Page 100 of Begin Again, Part 2

After minutes of fruitless searching, Eden stepped into the walk-in closet and threw on one of Liam's work shirts. Surely he wouldn't mind, she thought as she buttoned it up and returned to the bedroom.

She was crawling on all fours, scanning under the bed for her clutch, convinced Liam had slipped her glasses in there, when Mrs Stone waltzed in with a severe scowl on her face, a weekender bag in one hand and Aiden's backpack in the other. She nodded curtly in Eden's direction, pursing her lips. "Missus, did you have a good sleep?"

"Yes, I did, thank you," Eden replied as she stood up and stared at her bare feet. They were far less frightening than the look of disapproval in the other woman's eyes.

"Please call me Eden," she said as an afterthought, squinting at the housekeeper.

Mrs Stone handed the bags to her. "Mr Anderson asked us to bring these up. He's made space for you in his walk-in closet. But if you need more room once you move in, you are welcome to use the closets in the guest rooms."

Still squinting, Eden took them and smiled. "Thank you. Do you know where Mr Anderson left my clutch? I can't find it anywhere."

Mrs Stone didn't return her smile. Her eyes remained as hard as the emerald stone in Cleopatra's ring Liam had fought so hard to win in the auction. She was a pretty woman, with blonde curls framing her small heart-shaped face. The scarlet lipstick splashed on her bow-shaped lips brought out the green in her eyes. But something about her, a familiarity Eden couldn't put her finger on, made her uneasy.

"No, I haven't seen your bag." Mrs Stone gave her one last brisk nod and spun on her heel, her mouth still drawn in a thin line of displeasure. At the door, she turned and said, "Perhaps you shouldn't drink so much."

"Excuse me?" Eden was stunned by her frankness. She was well aware that she shouldn't touch alcohol, especially when Liam was around since he'd proven to be her kryptonite after one too many drinks. But it wasn't the housekeeper's place to bring it up.

"You threw up all over Mr Anderson and ruined his clothes. It will take a few washes to get the smell of your vomit out—"

Eden held up her hand to silence her. She didn't need a blow by blow replay of her poor life choices. She was no heavyweight when it came to alcohol. But she could certainly hold her own. The three glasses of champagne she had last night were not responsible for the mess she left in Matthew's car. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience I caused last night. I'll replace Mr Anderson's shirt."

Mrs Stone scoffed as she casually draped her hands over her narrow hips. "There's no need, dear. Besides, I doubt you can afford it."

"Is there a problem?" Eden asked. She was done dancing around the woman's hostility. She'd sensed Mrs Stone's disdain the moment she walked through the door, but for the life of her, she couldn't understand why. They'd barely talked the last two times they met.

Lacing her hands in front of her, Mrs Stone laughed scornfully. "Of course not, dear. Why would there be a problem?"

"I'm sensing you're upset with me. Did I offend you in some way?" Eden asked.

"My Laura has far more class and grace than you!" Mrs Stone spat at her, her mouth twisting into a snarly smile. "Why did you come back? You've ruined my baby's life. You should have stayed gone. You are nothing but trouble, and you'll be sorry you messed with my daughter."

Before Eden could ask her what she meant, Mrs Stone had already slipped out of the door, leaving her reeling.

"Shit!" She tossed the bags on Liam's bed, joining them a moment later. No wonder Mrs Stone looked familiar. She was Laura's mother. Liam's ties to his ex were far deeper than he'd let on, and Eden wanted no part of this hot mess. There was no way she'd stay here and take all this resentment.

She grabbed her phone and tackled all her problems one at a time, starting with a call to Brenda. She spent a few minutes assuring the nanny she was okay, and she and Aiden would be home in no time.

Brenda sounded concerned, scared almost. "Are you sure it's safe for you to be out and about? Maybe you should stay at the penthouse?"

"Did something happen?" Eden asked, trying to figure out how much of their entanglement with the Russian mob Liam had told the nanny last night.

"No, nothing happened," Brenda said. "I'm just worried about you, that's all, after the stuff on—never mind. Let's chat when you get here, and Edie, be careful."

"I'll be there in an hour or so. I need to get Aiden ready." Eden stared at her phone for a bit after they hung up, her stomach twisting in knots. It wasn't like Brenda to be so...anxious.

"No need to panic. She's just a mother hen, that's all," Eden told herself as she sent a check-in text in the group chat, assuring everyone she was still alive and well and floating on cloud nine. Her friends were all online, and within seconds the chat exploded.

Sisi:And so you should be.

King Lydia:Especially after your knight in shining armour carried you out of the venue.

Cassie:And whisked you off on his white horse.

St. Eden:What are you talking about?

King Lydia:You poor girl, you haven't seen it?

Sisi:You should have told me you planned to use your damsel in distress card. I would have been ready with my camera. Scandal's beat us to the hottest gossip in town now. But seriously, Edie, why didn't you tell me Liam's seeing a therapist? And now Claire's grinning like a Cheshire cat because she's got the biggest scoop.

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