chapter1100

Mabel stared at the two of them, their faces tight with guilt and nerves, and her frown only got deeper. Did they really expect anyone to believe they hadn't done anything? They looked exactly like people caught red-handed.

Nathaniel jumped in right away. "Mom, they aren't here for anything good. Instead of staying up front with everyone else, they snuck out here to our backyard to fool around. If Lydia and I hadn't shown up, they probably would've started doing it right here."

"Nathaniel, you're making stuff up!" Rosie snapped, her cheeks burning red.

"We didn't do anything!" Alfie protested, glaring at Nathaniel. "You're twisting everything."

Nathaniel just smirked. "We saw it ourselves. Why would I lie? You're only denying it because you got caught."

No matter what Rosie and Alfie said, Nathaniel stuck to his story. He made it sound like they were about to do something scandalous right there, and there was no way for them to talk their way out of it.

Mabel knew her son liked to exaggerate, but catching Rosie and Alfie in the backyard at night did look suspicious. She turned to Alfie. "If you weren't at the party, what are you doing back here?"

Rosie rushed to answer before Alfie could open his mouth. "Aunt Mabel, Alfie kept following me. I just wanted to get away and didn't realize I'd ended up here. It's not at all like what my cousin said."

She spotted a group of people heading their way and started to panic, pushing all the blame onto Alfie. Everyone at the party tonight was someone important. If Nathaniel's story got out, if people thought she and Alfie had been caught doing something shameful in the Robinsons' backyard, her reputation would be done for.

When Rosie called her Aunt Mabel, Mabel's lips curled into a cold,

almost amused smile. Her voice

was cool and distant. Miss Gibson,

we already made things cle

I'm

not your aunt anymore."

Rosie's breath caught. Her hands clenched, and sweat beaded along her hairline.

She hadn't expected Mabel to really cut ties like this.

"Rosie? Rosie?" Her mother's voice rang out from the approaching group.

Rosie looked up and felt her heart sink. Five people were coming over: her mom, along with Kylie, Alfie's mom Tara, Lucinda, and another elegan woman Rosie didn't recognize Panic spiked in her chest. The ladies in their circle might be rich, but they were also relentless gossips. Any little rumor could spread through the whole community before the night was over.

She was furious. This was all Alfie's fault. The thought that her whole future might

get tangled up with his made her skin crawl.

"Mom, I'm here!" Rosie called out, trying to keep her voice steady.

Mandy had been searching for her daughter all over the party. She'd finally checked

the backyard, and there Rosie was.

"Rosie, what are you doing here? I've

been looking everywhere for you!" Mandy hurried over, taking in the scene. She saw Alfie, Mabel, Lydia,

and Nathaniel and then she noticed

Rosie's upset, angry expression. Instantly, Mandy assumed that

Mabel and her kids were ganging up on Rosie.

Her face tightened as she turned to Mabel. "Mabel, what's going on here?"

Mabel gave a small, humorless laugh. Maybe you should ask your daughter what she was doing in my backyard."