CHAPTER HUNDRED AND FORTY-THREE

RICHARD’S POV

I pulled into the driveway, my head spinning. The Jade Plate fiasco had left me feeling like a total loser. I needed to regroup. As I walked through the front door, my mind raced with a hundred things at once. Mom’s surgery was coming up, and I needed to make sure everything at home was taken care of. The idea of hiring some housekeepers floated in my mind. I could use the help, and Mom would appreciate it.

Just as I was about to call an agency, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Amelia. What did she want now?

“Hey, Richard. I need some help. Can you meet me?”

Curious, I texted back. “Sure. What’s up?”

Her reply was quick but vague. “I’ll explain when you get here. It’s important.”

I frowned. Amelia was usually more straightforward. I grabbed my keys and headed out, her cryptic message playing on my mind. When I arrived at the address she gave me, I was surprised to find myself in front of a company building. Why here?

I walked in, scanning the lobby until I spotted Am