"It’s my fault," Isabel whispered. "I know why he’s doing this, Lyvana. It’s because I couldn’t give him a son."
Lyvana shook her head.
"Isabel, don’t say that. That’s not enough reason to betray one’s family."
"Isn’t it?" Isabel looked up, her eyes red and watery. "You know how much he cares about the family na. He wants an heir. Soone to carry on the legacy. Every ti he looks at , I see the disappointnt. He thinks I failed him."
Lyvana felt so angry, Isabel had always tried so hard to be the perfect wife, keeping the house spotless and attending every boring event by her father’s side. To hear her bla herself for his cheating made Lyvana’s blood boil.
"He is the one who failed, not you," Lyvana said firmly. "Wanting a son doesn’t give him the right to act like this. He’s a grown man, Isabel. He is making a foolish choice."
Isabel just shook her head, clutching a lace handkerchief.
"Yes, but... you don’t understand the pressure he feels. My problem is why would he do it so openly... to let a private investigator catch him easily... it’s like he doesn’t even care if I know."
Lyvana looked back at the photo of her father smiling in the hallway. She knew he wasn’t under any pressure. He had simply forgotten he had a family waiting for him at ho.
"Why don’t you just confront him."
"If I do that now, everything changes. The house, the life I’ve built... it all vanishes. I need to figure out my next move before he knows I’ve caught him."
"What do you plan to do then?" Lyvana asked.
"I need to know who she is."
Bam. Lyvana knew what she had to do.
"I can help you," she said, her mind already racing.
In her previous life, she had been a victim of this scandal. This ti, she would be the architect of it’s fallout.
She knew exactly who the mistress was and where she lived. Her na was Elena and she was far more dangerous than Isabel realized. Elena wasn’t just a mistress; she was a professional con artist.
"You?" Isabel wiped her eyes, looking surprised. "You usually just stay out of our business without interfering."
Yes, that might have been true. She wasn’t exactly close to her father because he had always wanted a son, not her.
"Things are different now, Isabel," Lyvana said. "Our family na is in danger, and I have ways to help that I didn’t have before."
Isabel wiped her eyes and nodded. "I would like that, a lot. Anyway, enough about our problems, your handso investor is coming over tonight, right? I need to start preparing."
And just like that, her sadness was gone. She was already thinking about the dinner. How does she do it. It was strange to see how fast this woman could hide her sadness, behind the duties of a hostess. For Isabel, the perfect life was a shield, even if it was currently crumbling.
Lyvana watched quietly as she stood up and smoothed out her silk dress.
Later that night, the atmosphere at the Glowen estate was very warm. Julian arrived exactly on ti, looking effortlessly sharp. Lady Glowen greeted him with a wide smile, her eyes sparkling with approval.
She spent most of the al praising his poise and, of course, his connection to the Duchess.
"I still can’t believe the Duchess is your godmother," Lady Glowen gushed, her eyes sparkling. "She is my absolute favorite human being. It says so much about your character, Julian."
Damon, sitting at the other end of the table, cleared his throat. He looked a bit distracted, his eyes darting toward his phone every few minutes.
Lyvana sat across from them, watching the exchange. He chard her grandmother with grace and navigated her father’s business grilling with surgical precision.
"The plan for Aurora is built on market scarcity, Damon," Julian said, his voice smooth and cold. "We aren’t selling clothes; we’re selling the entry point into a specific, high-society lifestyle. By keeping supply low and prestige high, we ensure the profit margins remain at a premium. It’s a mathematical certainty."
Damon set his phone down and turned to Julian with a greedy kind of excitent. "Scarcity and legacy... you’re a strategist. I see why my daughter chose you. It’s rare to find soone who understands the weight of a family na. What made you invest into Aurora."
"To be honest, Damon? She was very convincing," Julian said turning to Lyvana with a smirk. "And she absolutely wouldn’t take no for an answer. I realized very quickly that, I’d save myself a whole lot of trouble by investing in her company."
A round of light laughter broke out around the table. Even Lady Glowen chuckled, tapping her wine glass.
"That sounds like my Lyvana," she teased. "Once she sets her mind on a goal, the rest of us just have to do whatever she says to achieve it."
"What about the legal protections, Lyvana?" Damon asked. "With any growing brand, you’ll have people trying to copy your work."
"We’ve already filed the patents and trademarks globally," Lyvana replied. "Julian has a legal team that specializes in this, and they’ve been working with our Legal team. We have made it very expensive for anyone to copy our work."
Damon nodded approvingly.
"We have already started the plans for the first building on Elm street." Lyvana continued. "Maybe you both would like to see it when the full plans are ready."
Lady Glowen smiled warmly.
"We would love that Liv. Julian, I must say, your influence on my granddaughter’s business sense is already showing."
"I absolutely agree," Damon added. "This is exactly what this family needs. Perhaps we could discuss a few things related to Montclair holdings. I would appreciate your perspective on a few issues."
Lyvana gave Julian a smile. He seed to have chard both her grandmother and her father all at once.
Damon was beaming, already thinking about what this could an for the company.
"To the future of Aurora and the Montclair legacy," Damon said, raising his crystal glass.
Everyone drank.
As Lyvana set her glass down, she noticed Julian’s phone vibrate on the table.
User Comments
0 comments from readers