Raymond arched an eyebrow without a hint of expression. His eyes remained fixed on the road ahead, but he missed nothing.
The voice on the other end was clearly caught off guard by the question.
Clara hesitated before pressing, "Then what do you want? Tell me."
Hugo remained silent for several seconds. His gaze shifted briefly toward Raymond, and he swallowed the words that had been poised on the tip of his tongue.
"Never mind. I'm hanging up." He ended the call, set his phone face down on his knee, and turned to stare out the window without another word.
Raymond caught his reflection in the rearview mirror. He asked no questions and simply reached over to turn the air conditioning up a notch.
The car continued south through the night and crossed into Jouleston shortly after 8:00 p.m. that evening.
Raymond didn't drive home first. Instead, he headed straight to Seraph Villa.
When the car stopped at the courtyard gate, he killed the engine and turned to the passenger beside him. "We're here. Let's go in."
Hugo's hand paused on his seatbelt. "You want me to come in with you?"
"What else? You think I'm going to drop you off at a hotel first?"
Raymond had already stepped out of the car. As he rounded the front, he gave the roof a light pat. "Come on. I have something to tell my sister. We'll have a cup of hot cocoa before you head out."
The villa glowed with warm light. Diana sat on the sofa reviewing a stack of files while a maid placed a mug of hot cocoa on the coffee table.
At the sound of the door, she looked up. Her gaze settled on Raymond before shifting to Hugo, who stood a step behind him.
Raymond spoke first. "Diana."
Hugo met her eyes, and his steps slowed for a brief moment.
"Diana." His voice was clear and pleasant, with none of the sharp, icy edge it had carried at the White Crane earlier that evening.
Diana set down her pen. "Have you two eaten?"
"We grabbed a bite." Raymond crossed to the sofa and sat down before recounting everything that had happened at the White Crane.

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