Chapter 376

Julian listened closely. When she finished, he let out a soft laugh and repeated her words slowly, “So what you're saying is… you came here to save someone. All that scary talk was just to mess with Claire, and you and the butler? Totally unrelated. That it?” Seeing his face relax a bit, Marian finally exhaled in relief. He believed her—at least, that’s what she thought. She nodded firmly. “Of course. I’ve got nothing against Claire. Why would I hurt her?” But Claire, who had been keeping quiet in the background, suddenly spoke up. “Yeah, well, I don’t buy it. Those words didn’t sound like some random scare tactic. You even brought up Natalie. Seems like you know quite a bit.” Marian sprang up in defense, “So what if I know stuff about her? We’re both from Smokefall. News travels in certain circles. It’s not exactly a big mystery, is it?” Honestly, it wasn’t. You get a bunch of rich wives gossiping over high tea, they’d spill crazy secrets—who’s hooking up with a model in Europe, who’s