Chapter 36
By the time he finished talking, he let out a heavy sigh, his voice laced with weariness
E suddenly remembered that he had turned 55 this year. The gray at his temples had grown noticeably thicker, and he now made regular trips to the salon to dye his hair.
The father who had raised me was aging. Even though he wasn’t my biological father, and despite the hurt he had caused me in the past, I couldn’t help but soften when he pleaded for me to join him on his birthday
It was
was just one meal, after all. That was about as muchi I could offer him at this point. “Alright,” I agreed softly. “Are we eating at home?”
His face lit up instantly. “At Sophie Hotel Il text you the exact address in a bit, he said with a wide grin.
On Tuesday. I arrived at Sophie Hotel as promised. The moment I stepped out of the elevator. I knew something was banquet hall, a welcome signs read. Celebrating the 55th Birthday of Elijah Flinton,
e was off. At the entrance to the
I stepped into the banquet hall and immediately frowned. The “small family dinner” my father had mentioned had turned into a grand birthday party
“Natalia, you’re here! My father spotted me and quickly came over with my mother. He took my arm and ushered me through a crowd of guests, introducing me as their daughter along the way
As we walked, my mother chimed in, her voice deliberately casual. “Why didn’t Quinn come with you?”
Iwas speechless. My dad butted in, ‘Quinn called. He’s swamped with work at Madden Group and said he’d come by later. But I told him to chill out and focus on work. Besides, having Natalia here is all I need”
Achill ran through me. Their little exchange was so practiced, I couldn’t help but wonder how many times they’d rehearsed it.
My father had lied to me. He’d taken advantage of my soft spot to trick me into coming. The real purpose of this event was to leverage Quinn’s name and use me as a pawn to secure more business for Hinton Group. After the gala, everyone still thought we were happily married.
“Elijah, you’re so lucky to have such a beautiful daughter and a son–in–law like Mr. Madden someone gushed.
I could feel the weight of curious eyes on me, scrutinizing every move.
크
I narrowed my eyes at my father, whose smile faltered as he avoided my gaze. A cold wave of realization swept over me, leaving me numb
I turned to leave, but my mother grabbed my hand. She patted it with a smile and said sweetly. “Natalia, come help me take a photo with the other
Before I could refuse, she dragged me toward a private room. Just before she pushed the door open, her warm expression vanished, replaced by a sharp glare. She leaned in, her tone low and threatening, “No matter what, you’re still my daughter. If the Hinton family is humiluted, don’t think you’ll excape unscathed.”
“So your plan is to use me until I’m completely worthless?” I asked butterly-
Her face darkened, clearly not
y not expecting me to push back. For a moment, I thought she might actually slap me if we weren’t in public.
Instead, she sneered, “You should be grateful you still have value.” With that, she fixed her smile, opened the door, and led me inside.
The room was filled with elegantly dressed women, many of whom I recognized from the charity gala. Among them was a striking woman in a green. Neglanan–style gown. Her perfect skin and almond–shaped eyes gave her an effortless charm that was impossible to ignore
“This is my daughter, Natal, my mother said, her tone proud as she introduced me
The woman smiled warmly at me. “Hello, I’m Shirley,” she said, her voice as gentle as her demeanor.
Shirley’s eyes seemed to sparkle with kindness, making her instantly likable. I couldn’t help but relax a little. “Nice to meet you,” I replied politely
My mother pulled me to sit beside Shirley. As the women chatted about designer handbags, yachts, and vacation homes, I found myself zoning out.
Shirley leaned in, her voice a playful whisper. “Bored, aren’t you? How about we team up and sneak out!”
1 blinked at her, surprised. Before Lcould say anything, she gave me a sly wink
She
picked up a coffee cup and “accidentally” spilled it on her gown. “Oh not” she exclaimed, drawing everyone’s attention.
My mother rashed over, looking hauered. “I’ll have someone bring a clean dress right away?”
Shirley waved her off with a sheepish smile. That won’t be necessary. I’m a bit tired anyway. I’ll just head home and change. Sorry for the trouble,
veryone. Il host a gathering myself another day.”
1/2
11:51 AM
Chapter 16
She shot me a look, and 1 seized the opportunity 17 giv
– you a ride home” |
-ft the hall together.
“Thank you, dear. That would be lovely, Shirley said.
we were in the car, Shirley let mit a big sigh. “You don’t seem to be having much from Ireased
she chuckled, shaking her head. “Blame my husband. He’s worried I’ll get bored since I’m new to Enacheter, so he keeps pushing me to socialize But spending hours with women who only talk about handbags and jewelry makes my head spint
Her candor was refreshing. It was clear she was deeply loved, which probably explained how she still had such a genuine personality
Realizing she might have been too blunt, she added, “I didn’t mean anything against your mother, of course”
I laughed. “No need to apologize. I completely agree with you”
After dropping Shirley off at her house, she took off her diamond bracelet and slipped it onto my wrist.
“Mr. Smith, what are you doing?” I asked, startled. The bracelet looked expensive.
“Think of it as a little thank you for driving me home. Consider it a gift from an old lady,” she said with a wink. “And if you don’t mind hanging out with someone my age. let’s go shopping or grab lunch together sometime,”
With that she got out of the car, leaving me with a smile.
That night, just as f drifted off to sleep, my phone rang. “Where are you?” Quinn’s voice was low and steady.
Jur home. Wh
I mumbled, barely awake.
There’s an emergency meeting. Come to the office now,” he said, leaving no room for argument.
