The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 112

The other maid glanced over, her brow furrowing with unease. The potted trees hadn’t moved now, but she could swear—just a moment ago—four of them had definitely changed places. An uneasy feeling crept up her spine.

“Come on, let’s go check it out,” she decided, determined to see what was really going on.

The two of them mustered their courage and walked over, but when they got there, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. At that moment, a chilly breeze swept through, making the little trees sway and rustle their leaves.

They exchanged a nervous look, their eyes growing wide with alarm. “G-ghosts… ghosts!” one of them stammered.

Shrieking, they spun around and bolted, not daring to go anywhere near that spot again.

Little did they know, just before the two maids had come over, four mischievous kids had already put down the potted trees and dashed away.

By now, the four troublemakers had slipped back into the house, hiding on the balcony outside the main living room.

“That was way too close! I thought for sure we’d get caught,” Aiden gasped, patting his chest as he caught his breath.

Hearing the maids shriek about ghosts, Ethan broke into a grin. “Good thing we ran fast. Those maids are clueless.”

After a few moments, when they were certain no one was coming to look for them, the four boys cautiously peeked over the edge of the balcony.

Inside the living room, Mrs. Austin was keeping Garcia for dinner at the old estate. Through the window, they could see Mrs. Austin chatting animatedly with Garcia, the two of them looking like old friends.

“Garcia, you should stay here tonight. Dylan’s not home, but he’ll be back tomorrow for sure. I’ll make sure you get some time alone with him,” Mrs. Austin said, her voice full of enthusiasm.

Ethan was supposed to sneak into one of the bedrooms, but he took a wrong turn and ended up in the kitchen. The delicious smells hit him the moment he stepped inside, and his stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.

Luckily, the kitchen was empty. The table was loaded with mouthwatering food, and Ethan’s mouth watered just looking at it. He couldn’t resist—he grabbed a piece of roast pork and stuffed it into his mouth, gobbling it down in a hurry.

Halfway through, he realized someone might notice that food was missing. His eyes darted around and landed on a large flowerpot on the floor. Quick as a flash, he scooped the leftovers from the pot onto the plate with the missing food, hoping no one would notice the difference.

Just then, he heard footsteps approaching. Satisfied and full, Ethan wiped his mouth, let out a contented burp, and slipped out of the kitchen to find Evan. On the way out, he stuffed a few pastries into his pockets—he couldn’t leave his best friend out of the feast, after all.

“Woof! Woof, woof, woof…”

As soon as Ethan left, a big golden retriever waddled into the kitchen, wagging its tail. It spotted its empty flowerpot, let out a disgruntled bark, then turned and shuffled away, its plump body swaying as it went.