chapter1221

"Seriously, Dad, you're finally home? If you'd taken any longer, I would've started getting mad." Mona grinned, her voice light but teasing.

Seeing Mrs. Brown and Mona again stirred up a mess of emotions in Reed. He kept his face neutral though, not letting any of it slip.

He gave Mikey a friendly pat on the shoulder and smiled. "Sorry for being late, Mikey. Dinner's not quite done yet. Want to come talk with me in the study for a bit?"

Mikey nodded right away. "Sure thing, Mr. Brown."

Mrs. Brown beamed. "Go ahead, you two. I'll let you know when dinner's ready."

Reed nodded and headed upstairs with Mikey trailing behind. As soon as the study door closed, the atmosphere changed. The air felt tense, loaded with things unsaid.

In a hushed voice, Reed pulled out two tiny vials from his briefcase. "Miss Norwood gave me a sedative." He handed one to Mikey. "I'll try to slip this into Mrs. Brown's tea tonight. You do the same with Mona, okay?"

Mikey hesitated, frowning, then decided to share what he knew. Miss Brown warned me earlier. She said Mrs. Brown's planning to drug me."

Reed looked shocked. "Mona told you that?"

Mikey nodded. She did. She also said Mrs. Brown is actually a clone and that she's being forced to do all of this. I already told Lydia about it. She said every clone has a chip and a barcode. We should wait until tonight to see if it's true.

Reed paused, thinking it over. "Even if Mona warned you, how do we know it isn't just another trap?"

Mikey nodded. "That's exactly what worries me. I haven't admitted anything about clones to her. I'm playing it safe."

Reed's face was serious, his voice low. "Alright. Thank you, Mikey."

"We're just doing what we have to for the country. When will Miss Norwood get here?"

"She'll come as soon as everything's ready."

Footsteps sounded in the hallway. Mona's voice called through the door. "Dad, Mikey, what are you talking about in there? Dinner's almost done."

Reed quickly put the vials away and put on an easy smile. "Coming. We'll be right down."

At the dinner rtable, Mrs. Brown was especially cheerful, piling food onto Mikey's plate herself. Mona sat next to him, nudging his foot under the table clearly trying to send him a message. Mikey didn't react just at everything Mrs. Brown served him. She seemed pleased with him, while Mona looked like she was about to roll her eyes.

After a while, Mrs. Brown asked, Mikey, how did your talk with your uncle go?

When do you and Mona plan to set a date for your engagement?"

The room went a little quiet for a second. Mikey kept his tone smooth and casual. "Mrs. Brown, Mr. Brown and already talked about it. Tomorrow, when I go back to the capital, I'll discuss it with my grandfather and my mom. They're my elders, and something as important as marriage should have their input.

Mrs. Brown looked satisfied with that answer. She smiled warmly. "Your grandfather was easy to talk to when we'r met him last time. But in v your mother is still in Country Y, right? I heard her health isn't great."

Mikey nodded. "She's been recovering in Country Y. I'll let her know about

everything tomorrow. I'm sure she'll be happy."

Mrs. Brown nodded, her smile growing. "Good. Once you tell them, we can settle the engagement soon."