Twin Cupids at Work Daddy Come Home novel Chapter 546

Madeline threw a quick glance at Claire. Their eyes locked, tension crackling in the air.

Maxwell apologized to everyone again. Sam could tell they were determined to leave, so he just showed them out without another word.

Once they were alone, Maxwell turned to Claire, his voice firm. “Miss Ballard, come with me to the study, please.”

Claire’s eyes flickered. She nodded and followed after him.

The study was quiet. Maxwell placed a small bottle on the desk and looked straight at Claire. “Do you want to explain this?”

Claire’s heart pounded. The evidence was right there. She couldn’t deny it.

Maxwell’s expression darkened. “Can’t answer? Why would you do something like this?”

Claire stared at the floor. For a long moment, she just stood there. Then she looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Maxwell, I didn’t have a choice,” she said, her voice shaking. “She’s always wanted to take my place, and now she’s back just to ruin tomorrow’s banquet. I was scared, so…”

“So you thought the only way out was to get rid of her?” Maxwell’s face clouded over. He looked like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re supposed to be the future of the Ballard family. How could you be so cruel?”

“No, it wasn’t like that.” Claire shook her head quickly, desperate to defend herself. “I never planned to kill her. The poison would have just kept her in bed for a couple of days. She’d be fine. The banquet would go on as planned, and no one would get hurt.”

But that was a lie. Claire had wanted Madeline out of the picture for good. As long as Julian didn’t find hard evidence, the elders would cover for her. She wasn’t afraid of the consequences.

Too bad she’d failed. Worse, Maxwell had caught her red-handed.

Claire understood exactly what he meant. He was giving her a chance. If he really wanted to punish her, it would be much worse than this.

“Yes, I’ll go right now. Thank you. And about Mr. Grayson…”

Maxwell’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll take care of it. Don’t let anything like this happen again.”

“It won’t. I swear.”

Claire slipped out of the study. As soon as she was alone, she wiped away her tears. Any trace of regret disappeared, replaced by cold determination.

Never again? Please. Madeline was still her biggest threat. She wasn’t about to let her off that easily.