Drama Novel
Chapter 358
Chapter 358
Allison was a bit on the fence about the whole Nicholas thing, debating whether to spill the beans to her
mom. However, her mom’s relationship with Penelope had always rubbed Allison the wrong way.
Penelope and Leah had nearly cost Grace her life and yet, her mom was still very attentive to
Penelope
After bidding Nicholas farewell, she ducked into the changing room to switch into a new outfit.
Scanning the room and not finding Payton, she casually asked, “Where’s Payton?”
“I haven’t got a clue, Ashley replied, “Haven’t seen her since yesterday.”
Allison whipped out her phone and shot Payton a text, asking why she was a no-show but there was no
reply.
Back in the day, even when Payton had classes, she would always drop a text to let Allison know. What
had happened these past two days?
“Ashley, did Payton mention anything about her MIA to you?”
“Nope, radio silence. Tried to get her to go shopping with me yesterday afternoon but she bailed.”
The Burke residence
As James walked through the door, the butler immediately said, “Mr. Burke, you’re finally back, your
parents have been waiting for you.”
James raised an eyebrow, “What’s the buzz?”
“We have guests, your parents want you to join them”
“Who?” James was caught off guard.
He walked into the living room, Sitting on the couch was a girl in a light pink dress with long hair,
beautiful eyes, and flawless skin. Milo looked at his son, “What took you so long? Come over here.”
James approached, “Dad, mom, who’s this?”
“This is Cicely.” Amanda introduced, “She’ll be staying with us from now on Get to know each other and
play nice.”
James glanced at Cicely, who stood up, looking a bit awkward. She said softly, “Hi,”
James nodded in acknowledgement, then said to Amanda, “Mom, I’m heading upstairs if there’s
nothing else.”
Knowing her son, Amanda nodded, “Alright, go ahead.” As James ascended the stairs, Amanda turned
to Cicely. “Cicely, this is home now. If you need anything, let me know.” Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
Milo added, “You can always turn to Amanda if you need anything. Your father and I have been friends
for years. I won’t stand by and do nothing when he’s in trouble. Don’t worry. I’ll swing by the police
station tomorrow and see if there’s anything I can do.”
Cicely bit her lip without saying anything. In just two days, her family was turned upside down. Her
father’s company went under, he was embroiled in legal trouble, and her mother was detained. Milo
offered Cicely shelter at the Burke residence to lay low.
James made his way upstairs, glancing back at Cicely in the living room. Looking at the young girl’s
clear and refined face, although surprised by this sudden addition to the household, he didn’t really
care. Her name was Cicely. Herman’s daughter.
-He was somewhat familiar with her family’s situation. Their main business was jewelry. While not
large-scale, the Burke family had always maintained a tight-knit partnership with them due to a
longstanding friendship tracing back to their earlier generations. However, their business had always
been struggling, and under the pressure of Northfield’s major jewelers, many of their stores had closed.
Despite their online business doing alright, they’d hit a snag this time.
The already teetering company had gone belly up. Their cash flow was in a mess and couldn’t be
resolved. Herman had been locked up, and Hilary was under house arrest.
And Cicely, the only child of Herman and Hilary, had to face a group of disgruntled shareholders after
the company went bust. Milo decided to take her under the Burke family’s wing.
James shrugged it off. What did it matter to him? At most, there was now one more person to feed at
home, an extra set of
utensils. He hardly spent time at home during the day anyway.