"Mr. Huber is hitting Keaton. Aren''t his parents going to step in?”

    "Ms. Sutton tried, but Mr. Sutton and Mrs. Sutton didn''t. They''re furious today."

    Elysia just couldn''t wrap her head around it. Weren''t sons-inw supposed to be like family? No matter how angry they were, could they really just stand by and let Keaton get beaten to death?

    How much resentment did they have?

    Did Keaton really do something so unforgivable?

    "Mr. Bradford, Mr. and Mrs. Huber are both in the chapel. Only the Suttons are in the living room. Should you-?"

    "We''ll go straight to the chapel," Tarquin said.

    "All right."

    The old butler hurriedly led Tarquin and the others through the estate.

    The Huber family chapel, just like the Bradfords'', was a standalone building tucked away at the back of the grounds.

    Even from a distance, they could hear the sharp crack of a wooden ruler pping against flesh.

    It sounded painful.

    Tarquin, Elysia, and Winona all looked grim.

    No exaggeration-Richard Huber really was beating Keaton within an inch of his life.

    Mrs. Huber was outside the chapel gates, sobbing, pleading one second and threatening the next.

    "...Richard, what''s done is done! Even if you beat your son to death, you can''t change the truth. I''m begging you, please stop..."

    "...Richard Huber, I swear, if you kill my son, I''ll die too! We''ll both leave you to your own misery, do you hear me? I mean it..."

    Tarquin stepped forward. "Janelle."

    Janelle saw Tarquin and rushed over.

    "Tarquin, you have to help! He''s lost it-he''s really going to kill Keaton, I swear..."

    "I''ll go in and talk to him. Elysia, Winona, stay with Janelle."

    Tarquin strode toward the gate, but two guards blocked his way.

    "Mr. Bradford, sir''s orders-no one goes in without permission..."

    Tarquin gave them a shove-not hard, just enough to knock them off bnce.

    "If Mr. Huber has a problem, tell him you couldn''t stop me. I forced my way in."

    With that, he pushed open the gate and headed for the chapel.

    Elysia and Winona helped Janelle to her feet, calling her name.

    Janelle finally noticed Elysia and Winona, quickly wiping her tears. "You... you''re here too?"

    "Jess called Tarquin, and we

    "

    happened to be with him,"

    said. "When we heard what

    happened to Keaton, we all came together."

    Despite her distress, Janelle pulled herself together—she was a society matron, after all, and manners mattered.

    She forced a polite smile, eyes still red. "I''m sorry to drag you into all this. And you''re... Ms. Newsom?"

    She recognized Elysia, but not

    Winona the Huber and Newsomet

    families didn''t mix, though Janelle

    had seen Winona

    the news.

    Winona introduced herself. "Hi

    I''m Elysia''s best friend-and also friends with Mr. Huber. Just call me Winona."

    Hearing that Winona was Elysia''s friend, Janelle immediately rxed a little.

    Birds of a feather flock together, she thought. Elysia was a good girl; her friends must be good too.

    Janelle had seen all the headlines about Winona and Zane Livingston. She couldn''t help but feel bad for her.

    Such a beautiful, smart young woman-how did she end up with a husband like that, and a mother-inw from hell?

    Thinking of Prisci, Janelle rolled her eyes.

    She''d never met Winona before, but she''d definitely encountered Prisci at a fewdies'' luncheons.

    They barely interacted, but honestly-Janelle couldn''t stand the woman. Not one

    bit.