Mrs. Donovan rushed out, clutching a handful of fresh vegetables. "Mrs. Potts, what are you hollering about now?"
Seeing Xavier and Norah, Mrs. Potts looked even more enraged. "Call your whole family out! Get Dylan too! We're catching some dirty, two-faced scumbags today!"
Mrs. Donovan looked bewildered. Scumbags?
Soon, everyone was gathered in the ground-floor living room. Mrs. Potts slammed her phone down on the table, displaying a photo. "See for yourselves!"
Norah instantly spotted Xavier in the picture, as well as herself.
It was from Sunday, when the four of them had been eating at the hotel. In the photo, Warren Wallace was handing Xavier a box of tea.
"Look at this! Just look at it!" Mrs. Potts, already a loud woman, practically spat in her fury. "These two took bribes from the hotel people and sold your family out! And you're still treating them like honored guests! They have no conscience!"
The Donovans stared at the photo, completely shocked.
Dylan had gone to the hotel to speak with the manager before, so he immediately recognized Warren.
Norah was furious. "Where did you get that picture? Who sent it to you?"
"That's none of your business!" Mrs. Potts roared back. "You outsiders need to get the hell out of here and stop meddling in our affairs!"
The Donovans picked up the phone to study the photo closely.
"Xavier asked a friend for a favor," Norah explained quickly. "His friend got in touch with the project manager, Mr. Wallace. Mr. Wallace agreed not to demolish the B&B, and we were just treating him to a meal as a thank-you. We already told you about this. As for that bag, it had tea in it. The tea is still in the car. I can go get it if you don't believe me!"
Dylan set the phone down, his expression serious. "I believe Xavier."
This was his brother's friend. He trusted him.
"We trust Xavier too," Dylan's parents chimed in simultaneously.
Mrs. Potts was practically vibrating with rage. "He took a bribe to sell you out, and you still believe him? Are you out of your minds?"
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