Chapter 261: Tickets for Jexburgh
Even though his voice was barely louder than a murmur, as if he were speaking only to himself, Chelsea caught every word with perfect clarity. She grinned, teasing, “If I were your sister, that’d make my mom your nam too, you know.”
Caleb’s lips curled into a dry smirk. “Then forget it.”
Chelsea burst into hearty laughter. Caleb watched her quietly, noting the faint shift in her expression every time she mentioned her mother. It was subtle, so subtle most wouldn’t notice, but not him. Not someone who had learned to survive prison by reading people like open books.
As if sensing his gaze, Chelsea wiped the smile off her face. She cleared her throat, her voice turning solemn. “It’s getting late. I should go. Make sure you get some rest.”
With that, she turned and walked away, her steps fluid, effortless. The soft, elegant fragrance she brought with her lingered in the air longer before dissipating.
Caleb leaned back slightly, thoughtful. She must have some reasons for doing what she did. She and Madam Yardley didn’t quite seem cut from the same cloth. A quiet chuckle escaped him. If Madam Yardley ever heard me say that, she’d be absolutely livid.
At the Quixall residence, news of the incident reached George not long after it occurred. Chelsea’s assistant called and informed him that, due to Yelena’s disrespectful remarks in front of Chelsea, the Quixall family had been stripped of their privileges at Wropland Club.
George was floored. Wropland Club wasn’t just a social hub. It was the go-to meeting ground for elite businessmen, a discreet yet powerful venue where countless deals were brokered. Being blacklisted meant the Quixall family had essentially been cut off from the negotiation table. Permanently.
What made it worse was that the Yardley family owned Wropland Club. Admission wasn’t simply a matter of wealth, but favor. Only those in the Yardleys’ good graces had access. And now, the Quixalls had fallen from that grace. Once word spread through the business world that they’d been shut out, the Quixa Group’s order volume would plummet off a cliff, and there would be no climbing back. After all, the Yardley family was the most powerful clan in all of Plainstedt. Anyone who crossed them would suffer.
The fiasco at the wedding had already left Chelsea visibly upset. And in the days that followed, it felt as though the Yardley family had been going out of their way to throw roadblocks in the Quixalls’ path. George had hoped to smooth things over with a formal apology. He’d even tried to arrange a meeting with Chelsea in person. But each time, she brushed him off with the same excuse—she was too busy.
Still, George had been relentless, sending repeated requests for a meeting and expressing sincere regret. Over the past few days, Chelsea had finally begun to soften. George believed that a reconciliation between the two families was within reach. But just as things seemed to be turning around, disaster struck. Yelena stirred up trouble and reignited Chelsea’s fury.
With three strikes against them, Chelsea didn’t hesitate. She revoked the Quixall family’s privileges at Wropland Club on the spot, making it clear that their ties were officially and irrevocably severed. The fact that she had been pushed this far was proof that Yelena had crossed a line that couldn’t be uncrossed.
When George received the news, he was so enraged he nearly blacked out. How did this happen? Yelena said she was going to find Deborah. How in the world did she end up confronting Ms. Yardley and destroying what little hope we had left?
Being banned from Wropland Club was only the beginning. If Yelena pulled another stunt, it wouldn’t just be a setback. It would be the unraveling of the entire Quixall family.
Just then, a call came through from one of George’s subordinates. “Sir, Ms. Quixall is en route to the airport with Mrs. Quixall and Mr. Jesse. They’ve purchased tickets to Jexburgh. Should we intercept them?”