Twin Cupids at Work Daddy Come Home novel Chapter 544

Julian glanced at Madeline, noticing how irritated she looked, then shifted his gaze to Claire, whose smug expression only made him colder inside.

Claire kept going, her tone syrupy sweet. “I hope you all understand. We just want to search her right here so there’s no chance for anyone to do anything sneaky. If we wait, things might get messy, and that’s not good for anyone, especially her…”

“Miles.”

Julian cut her off, his voice sharp and final.

Miles stepped up without a word and slapped Claire hard across the face.

Claire screamed. The slap was so fierce it sent her reeling to the ground, completely stunned.

Everyone around them froze, eyes wide with shock. No one had expected something like that from Julian’s side. Most of all, Claire hadn’t seen it coming. She just sat there, dazed, her left cheek throbbing with pain and the taste of blood filling her mouth.

Maxwell and the other two elders snapped out of their shock and rushed to her. “Are you alright?”

Claire clutched her face, shooting a glare at Madeline and Julian. The hatred in her eyes was so raw it rattled the elders.

“Madeline!” Grandma Monroe’s shout broke through, jolting Claire back to reality.

She reminded herself that right now, she wasn’t Claire. She was Madeline, Shelly’s perfect daughter, the future heir of the Ballard family. She couldn’t let anyone see her lose control, or the elders would start to suspect something.

“Mr. Grayson, you’re just protecting her.”

“That’s right. Got a problem with it?” Julian said, his tone calm but ice cold.

His position was clear. If anyone wanted to touch Madeline, Claire would have to get searched first in front of everyone. Since that was never going to happen, Madeline was safe.

With the room at a standstill, Sam finally spoke up. “Why don’t we just check the security cameras? It’s the same thing, and at least no one has to be embarrassed.”

“No, let’s go ahead with the search,” Madeline said quietly, her voice steady. “If clearing our names is what matters, then let’s both be searched. Isn’t that fair?”