Twin Cupids at Work Daddy Come Home novel Chapter 545

Madeline kept her eyes down, watching Claire sitting on the floor.

Claire bit her lip, her heart racing as she remembered the vial of poison hidden in her pocket.

Julian glanced at Madeline. She shot him a quick, calming look, then spread her arms. “The only pockets I have are in my coat. If you want, go ahead and search me.”

The Ballard family didn’t hesitate. Maxwell nodded to a staff he trusted, who stepped forward.

“Excuse me,” the staff said softly, then started checking Madeline’s coat pockets. She searched carefully and only found a phone. There wasn’t even a scrap of paper. The pockets were completely empty.

She looked up at Maxwell. “There’s nothing here.”

Maxwell nodded, then turned his attention to Claire, who was still on the floor.

Claire had been staring at Madeline the whole time, her hand gripping the tiny bottle even tighter.

Madeline looked straight at her. “Your turn.”

Claire knew there was no way out. She clenched her jaw and decided to take a risk. Even if she couldn’t shifft the blame, she couldn’t let herself get caught.

She pretended to get up, her body swaying just a little. Maxwell, standing closest, reached out to steady her. As Claire leaned into his support, her hand brushed against his coat, and with a quick, subtle motion, she slipped the vial into his pocket.

Claire turned to face Madeline, raising her hands. “Go ahead. Check me.”

The same servant stepped up and searched Claire just as carefully. Once again, she found nothing.

“There’s nothing on Miss Ballard either,” the servant reported.

Of course, Maxwell already knew who was responsible. But since Claire was family, he had to keep up appearances and protect her reputation.

Madeline smiled, just a little. Everyone here was smart enough to put the pieces together. Maxwell was just trying to smooth things over for now, hoping to deal with it quietly later.

This was the Ballard family’s territory. As long as they wanted to protect Claire, there was no way the real story would come out.

Madeline felt a chill, but she hadn’t expected to win this battle in one move. She knew Claire wouldn’t stop here. There would be more chances, more opportunities to catch her slipping up.

For now, Madeline would just wait for Claire to show her true colors.

She nodded at Maxwell. “Alright. We’ll wait for your explanation. But I can’t stay here tonight. I’ll be up all night worried someone might try to kill me. We’ll leave for now. As for tomorrow’s banquet… we’ll be there on time.”