Chapter 54
Fifty- Four
“Sometimes perfume smells sweet at first, but under it all, you could smell the rot.” Aria Boschett.
“Ms. Boschett. A Mrs. O’Connor and her daughter are requesting permission to enter the tower.” George White, Chester’s replacement and very much a product of Cyan’s tightened security, sounds crisp on the other end.
“Who? I don’t know anybody named Mrs. O’Connor,” I say, already moving to hang up, but George’s rushed reply stops me.
“She said it’s Lucilla and Evie. Mrs. O’Connor says she’s here to see Thomas, but he’s not answering his phone, and she needs to drop off Evie.
” What the hell is she doing in Boston, away from the safety of the Crescent Bay estate?
With all the shit going on with Lorenzo, I can’t risk her wandering around the city with Evie in tow.
I know Thomas is with Cyan and the guys, so she and Evie will have to stay here, though Lucilla staying will be awkward.
“Sure. Let them up,” I reply. The thought of Evie alone with her half-drunk mother makes my decision a no-brainer.
I call out to the girls, “Hey, Rosa, Lucilla’s here with Evie.
I see Gracie’s body tense, her shoulders inching upward at the announcement.
““She’s coming up.” I scan my palm to activate the elevator.
We’re all sitting on the couch when the elevator dings.
As the doors slide open, Evie bursts out.
Beside me, Gracie goes even more rigid. Lucilla struts in wearing spray-painted-on jeans, a barely-there crop top, and sky-high heels.
Evie’s little backpack dangles off her arm like an accessory.
I don’t know how she hasn’t broken an ankle yet.
“Thanks, princess, for taking her. I’m not staying.
” She digs through her purse, her voice already a bit slurry.
Great, she’s started drinking early. “I’m heading out with my girls tonight.
Elana needs a bit of cheering up,” she adds without looking up, pulling out what looks like lipstick.
Of course, those are her priorities: vodka, lipstick, child.
In that order. Reaching the living area she glances up.
Her eyes widen with genuine surprise when she sees Gracie.
Her mouth parts a bit before she masks her reaction with a bright, artificial smile, slipping into performance mode.
“Why, Gracie? I wasn’t aware you were back in town.
You could’ve at least called your best friend.
” Her smile stretches as she saunters closer, tossing Evie’s backpack onto the couch and crossing her arms. “We haven’t seen each other in what, almost seven years?
Right around the time I married Thomas.”
“Come, Evie. Want some yogurt? I think there’s mango in the entertainment room,” Rosa says as she quickly rises and takes the little girl’s hand.
“Yay!” Evie squeals. “Mango!”
“Your favorite,” Rosa replies with exaggerated cheer. The second Evie’s gone, the mood in the room drops ten degrees.
Gracie’s glare could cut glass. “We aren’t best friends, Lucilla. I was your friend. You weren’t mine. A best friend doesn’t screw the other’s man.”
“Damnnn,” Tasha blurts out.
“Oh my,” Saaha gasps, fiddling with the end of her braid.
Lucilla doesn’t miss a beat. “Ooh, low blow, Gracie. Still bitter, huh? But I didn’t drag him into my bed; he came willingly. Guess you couldn’t keep him satisfied. My body gave him what yours lost.”
“Da fuck,” Tasha mutters, and Saaha gasp in disbelief. Gracie’s face goes slack with pain, her eyes filling with tears as her breathing turns shallow.
Tasha and Saaha rise together like synchronized guards.
After the club, I learned that Saaha’s personality is similar to Tasha’s.
Things are about to be bad for Lucilla. At this moment, I don’t like her.
Throwing a Gracie’s heartbreak in her face that is a real low blow.
I want nothing more than to let this situation play out.
The universe knows she’s earned it. But Evie doesn’t deserve to watch her mom get stomped, and this is my home.
I stand, walk over to Lucilla, and drag her skanky, half-drunken ass to the elevator before she can mouth off again.
“Leave. Now.”
“What?” She asks. Lucilla has no clue how close she is to getting her throat punched.
“You heard me. Get the fuck out.”
“Fuck you, Princess.” Her voice shifts from bitter to ugly.
“Just wait. Your time is coming. You don’t command me; you’re beneath me.
” Her eyes lock on mine, unblinking, and for a second, I swear I see venom twisted there and then it’s gone, replaced by the ghost of a smile.
The elevator doors close behind her with a ding far too cheerful for the tension she’s left behind.
“She’s gonna end up on Dateline,” Tasha mutters.
“Or behind bars,” Saaha adds with a scoff.
We all stare at the closed doors. That woman’s a loaded gun with a loose safety.