Chapter 69 Let's meet
CHAPTER 69
Let's meet.
CARTER'S RESIDENCE
The grand house, usually filled with controlled activity and quiet authority, now rested under a blanket of silence. The lights in most rooms had been dimmed, leaving only the soft glow of a few lamps illuminating the long corridors and polished floors. Outside, the stillness of the night wrapped around the estate, undisturbed at least on the surface.
Trent stepped out of the house, with quiet movements. He had changed into something more casual, though there was nothing relaxed about the way he carried himself. His expression was tight, his thoughts clearly elsewhere as he walked toward the driveway.
He didn’t expect to see anyone. He noticed a figure standing near the entrance, so he stopped.
“Mom?” he called, his voice edged with surprise.
Vivian turned toward him slowly. She was dressed in her pajamas, with a cup of coffee and sat quietly with a book on her other hand.
“You’re not asleep?” Trent asked, stepping closer.
Vivian gave a faint smile. “Clearly not.”
Her gaze moved over him, taking in his appearance, his restless energy. “And neither are you.”
Trent let out a small breath, glancing briefly toward the driveway. “I just needed some air.”
Vivian didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she studied him and noticed he looked restless. She could see it in the way he avoided her eyes, in the slight tension in his shoulders, the way he rushed in answering her questions.
“Where’s dad?” Trent asked, shifting the focus.
“Asleep,” Vivian replied. “He turned in early.”
Vivian kept giving him that suspicious look, then, as Trent made a subtle move to continue walking, Vivian reached out and held his arm lightly, but firmly enough to stop him. “Not so fast.”
Trent looked down at her hand, then back at her face. “Mom…”
“I haven’t spoken to you all evening,” she said calmly. “And now you’re suddenly heading out?”
“It’s nothing,” he said, attempting to brush it off.
Vivian tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing just a fraction. “Nothing usually doesn’t look like this.”
Trent exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “You’re reading too much into it.”
“Am I?” she asked softly. After she waited for some while, she sat down properly, “I saw Leo tonight.” she said.
That got his attention. Trent’s expression shifted, just slightly. “And?” he asked.
Vivian’s lips curved faintly, though there was no warmth in it. “He seemed… happy.”
Trent didn’t respond.
“Very happy,” she continued. “Especially with his little girlfriend.”
There it was, the subtle edge. The underlying jealousy that she didn’t bother to hide.
“Ruby, isn’t that her name?” Vivian added her tone light, but her eyes observant.
Trent shrugged faintly. “Something like that.”
But his response lacked interest and Vivian noticed immediately. Her gaze sharpened as she watched him more closely now. “You don’t seem particularly concerned.”
“I’m not,” Trent replied simply.
Vivian studied him in silence for a moment longer, that wasn’t the reaction she expected, not from Trent, the same one who had always paid attention to Leo, whether out of rivalry, curiosity, or something else entirely.
Her voice softened slightly. “What’s on your mind?” she asked.
Trent hesitated for a second. Then he shook his head. “Nothing, Mom.”
Vivian took a small step closer. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not,” he insisted, though his tone wasn’t as convincing as he might have hoped.
She held his gaze, searching for something beneath the surface. “Then why do you look like you’re somewhere else entirely?” she pressed.
Trent didn’t answer because she wasn’t wrong. His mind wasn’t here. It hadn’t been since earlier. But he wasn’t about to explain that, not even to her. “Just tired,” he said finally.
Vivian didn’t believe him. It showed in the slight tightening of her expression but she didn’t push that line further. Instead, “Where are you going?” she asked.
Trent wasn't expecting the question, when she did she started caring about his whereabouts, his jaw tightened slightly. “I told you,” he said. “Just out.”
“That’s not an answer,” Vivian replied calmly.
He looked away briefly, clearly debating whether to respond properly or avoid it altogether.
In the end he chose avoidance. “I won’t be long,” he said, stepping back slightly.
Vivian’s eyes followed his movement. “Trent—”
But before she could finish, he turned.
“Goodnight, Mom.”
And just like that, he walked away. Vivian remained where she was, watching him as he made his way toward his car. Her expression was unreadable, but her mind was clearly working, piecing things together, questioning what she had just seen and what she hadn’t.
Trent, meanwhile, didn’t look back. He reached his car quickly, opened the door, and got in without hesitation. The engine started with a low hum, breaking the quiet of the night. For a moment, he just sat there, his hands resting on the steering wheel, his gaze fixed ahead.
Then he exhaled and drove off. The gates of the residence opened smoothly, allowing him to pass through before closing again behind him, sealing the house back into its silence. As he drove, the tension in his chest didn’t ease.
If anything, it grew stronger. His thoughts were more focused.
He reached for his phone, picking it up with one hand while keeping the other steady on the wheel. Without hesitation, he scrolled through his contacts until he found it. His thumb hovered over the screen for just a second. Then he pressed the call button as the line began to ring.
He drove on, the road stretching ahead of him, dimly lit by streetlights that passed in a steady rhythm.
For a moment, it seemed like she might not pick up. Then, the call connected.
“Hello?”
Clara’s voice came through, slightly curious.
Trent’s grip on the wheel tightened just a fraction. “It’s me.”
There was a brief pause on the other end.
“…Trent?”
“Yeah.”
“I wasn’t expecting your call,” she said.
“I figured,” he replied.
“What do you want?” she asked finally.
Trent glanced ahead, his expression hardening slightly. “I want to see you.”
That caught her off guard. “Now?”
“Yes.”
There was hesitation on her side this time. “Trent, it’s late.”
“I know.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I need to talk to you,” he said.
On the other end, Clara seemed to consider it. “…Where?” she asked eventually.
A small, almost imperceptible smile passed through Trent’s expression. “Name the place.”
She hesitated again, then mentioned a location quiet, discreet, somewhere neither too public nor too isolated.
“I’ll be there,” he said immediately.
The call ended shortly after. Trent lowered the phone, placing it back beside him. His eyes remained fixed on the road ahead, his thoughts were now more focused than before.
Whatever this was, he knew he wouldn't end well.
And it definitely wasn’t harmless. As his car continued down the dimly lit road, one thing became clear, this meeting was going to change something. And deep down, he already knew it.