Chapter 17 - The Trap Cleared
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The dining room fell into a quiet, heavy calm.
Lord Vance let out a long breath, adjusting his suit jacket. "Well... that was certainly more dramatic than my usual Tuesday dinners."
Evelyn looked at her son, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and deep regret. "Adrian... I am so sorry. I brought that woman into our lives. I was so blind."
Adrian walked over to his mother, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "You weren't blind, Mom. You wanted to believe the best in people. That's your kindness. People like Vanessa just know how to weaponize it."
"I thought I was helping you find happiness," Evelyn whispered, wiping a tear from her eye. "After what happened with Lauren... I just wanted you to have someone real."
"I know, Mom," Adrian said softly.
He looked toward the kitchen doors. His thoughts instantly drifted away from the shattered ruins of Vanessa’s ambition toward the girl with the dirt smudged on her cheek.
"Excuse me, Lord Vance. Mom," Adrian said, turning toward the kitchen. "I have something real I need to attend to."
Adrian pushed through the kitchen doors. The stainless steel counters were spotless. The pans were hung neatly overhead.
"Teresa?" Adrian called out.
Teresa was wiping down the cutting board. She looked up, offering him a soft, bittersweet smile.
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"Where is Maya?" Adrian asked, looking around the empty kitchen.
Teresa pointed toward the back door leading to the estate grounds. "She packed her tools, Adrian. She said her contract for the rose garden was completed today."
