Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 47

Their afternoon yacht date was effectively canceled because Audrina ended up sleeping in her room for over an hour.

After lunch, she claimed she was too exhausted, and Zachary couldn't exactly argue.

He sat alone facing the ocean, drinking half a bottle of wine. It was incredibly boring, but recalling her performance from the night before, he decided to endure it.

The evening brought the usual wild cocktail party.

Sometime after eight, Willow was nowhere to be found.

Zachary got dragged into socializing. Audrina, happy to enjoy the peace, retreated to her room early.

She locked the bedroom door and sat alone on the couch, staring out at the heavy, dark sea.

Because of Sebastian's "Drina," she suddenly thought of Julian Monroe.

In her memories, her dad had massive hands. When she was little, he would hold her hand to cross the street, his palm wrapping completely around her tiny fist.

She used to be afraid of the dark, so he kept the hallway lights on all night. If she casually mentioned wanting a pastry from a specific bakery, it would invariably be on the table the next morning.

Julian never explicitly said "I love you."

But every offhanded comment she ever made, he remembered.

Right until the moments before his passing, he had held her hand, leaving her with his final words: "Drina, Daddy is so worried about you..."

She missed her dad.

...

The next afternoon, the cruise ship docked.

The five of them disembarked together. The second they stepped onto the pier, Carter went sprinting after Willow.

"Let me explain!"

Willow didn't even look back, power-walking ahead.

Audrina stared at the two of them, completely confused.

Weren't they planning to go drinking together last night? After one night, why did they look like mortal enemies?

Carter caught up in a few strides and reached out to grab Willow's arm. Willow retaliated instantly with a brutal backhand.

*Smack.*

Sharp and incredibly loud.

Carter stood there clutching his cheek, absolutely stunned.

The three people behind them were equally stunned.

Sebastian remained expressionless.

Right now, Carter was still standing there sporting a bright red handprint, watching her storm further and further away. After a long moment, he cursed under his breath and sprinted after her again.

He didn't dare grab her this time, just jogged alongside her, frantically whispering, "I'll be your dog, okay?"

His voice faded as they disappeared into the crowd.

Having watched the entire spectacle, Zachary drawled, "Carter certainly has a unique talent."

Just as he finished speaking, his phone rang. He pulled it out, frowned at the screen, and swiftly declined the call.

A few seconds later, it rang again.

He declined it again.

Then a notification pinged:

[Zachary, if you ignore me, I'm going straight to the Sutton family estate to find you!]

Zachary pocketed his phone, glanced at Sebastian, and pulled him aside.

"An emergency came up with Vera, I have to go deal with it," he whispered, shooting a look toward Audrina. "Do me a favor."

Sebastian followed his gaze.

Audrina was standing perfectly still, holding her suitcase, looking down at the ground like she was patiently waiting for them to finish talking.