Chapter 334: Would You Like Our Evening Meal Service?

Chapter 334: Would You Like Our Evening Meal Service?

Ryan had been upstairs resting in his room, so none of them had expected him to show up in the dining room.

And he didn't just walk in—the second he crossed the threshold, he hurled a vase straight at Saul's head.

That single act cut through the shouting like a knife. The vase came within inches of cracking Saul's skull open.

When Ryan spoke those two sentences, the air seemed to get pulled out of the room. Dorian gasped audibly, stunned into silence.

"Ryan!" Saul's hand shook as he pointed at his nephew, his voice breaking with rage. "Have you lost your mind?! You threw a vase at your own uncle—threatened me—all for this girl... for this Amelia?!"

"Since you know it's a threat, then watch your mouth." Ryan's eyes turned colder at the insult Saul had barely swallowed. He straightened, a smile without warmth playing at his lips. "Besides, I am crazy, Uncle. You should know that better than anyone."

The words landed like a stone.

Saul went quiet.

Right. His nephew did have a psychiatric history. He'd been hospitalized. He was on medication.

God knew what was wrong with Ryan now, treating some bastard child his father had sired as if she were actually his sister.

But in this moment, Saul didn't dare hurl another insult at Amelia. He wasn't about to risk Ryan pulling out a knife next.

With Saul thoroughly rattled, Amelia fixed him with a look even colder than before. "Mr. Jenkins, I'll ask you one more time. Does Professor Lewis's situation have anything to do with you?"

"You..." Feeling Ryan's eyes on him, Saul choked back the curse on his tongue and bit out, "Trevor brought this on himself. What the hell does it have to do with me?!"

"Is that so?" Amelia's gaze didn't waver. "Then why haven't you been to River City in almost six months, but you just happened to be here on a business trip two days ago? And those photos in the article were taken at noon that same day."

"Also, why has Professor Lewis been unable to reach you ever since the Instagram post went live yesterday morning? You blocked his number, didn't you?"

Saul wanted to scream. He wanted to slap her across the face.

This girl had some nerve—a backwoods bastard child daring to interrogate him, a tenured professor at Aurora College. Where did she get the audacity?

But when he looked around the room, his own family seemed to have lined up against him. Every single one of them stared at him like he was something vile.

They've all lost it, he thought. This whole family has lost their minds, treating a bastard like she's some kind of treasure.

Saul sucked in a breath and turned on Amelia. "So that's it? You lured me here just to clear the name of some stranger who means nothing to you?"

"My business trip was scheduled by the university. They tell me when to come to River City, I come. How would I know anything about some candid photo you're talking about?"

"And you say I blocked Trevor? I blocked him ages ago. What does that have to do with what happened two days ago?"

"I'm telling you, Trevor's mess has nothing to do with me. Nothing! If that's all you wanted, I'm leaving!"

He shoved back from the table, looking like he'd had enough of this treatment.

"The Martinez family... what a piece of work. Even if you sent a private jet for me, I wouldn't set foot in this house again!"

Saul's fury looked genuine.

Before he stormed out, he shot Amelia one last contemptuous snort.

For a split second, even Dorian wondered if they'd gotten it wrong about Saul.

As he stalked toward the door, Zander was the first to turn to Amelia. "Do you believe him?"

Amelia met his eyes. "Zander, do you?"

They looked at each other for a beat, then both stood at the same time.

Seeing them rise, Dorian and Leroy followed suit. Tobias, clearly confused, got up too.

When they started heading for the door after Saul, Jenny couldn't help herself. "Where are you all...?"

Amelia glanced back. "Mom, you and Ryan go ahead and eat. We'll heat something up when we get back."

Outside, Tobias finally broke. "Amelia, where are we going?"

Amelia looked into the distance just as a six-seater taxi pulled up.

The car stopped in front of them. Amelia opened the door first. "Get in. I'll explain on the way."

Once all five of them were inside and the taxi fell in behind Saul's car, Amelia finally spoke.

"When people get caught doing something they shouldn't, their first instinct is usually defensive rage."

"Watching Saul just now? That actually made me more certain he's behind what happened to Professor Lewis."

"Problem is, he's not going to admit it, and we don't have proof."

"Saul's staying at a hotel while he's in River City. So before he left, I stuck a real-time tracker on his back."

"A tracker you can stick on someone's body?" Tobias looked floored. "That exists?"

Zander's voice was flat. "I made it."

Tobias shut his mouth.

Few things are more humiliating than being outmatched intellectually.

Dorian's eyes widened. "So Amelia, when you had Ms. Jenkins call Saul over, you were planning all along to follow him to his hotel and search his room for evidence?"

"Yes." Amelia nodded. "I never expected him to tell the truth."

"I know following someone isn't exactly ethical, but for someone like Saul, you need to fight dirty."

"Once we're inside the hotel, though, the rest is up to Leroy."

When Amelia had booked the taxi, she'd already briefed the driver.

While they talked, he kept Saul's car in sight. When Saul pulled up in front of a hotel, they got out too.

Inside the lobby, Saul headed for the elevators and disappeared from view.

Amelia and the others settled onto the lobby sofas. Ten minutes later, Leroy looked up from his compact laptop, his expression calm, his tone matter-of-fact. "Got it. Third floor, room 324."

Hotels don't just give out guest information to anyone.

"Leroy, you're incredible!" Tobias couldn't contain himself. "You hacked into the hotel system and found his room number that fast? That's insane!"

With the room number in hand, the rest was easy.

Amelia told the front desk they were meeting a friend, and the staff waved them through to the elevators.

Five minutes later, Saul—freshly showered and wrapped in a white bathrobe—heard a knock at his door.

"Good evening, sir. Would you like our evening meal service?" The voice was sweet, professionally polite, unmistakably female.