Chapter 365: He Is the Only Decent One
Lariette reluctantly ended the call when Madeline drove past the main gates of the apartment, heading to the basement parking call. Once again, she told Ruediger not to worry.
The hour had just turned half-past seven when Lariette and Madeline arrived at the apartment unit. The latter carried takeout bags and shouldered a backpack of clothes.
"I gonna call Grandpa," Lariette glanced at Madeline as she walked toward the living room, "Sorry, Maddie."
"It’s fine," Madeline chuckled. She gestured to the kitchen, "I’ll serve us dinner in the meantime. Well, time to treat this like my own home."
Lariette laughed as Madeline immediately headed to the kitchen while humming a song. As for her, she sat on the couch with one hand holding the phone.
The living room was aglow by the main lamps, the light casting a gentle halo over Lariette. Her long hair, now loose from her usual tidy braid, cascaded over her shoulder.
Soon, Chairman Delaney’s anxious questioning echoed from the phone. Lariette laughed softly as she thought how similar her grandfather’s reaction was to Ruediger’s earlier.
"Yes, Grandpa. I’m fine. Maddie’s with me. She gonna sleep here this weekend," she said calmly, her thumb tracing circles on her knee absentmindedly, "I wasn’t really surprised."
Chairman Delaney’s voice on the other end echoed with concern. Exasperated, he complained, "That brat dared to do this over and over. If Brian hadn’t held me back, I would’ve gone to the station myself."
The elderly man was aware of Vincent’s previous stunts in trying to reach Ruediger. Disgust flooded his heart like oil and then set ablaze with his anger.
More soft laughter escaped Lariette’s lips, though her eyes were a little tired, "I know I can rely on you. But it’s okay now. I’ve told Mr. Kingsley I’d press charges if it happened again."
She didn’t mean to be benevolent to the one who had caused her trouble. She tried to stay calm before the need to do the last strike finally came.