The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 174

Ethan cheered so loudly he nearly startled the crowd. “Ha! I did it! I actually did it!”

At that very moment, a sleek black Mercedes-Maybach rolled by on the street.

Inside, Dylan sat slouched in the back seat, exhaustion etched across his face. He rolled down the window, hoping to get some fresh air, and lit a cigarette. Wisps of smoke curled lazily into the evening light as he took his first drag, eyes half-closed in relief.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a plastic ring came sailing through the air and landed perfectly—impossibly—right around his cigarette.

Dylan scowled in disbelief. His cigarette slipped from his fingers and fell onto the car floor.

Annoyed, he peered out, trying to find the culprit. A noisy crowd had gathered not far away, chattering animatedly around a flock of honking geese. There was no way to tell who’d thrown the ring. With a resigned sigh, Dylan slipped the plastic ring off his hand and closed the window, deciding it wasn’t worth the trouble to have his driver investigate. Sometimes, he thought, life just tosses you the strangest curveballs.

He set the ring aside and motioned for the driver to continue.

Meanwhile, back at the ring-toss booth, Ethan was positively beaming at the enormous goose he’d just snagged.

The booth owner was dumbfounded. He’d never seen anyone win geese like that before.

“Kid, you’re incredible! With that toss, I’m running at a loss today,” the owner said, shaking his head in disbelief as he handed over the prize.

The four kids, triumphant, herded their haul of a dozen loud, flapping geese and marched home in high spirits.

When they reached Sunset Villa Estates, they handed the whole squawking gaggle over to Emma.

Emma froze at the sight of so many honking geese crowding her doorway.

Noah took charge, issuing orders with all the seriousness of a general. “Emma, you’re responsible for taking care of these geese. Make sure they’re well fed and comfortable—we want them to start laying eggs.”

“Can’t you lot settle down for just five minutes?” Emma snapped, panting with exhaustion. “You’re driving me insane!”

The geese, naturally, ignored her and carried on as if nothing had happened.

Emma had no choice but to let them be, muttering curses as she worked. “What did I do to deserve this? Dealing with those four little tyrants is bad enough—now I’ve got to wait on a flock of geese too!”

Just then, the sound of a car pulling up out front interrupted her grumbling.

A well-dressed lady stepped out, careful to keep her hat low and her face half-hidden behind a mask. Even so, Mrs. Austin’s air of elegance was impossible to disguise.

Jack, the butler, was momentarily taken aback by the visitor. He approached politely, “Excuse me, madam. May I ask who you are?”