Page 19 of Cause and Effect

“What is going on?” I asked.

“Stella told me I’m stupid,” Sara shouted.

“I did not!” Stella shouted.

“Yes, you did!” Sophie pointed at her.

All three started talking over each other. Suddenly, Julian whistled loudly, and the girls froze in mid-argument.

“You’re welcome.” He winked at me and walked out of the house.

Shutting the door, I stared at my daughters.

“He’s hot, Mom,” Stella said.

“Yeah. He’s super cute.” Sophie giggled.

“He is, isn’t he?” A smirk crossed my lips as I walked into the kitchen.

Chapter Eight

Julian

“Jesus Christ,” I mumbled, climbing into the back of the Escalade.

“What’s wrong?” Sam, my driver, asked.

“Those girls are freaking monsters. You should have heard them. God, now I have a headache.” I placed my hand on my forehead. “I’m never going over to Laurel’s house again.”

He chuckled. “We’ll see.”

When I arrived home, I put my briefcase down, went upstairs, and changed into my swim trunks. After pouring a scotch, I took it to the patio, set it on the table, and dove into the pool. When I reached the surface, I saw my two brothers sitting in the lounge chairs.

“It’s about time you got home. Where were you?” Roman asked.

“Yeah. Shaun’s plane got in hours ago,” Parker said.

“I had to stop by Laurel’s house.” I climbed out of the pool and grabbed a towel.

“For what?” Parker’s brows furrowed.

“To discuss Georgina’s case. Her bail hearing is tomorrow, and it’s not looking good.”

“What’s going on?” Roman asked.

“The cops found CC footage of her walking into the hotel with her husband. Also, several hotel workers confirmed she was with him. So, between the murder weapon, blood-stained dress, and footage, I have to come up with a clever way to prove she’s not a flight risk.”

“You’ll do it.” Parker patted my shoulder as I sat down.

“Since you went to Laurel’s, did you meet her daughters?” Roman asked.

“I did. Those little girls are monsters.”

“Why?” Parker chuckled.

“They were fighting and yelling.” I shook my head as I tipped the glass to my lips.

“That’s what kids do,” Roman said. “We did the same thing. Are we monsters?”

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