Without another word, he turned and strode out of the Caldwells' front door, leaving his uncle standing alone, a complicated expression on his face as he watched his nephew disappear into the night.
Once in his car, Leopold opened a food delivery app and placed an order, then called his mother. "Mom, don't bother coming down for dinner. They weren't planning on including you anyway. I've already ordered some food for you and Dad."
"How could your uncle..."
Leopold was in no mood to listen to her complaints and cut the call short. He stared out at the darkening street, let out a heavy sigh, and started the engine, peeling away from the curb with a roar.
...
After dinner, once her grandparents and uncles' family had left, Larissa went to the herb garden to check on the Phoenix Herb. Seeing that everything was in order, she replenished the poisonous powder around the perimeter before heading back inside.
Fresh from her shower, she found a series of screenshots from Avril detailing her conversation with Torrin.
Torrin: [Larissa, I stood up to Lucius for you, and now my dad has me on lockdown. I'm not even allowed to make deliveries. I really miss you.]
Avril: [What do you mean, "for me"? Stop with the self-pitying hero act. I wasn't even there that day.]
Torrin: [But I really did it for you! That guy, Jagger, called you a bitch, and I couldn't stand it, so I taught him a lesson.]
Avril: [So you're the reason Jagger landed in jail?]
Torrin: [Well, no...]
Avril: [Exactly! So what was the point? You claim you stood up for me, but all you did was get yourself in trouble with Lucius and now you're grounded. Besides trying to make me feel guilty and indebted to you, what did you accomplish?]
Avril: [Let me tell you something. Haskell was the one who put Jagger behind bars. Could you do that? That's the difference between you and Haskell.]

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