Chapter 452 More Harm Than Good
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Katniss has always had it out for Clara?"
He thought back to the various conflicts between Clara and Katniss and found some truth in the statement, but he didn't believe Katniss was behind the kidnapping.
Elodie nodded emphatically, thinking Lucas, being far away in Luminous City, wasn't aware of how Katniss had caused Clara and Ethan to break up. She quickly brought it up.
Lucas frowned. "Mom, I know about that. Dylan told me."
Mentioning Dylan made Lucas think that if Dylan were here, he might have more clues than he did.
Remembering that Dylan was in custody, Lucas sighed and looked at Elodie. "Mom, can you think of anyone else Clara might have upset?"
"Clara is so well-behaved and considerate. How could she have offended anyone? Only someone like Katniss would target her for no reason."
Elodie was unhappy with Lucas's suggestion and defended Clara while criticizing Katniss.
Seeing Lucas's stern expression, she continued her tirade against Katniss. "Katniss doesn't even dare to answer your calls. She must be feeling guilty about this!"
Lucas didn't comment, but said quietly, "Mom, even if Katniss did it, we can't afford to antagonize her right now. Aren't you waiting for Katniss to help get Dylan and Nathan out?"
Elodie's expression darkened, but in her heart, Dylan and Nathan were slightly more important than Clara.
She could only sigh and shake her head.
Lucas tried to reassure her. "But I don't think Katniss did it. If she had, you wouldn't need to worry about Clara's safety."
For some reason, Lucas felt that Katniss wasn't the type to be ruthless.
Elodie fell silent, her expression troubled.
The two of them sat quietly on the living room sofa, the atmosphere equally tense.
After a while, Elodie anxiously picked up her phone again. "I'll try calling Clara again."
Lucas didn't stop her, thinking that if they could reach Clara, it would mean she was safe.
Meanwhile, Clara, who had been left at the villa by Emma, saw that her phone was charged and was about to call Lucas back when she saw Elodie's incoming call.
Clara's hand trembled for no reason, but she quickly answered.
As soon as the call connected, she heard Elodie's worried but relieved voice.
"Clara, where are you? Why was your phone off?"
Clara could tell Elodie had been looking for her for a long time and was anxious.
She quickly explained, "Mom, I'm at a friend's house. My friend invited me over, and I forgot to tell you in advance. Then my phone died, and I just charged it."
Elodie felt Clara's explanation was a bit flimsy, but since they had made contact and Clara had given a reason, her tension eased.
As long as Katniss hadn't kidnapped her, it was fine.
"That's good. When are you coming back?"
This question stumped Clara.
She didn't know when she could return.
After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Can I stay at my friend's house for a few days, Mom?"
Elodie sounded displeased but agreed, reminding her to take care of herself.
Before hanging up, Elodie mentioned Lucas.
The phone was handed to Lucas.
Lucas and Clara chatted briefly before he asked if she knew about Dylan accusing Katniss.
Clara immediately denied it, and they ended the call shortly after.
After hanging up, Clara felt dazed.
She didn't understand why Lucas suddenly asked if she knew about Dylan's accusations against Katniss.
Did Lucas suspect her?
Clara shook her head vigorously, trying to clear her thoughts.
Her only connection to the incident was that she had introduced Victor to Dylan.
It was the day after Desmond left Starhaven, and she had returned to Starhaven Medical University.
Dylan, worried about her, had taken her to school.
They had run into Victor while discussing how heartless Katniss was for ignoring Nathan's illness.
She had casually pointed out Victor, saying, "That guy trained with Katniss."
Dylan, already angry at Katniss for her cold treatment, had taken a good look at Victor.
After that, she had hoped Dylan would do something.
But she hadn't expected Dylan to just write a flimsy note for Victor to post.
Even though the note was true, it gave Katniss an excuse to deny that Nathan was her brother.
Thinking about how Dylan had failed to cause Katniss any trouble and instead got himself into a mess, Clara felt he was more of a hindrance than a help.
Despite her many grievances with Dylan, Clara didn't dare show them in front of him.
The next morning.
Katniss learned from Maximilian that Lucas had come looking for her.
Still half-asleep, she asked, "When?"
Maximilian's lips curved, his cold, handsome features softening with a hint of affection. "After you fell asleep."
Katniss's face flushed.
She recalled how Maximilian had kept her up late last night, and she had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Thinking about Maximilian's relentless demands, Katniss felt a bit dazed.
If they were in Luminous City, Felix and Mira would probably be hoping for her to have a baby by now.
The thought made Katniss's face turn even redder.
But thinking of Felix and Mira made her miss Luminous City.
Even though she hadn't had many good days there in her past life, it was home and felt more comfortable.
Plus, she had friends who cared about her and people like Mira and Felix who were like family.
She felt differently about Luminous City.
When she came to Starhaven for training, Mira had wanted to come with her, but she had refused.
Even when Maximilian arrived, he didn't bring Felix and Mira.
Their place only had a housekeeper who cleaned and cooked, besides their bodyguard Conrad.
And because of Maximilian's special instructions, the housekeeper didn't often come near them.
Katniss had been lost in thought for too long, and Maximilian called her name softly.
Katniss snapped back to reality, slowly getting up.
Remembering Maximilian had mentioned Lucas, she finally asked.
"Why did Lucas come looking for me?"
She had a feeling that whenever the Manners family sought her out, it wasn't for anything good.
With Dylan in custody, Katniss guessed Lucas was there for him.
"I didn't ask, but it can't be anything good," Maximilian's voice was icy, but he briefly recounted his conversation with Lucas.
Katniss's eyes curved into a smile at his words.
Maximilian thought the same as she did. And she couldn't believe Maximilian had directly confronted Lucas and said she had no brother.
That hit the mark for her.
Being associated with the Manners family only disgusted Katniss.
How could she consider them family?
So, of course, Lucas wasn't her brother. She had no brother.
Maximilian ruffled Katniss's hair, glanced at the time, and said softly, "Get ready for breakfast, and then I'll take you to school."
Katniss looked up from her thoughts, gave Maximilian a big smile, and replied, "Okay."
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