Private Affair | Book 3 of the Selected Series

Five

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Harry left the poker room with a headache, what he had heard still difficult to register. He almost had trouble walking, yet he had only had one glass of liquor, something that Louis caught on right as he saw him.

"Mate, where have you been? You alright?" The Duke had asked, eyeing his friend strangely and Harry gave him a tight smile, wishing to leave the casino immediately.

"I-I need to go." He said, while Louis kept on staring at him with question.

"Sure...Let me just get Liam, and then we're off." Harry sighed, telling him he'd be waiting for them in their car. Stepping outside the casino was relieving, he inhaled the fresh air to clear his head -and lungs- from this place. His mind was overwhelmed, thinking about what Dominik had told him. A feeling of dread settled in his stomach, it was almost suffocating. He couldn't believe it.

"Okay, let's go." He heard Louis voice behind him, the Duke dragging Liam with a tight grip around his elbow. He clearly looked drunk, probably having celebrated the acquisition of this place, and had the biggest grin on his face. Louis, on the other hand, did not seem as pleased for someone who had just won a deal. "Airport or hotel?" He asked Harry.

"Airport." He replied instantly, wanting to get back home as soon as possible. He couldn't leave his family alone with the demon anymore.

The first thing he did when arriving to the castle the next morning was to run into Madison's arms, engulfing her in a hug so tight she couldn't breathe. She flinched in surprise at first, but soon melted in his embrace. "Darling, is everything alright?" She murmured in his hair and he only replied with a moan, tightening his hold.

"Where's Rosalie?" Harry asked when he finally pulled away. A brief frown appeared on Mady's face, finding his attitude a little strange, and she could feel a certain tenseness in his posture.

"Your mother is walking her around the gardens, why?" His shoulders dropped in relief at her answer, his body relaxing, but it still irked her. "Harry? Where did you and Louis go?"

"Has Judith contacted any of you? She's still in her cell, right?" This deepened the frown on her face and she crossed her arms, inspecting him.

"What did you do?" His face fell in offence, and she merely raised a brow.

"Wha-What makes you think I did something?" He gasped and she rolled her eyes.

"Remember last time you went a on trip to Europe with Louis? Hmm?" She referenced and he gaped at her. She had a point, maybe Europe was officially cursed for him.

"How did you know we were in Paris?"

"You went to Paris?!" She gasped, and he swore, realizing he blew his cover. "What the hell were you doing there?"

"Nothing! Just business." He started walking down the hallway, mentally kicking himself in the leg because he knew Mady would not let this slide until she knew everything. "It was for Liam."

"Why did he need you there?" She followed him, both entering their private tea room and Harry collapsed on a couch.

"Moral support?" He tried and she squinted her eyes at him, not believing a word. He sighed, giving up, he was too tired to argue about this.

"He thought I would co-fund a purchase with him." He partially admitted, but she still looked unsure.

"Why would he think that?"

"Because I...sort of, mistakenly agreed on the phone? To be fair, you were distracting me so I didn't know what I had signed up for."

"Oh, you mean when I..."