Chapter 1650: Not in the mood to play nice
Haines didn’t even have the chance to change out of his indoor clothes before Hugo dragged him away. He couldn’t grab his wallet—or anything else he might need.
Seated in the front passenger seat, Haines turned to Hugo, who was behind the wheel.
"Care to tell me what’s actually going on?" he asked after several long minutes of nothing but silence. "Why does Atlas need to talk to me so urgently?"
Hugo smiled faintly but didn’t answer.
"Did Butler Jen ask him for help?" Haines pressed, already imagining several possible scenarios.
He’d been with the family long enough to predict these things. If Butler Jen felt that Haines’s relationship with Charles was beyond repair, he would almost certainly turn to Atlas for help.
"Nope!" Hugo shook his head, shooting his uncle a quick glance. "We’ve got bigger things to worry about than your little spat with Dad."
Haines arched a brow. "Such as?"
Hugo kept his eyes on the road. "Such as... uh... your former lover."
At that, Haines’s expression darkened immediately.
"Hugo, I know you’ve heard the story by now," Haines sighed, his voice heavy. "But I’m not ready to talk about it. Even with Grace by my side... I’m still trying to process everything. And believe it or not, I’m not even angry with Charles."
"I know it was an accident. He didn’t mean for it to happen. But how am I supposed to just... move on? I waited decades for her." His eyes snapped back to Hugo’s profile. "You’re a smart kid. I don’t need to explain how that feels."