Page 12 of The Billionaire's Betrayal
My heart melted.
"Hi, Lily, it’s so good to see you too."
"Liliane, show some restraint," her mother scolded, lips pinched, clearly displeased with her daughter’s affection toward me.
"Let her breathe.Can’t you see you’re suffocating her?"Henri de La Tour interjected."Hello, Eva," he added kindly, ignoring his wife’s outraged expression.
"Hello, Mr.de La Tour.How are you?"
"Doing well, doing well," he said jovially."Come, the aperitif is ready.We were just waiting for you to begin."
"As if you actually waited," his wife muttered scornfully."You already reek of alcohol."
"It’s the only thing that makes your company bearable," he shot back venomously.
"Enough, both of you!"Tristan snapped, exasperated."How can you talk like this in front of Lily?"
"Don’t waste your breath, Tristan," his sister sighed."I gave up hoping for better a long time ago.Come on," she added brightly, though the enthusiasm was forced, "I helped the chef prepare the hors d'oeuvres.You have to try them!"
Lunch was tense.Judith de La Tour was particularly sharp today.Between her barbs at her husband, she also threw a few pointed remarks my way.That was new.Until now, she had refrained from openly criticizing me in front of others.Apparently, that restraint was gone.
Tristan tried to keep the peace, changing the subject or pretending not to hear to avoid escalating the situation.But I was disappointed.I knew he loved his mother and avoided conflict with her because she wasn’t well, but I still felt betrayed.If the roles were reversed, I would never allow a family member to disrespect him.And the longer the meal dragged on, the more my patience wore thin.
"It’s remarkable how Tristan's success has opened doors," Judith remarked, looking at me over the rim of her glass."Some people know how to seize opportunities."
That was the last straw.Twelve years of patience shattered.
"Opportunism isn't really my strength, Mrs.de La Tour.I prefer to build rather than wallow in bitterness."
I regretted the words the moment they left my mouth.
This was why I avoided speaking in anger.I had a gift for reading people, for spotting their vulnerabilities, and exploiting them was effortless.
A heavy silence fell over the table.Judith's expression turned ghostly, and guilt twisted in my chest.
"I apologize," I added quickly."I didn’t mean to hurt you."
"Of course, you did," she replied icily, though her pride was clearly shaken.
The silence stretched until Lily finally spoke.
"Do you think, Eva, that I could intern with you at Community Pilot?"
My heart melted for this young girl.I would be forever grateful to her for dissipating that terrible moment.
"It would be my pleasure," I replied.
I welcomed the end of the meal with relief.At Madame de La Tour’s suggestion, we went for a walk in the rose garden.Henri declined the offer, just as his wife had hoped.
I followed along, though I wished I were anywhere else.Tristan walked ahead with his mother, the two of them speaking in hushed tones, while I strolled beside an unusually pensive Lily.
"Don’t worry about my mother," Lily said."You did nothing but tell the truth."
"Maybe, but there’s no pride in deliberately hurting someone.I regret it sincerely."
Lily looked at me gently."You’re a good person, Eva.Just because you lose your temper sometimes doesn’t erase who you are the rest of the time."
I smiled at her, grateful for her efforts to pull me from my guilt.Tristan had remained eerily silent after my outburst, and I knew I would have to apologize to him, too.I understood how deeply he cared for his mother, despite what she had become.
