbof /bthe

    question.

    Hamlin

    sighed negotiatingb./bb” /b

    helplessly. “I could let you

    go,

    but you’ll

    need

    Ito show some

    faith. good If

    you

    agree not

    (b2/b)

    appear

    bIn /b

    court for the btrial/bb, /bbthen /bwe can keep

    A

    bAD /b