Chapter 147

Alex excused himself and rushed off to Assex Villa by car. He couldn’t help but mumble complaints in his mind on the way there. ‘Who knew Claire was stone gambling at the Antique Street too? Did she see me? If she knew that I got myself rare glassy emeralds from all three ores I bought, she would surely force me to hand them over like she always does!’ Unfortunately, Alex ran into California’s rush hour—every road was as jammed up as they could be. Alex took forty-five minutes to reach Assex Villa. Upon entry, he realized that all three members of the family were present. There were another two men and a woman in the villa too. Alex was able to recognize the woman—a middle-aged woman and one of Claire’s best friends. They often hung out together. He vaguely remembered that her name was Lucia Whitney. Lucia was speaking to Claire. “Oh Claire, Brandon is a good man. I watched him grow, you know? He’s now the department manager of a listed company and his yearly salary is over a mil