Chapter 1636: We’re not in any position to judge others.

With Charles and even Allison waking up in the middle of the night because of the commotion their sons had caused, they all gathered in the dining room.

Butler Jen casually served tea to everyone—though he added some soup specifically for Slater.

"Butler Jen, you’re the best," Slater beamed, while the butler simply offered a polite smile before moving on.

Meanwhile, Charles scanned all the faces at the table. His gaze lingered on Cassandra and Kiara for a moment longer before snapping back to his second son.

"Hugo, what is going on here?" Charles frowned. "I know love is love, but unless you have two hearts, how could you bring home two?"

Kiara and Cassandra winced at that remark, both tempted to correct the misunderstanding immediately. This wasn’t what they’d signed up for when Hugo proposed the idea. But before they could open their mouths, Hugo spoke first.

He sighed and shrugged. "What can I say? They can’t live without me—ah! Mom—ouch!"

Before Hugo could finish his arrogant remark, Allison had already pinched his ear and yanked it up. Despite being exhausted from worrying about her husband, she still found the energy to discipline her son properly.

"Hugo," Allison’s voice was colder than it had ever been, "you have two sisters—Nina and Penny. And if you truly respected me, your mother, you wouldn’t be doing something like this to these beautiful young ladies. You haven’t even had a proper relationship, and now you’re bringing two women home?"

"Ack! Mom! You’re going to peel my ear off!"

But Allison was unfazed, turning her stern gaze toward Cassandra and Kiara. "I’m really sorry about my son. But even if I try to understand this... relationship—"

"It’s not like that!" Kiara blurted out in a panic, waving both hands frantically while Cassandra shook her head.

Her face flushed bright red with embarrassment. Even if what she was saying was true, it was mortifying to think anyone believed they were in some kind of polygamous relationship.

She shot Hugo a death glare that clearly said, I hope she does peel your ear off.

Cassandra, equally mortified, huffed heavily as she shared Kiara’s suffering.

"Oh," Allison blinked in surprise, quickly letting go of Hugo’s ear. "Is that so?"

"Yes," Kiara breathed out, still flushed.

Meanwhile, Hugo rubbed his sore ear and pouted at his mother. "Mom, why would you do that to me? They really can’t live without me unless I help them find a place to stay."

Allison stared down at her son, wondering again why she’d ever imagined he could bring home even one woman, let alone two. Hugo couldn’t even capture a single woman’s heart—how was he going to handle two?

It was probably her worry over her husband that had made her act out of character tonight.

"Next time, say things properly," Allison scolded. "That kind of talk always leads to misunderstandings, Hugo. When will you learn?"

"But I am telling the truth," Hugo mumbled. "How does telling the truth lead to misunderstanding?"

At that point, Allison could only shake her head. She gave up.

As Allison settled into the seat near Cassandra and Kiara, Charles studied his sons. Atlas, as usual, acted completely detached. Hugo sat sulking, still rubbing his ear, and Slater was happily slurping his soup like none of this concerned him.

When Charles’s gaze settled again on Kiara and Cassandra, he tilted his head slightly, his attention lingering on Cassandra.

"Young lady, have we met before?" Charles asked, intrigued. "You seem familiar."

Cassandra bit her lip and rubbed the back of her neck. "Maybe, sir," she answered reluctantly. "But I think you recognize me... from the news."

"The news? Why?" Charles turned to Slater, pointing at his son. "Is she also a celebrity like this fool?"

Slater frowned mid-slurp, looking up at his father. "Dad, she’s not a celebrity—but she has been on the news recently. It’s about that human trafficking case."

As soon as those words left Slater’s mouth, Cassandra lowered her head, clasping her hands tightly in her lap. Her gut twisted painfully.

These were Nina’s family—the very people connected to the woman she had tried to scare off in such a cruel way.

She should’ve known Hugo’s suggestion was a terrible idea. But now it was too late. Everything had already spiraled out of control.

"Human trafficking..." Charles muttered, recalling the recent high-profile case involving a senator’s granddaughter.

Even Allison recognized the case immediately. Who hadn’t heard about it? It had been all over the news—impossible to ignore, even for those who tried.

"But... weren’t you supposed to be in jail?" Allison asked bluntly, tilting her head.

Kiara pressed her lips into a thin line and glanced worriedly at Cassandra, sensing her growing discomfort. She reached out and gently took her friend’s hand before facing Allison.

"She just got out tonight, Ma’am," Kiara answered politely. "Thanks to Hugo, who connected me with Attorney Grace, she was able to post bail."

"Grace?" Atlas arched a brow. "Grace took the case?"

Kiara nodded. "Thanks to her, Cassy is... out. Though it doesn’t necessarily mean she’s off the hook. But at least someone is believing in her innocence."

"I see," Allison responded, surprisingly calm. "That’s good, then."

Charles nodded. "Grace is a good lawyer. I’ve never understood why people call her a corporate lawyer when she’s clearly capable in every field."

"I’d argue that," Atlas chimed in coolly. "She doesn’t handle divorce cases well."

If she did, she would’ve resolved Penny and Zoren’s situation by now. In his view, those two should just finalize their divorce and focus on their work. They could always remarry later if they wanted.

Slater shrugged. "I think I’ll ask her to review my contract. James is taking too big of a cut."

"He’s barely getting twenty percent," Atlas retorted. "Might as well ask him to work for free."

Slater paused, seriously considering the idea. "First Brother, you’re right. I should just say that to him."

Meanwhile, Kiara and Cassandra exchanged bewildered glances, their brows raised at how casually these people discussed such matters. Butler Jen, standing nearby, couldn’t help but chuckle quietly at their reactions.

"Young lady," Charles addressed Cassandra again, smiling faintly. "If you’re innocent, don’t sit there with your head lowered. My son believed in you enough to take you to Grace. And if she picked up the case, that means Penny approved it, too. So..."

"Don’t worry about us," Allison finished her husband’s sentence, nodding in agreement. "We’re not in any position to judge others. Innocent until proven otherwise."

"Just don’t marry Hugo," Atlas added flatly before sipping his tea. "If you do, I’ll be judging you for the rest of your life."