Stella Lockwood understood the subtext. Her maternal grandfather was asking her to visit, not her mother. He was trying to ease the tension between them.
Normally, she would have refused outright. But at that moment, she recalled the clue she and Sean Quinn had uncovered—to retrieve those two chess pieces, she had to make a trip to the Vaughns' estate. However, given the deep-seated hatred between her and her mother, plus the ten years they'd had no contact, she couldn't appear too eager to seize this chance, no matter how much she wanted to. An act had to be convincing.
"Mr. Cam, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't go. There's no place for me at the Vaughns' home, and I couldn't care less about their approval. You should head back..." Stella Lockwood turned, smiling warmly at Lockwood. "Grandpa, you shouldn't be standing out here in your condition. Let's go back inside. I'm getting hungry."
