"Since he has chosen to be reckless, we have no choice but to handle this legally."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the room. Suzy glanced at Alice, her expression cautious.
Alice's thoughts raced. This had escalated beyond anything she could have imagined. First, she was mistaken for a thief, and now it seemed Hades was being painted as an accomplice. And they expected her to somehow navigate this legal minefield?
"I'm... sure there's a reasonable explanation," Alice ventured cautiously, hoping to defuse the situation.
The first older woman's eyes narrowed. "We're not here for assumptions, Mrs. Wildfire. We need facts and legal solutions. And as the estate's legal representative, we expect you to uphold the estate's integrity—even if it means going against your husband!"
Alice's heart pounded. She had walked into this room thinking the emergency would be some tedious legal dispute, not a full-blown crisis involving accusations of conspiracy and stolen security footage.
And now they were expecting her to go toe-to-toe with Hades?
This day was officially a nightmare.
Alice's mind spun as she processed the absurdity of the situation. Briefly, she toyed with the idea of confessing that she was the so-called thief. Not a real thief, of course—just an unlucky victim of a chaotic night involving Hades and his merry band of psychopaths. But seeing how he had already confiscated the CCTV footage, her instincts told her to keep quiet.
Why would he even do that?
A disturbing thought crept in—was he trying to cover up his own tracks from yesterday? The man had practically hosted a public brawl, beaten people senseless, and stabbed someone without a hint of remorse. Yet here they were, more concerned about an innocent person being chased by a dog, a.k.a her.
Alice's fingers curled on her lap. She would have been amused. But nothing was funny right now.
"On that note," the chairwoman's sharp voice cut through her thoughts, "we are going to have him summoned." Her gaze pierced Alice like a blade. "And as the estate's legal representative, your first duty is to ensure he receives the summons and shows up!"
Alice's jaw nearly hit the table.
Wait... what?
"You... can't be serious," she blurted before she could stop herself.
The older woman's brows lifted, her expression a combination of offense and challenge. "I beg your pardon?"
Alice scrambled to fix her tone. "I mean... isn't there someone else who handles this sort of thing? Maybe security or... literally anyone else?"
Suzy shot her a subtle look that screamed don't fight it.
But how could she not?
"We're serious, Mrs. Wildfire," the woman insisted. "This estate prides itself on accountability. Hades Wildfire cannot act above the law, regardless of his standing—or yours." She tapped the table for emphasis. "You'll deliver the summons today."
Alice wanted to laugh. She really did.
The idea of walking up to Hades, who had just last night told her to run for her life, and handing him a legal summons because he refused to release footage to prove she was a thief...
This had to be some form of cosmic punishment.
As the meeting adjourned, Alice's thoughts spiraled into chaos. What had she done to deserve this assignment? And how was she supposed to summon that man without ending up in a ditch? Her mind kept replaying the woman's stern words. You're the legal rep now. Deliver the summons.
Yeah, sure—right after she drafted her own last will and testament to Paula.
The group dispersed in the hallway, all taking different elevators, their expressions still tinged with scrutiny. Suzy leaned toward her. "Wait here; I need to use the restroom quickly."
Alice didn't even give her any response. Her brain was working so hard for what to do as she looked at the sealed document in her hand.
As Suzy disappeared down the hall, two of the younger law reps approached her with matching smug expressions. One was a slim brunette with sharp features, the other a curvy redhead with meticulously curled hair. Their designer suits were practically dripping with polished arrogance.
"Well, well," the brunette drawled, folding her arms. "How's newlywed life treating you?"
Alice's lips pressed into a tight line.
Can she seriously not deal with this right now?
The redhead snickered. "Is that a dark circle I see under your eye? Wow, marriage must be treating you real well." Her tone was syrupy with faux concern.
Alice looked at them, her gaze dripping with boredom. She could feel her patience thinning by the second. She was about to walk away but the next words the brunette said made her hesitate.
The brunette grinned maliciously. "Or is it that you can't sleep after marrying an ugly psychopath?"
Alice blinked, momentarily thrown. Psychopath? Sure. That tracks.
But... ugly?
Her brow furrowed as the girls laughed, their amusement echoing obnoxiously in the corridor.
Were they really talking about Hades?
The brunette caught her expression and cackled. "Why do you look so surprised that we know that? Come on, why else would he have been hiding away all this time? He probably doesn't want anyone to see that face."
"Exactly," the redhead added, flipping her hair. "He could never measure up to our darling Dawin." Her eyes sparkled as though she had just uttered the name of a deity. And the girls sighed dreamily.
Uhm... what was going on here?
Hades was many things—dangerous, infuriating, impossible—but ugly? That was a crime even her chaotic husband couldn't be accused of.
Also, she didn't want to admit it, but Dawin didn't stand a chance against that madman, in terms of looks.
Alice stared at them, a strange mixture of amusement and disbelief bubbling up inside her.
She remembered Suzy telling her that Hades recently returned to the country after being away for years. Pricillia had also mentioned that and even the file about the WildFires didn't have his photo on it.
Also, she remembered last night. The people in the steakhouse hadn't recognized him either.
Her mind whirred. So the only people who seemed to know what Hades looked like were those select few family members and friends who had attended their bizarre, flash wedding?
Interesting.