66. Chapter 65
L ila smirked, leaning back into the couch with an air of satisfaction. "Well, that was entertaining."
Troy exhaled, rubbing his temples before glancing at Jenna. "Is there anything we haven't covered?"
Jenna looked back at him, one knee crossed over the other and her hands resting on her knee. Her expression was serene and maybe a little amused, "Nope, I think you were pretty spot on."
Lila chuckled. "Oh, there are a few minor details you missed out. Goodness me, this almost sounds like a board meeting. Good old days." Lila sighed dramatically. "It's good Jenna is here. Maybe she can talk some sense into you."
She shifted slightly, her gaze locking onto Troy. "We've grown up together. We have so many common interests. Your family loves me. I fit in seamlessly. Your kids admire me."
Troy grumbled under his breath. "Not as much anymore, I suspect."
Lila's lips tightened, but she powered on.
"Jenna, you cannot compete. You don't really believe we never slept together, do you?
All those dinners, all those trips. Do you really think nothing happened?
Men lie all the time and Troy tries to be an honourable man.
It would not look good if he abandoned you now that you are all used up. "
Jenna simply watched her, unreadable. Lila's smile sharpened.
"I heard you finally got your diploma...
And you have got yourself a little job. Congratulations.
But that hasn't cured you of your stupidity.
You are still so blind to what is in front of you.
Why do you still cling to him when you know you are surplus to requirements? "
Troy's face darkened, his hands curling into fists. "You know that's not true. I have never so much as looked at you in that manner. Why are you lying?" His voice carried a note of desperation as if needing Jenna to see through it.
Jenna tilted her head, her expression still thoughtful. She had known Lila long enough to recognize her tactics. "I'm actually surprised," she mused, her voice almost amused. "I half-expected you to show up claiming to be pregnant with Troy's baby."
Lila's smirk grew, a cruel glint in her eye. "Funny you should say that. I am. And it's Troy's."
Jenna's lips parted slightly, then she shook her head, laughing softly. "Lila, you can't be that stupid. That's an easy lie for us to catch you out on."
Lila shrugged. "Only if I allow you to do a DNA test. And you'll need my permission for that. I won't ask for child support, and I won't allow a paternity test. You'll always wonder."
Troy looked thoughtful. "How far along are you?"
Lila hesitated for the briefest second before answering, "Six weeks."
Jenna caught it-the hesitation, the way Lila's fingers clenched into her palm.
And then there it was, the smallest twitch at the corner of her eye.
Jenna almost smiled. She had dealt with Lila long enough to know this was her tells.
Every time Lila lied, her eye twitched, just the slightest flicker, but Jenna had learned to catch it.
Troy was staring at Lila, his expression blank and cold.
For a brief moment, Jenna mistook it for indifference.
But then, something clicked. This wasn't apathy-it was fear.
The same fear she had seen before when he felt trapped.
He wasn't dismissing the situation; he was bracing himself for the worst. Jenna recognized the signs immediately.
Jenna leaned forward, her voice cool and measured. "Lila, you should seriously consider the stage. You are wasted on IT."
Lila's composure faltered, her breath hitching in a way that wasn't quite steady. "Wh-what?"
Jenna tilted her head, studying her. "You look a wreck, Lila.
Those dark shadows under your eyes. You have lost weight.
This little act is wearing you down, isn't it?
" She paused. "Troy has been holed up next door for a little more than eight weeks, and we have very nosy neighbours.
You can't take a leak without the neighbours knowing.
A beautiful woman like you would have been noticed coming or going.
Just do the math. Are you sure you didn't get drunk and confuse one Bradshaw brother for another? "
Lila's lower lip trembled, but now there was something else in her expression-fear.
She quickly stepped in, her voice rising dramatically as if she didn't hear a word Jenna said.
"If Troy doesn't do the right thing, my child will be cut out of the inheritance!
There's a clause in the family trust-if the parents aren't married, the child gets nothing. "
Troy growled, "Then you should be talking to the father of your child, not me."
Jenna let out a short, humourless laugh. "How convenient," she murmured. "An archaic trust clause that just happens to support this entire ridiculous charade."
Lila turned to Troy, her voice filled with righteous indignation. "You have an obligation, Troy. This is your flesh and blood. "
"Lila, I don't know what I have ever done to make you hate me like this," he said, voice tired but resolute.
"I really don't. We have grown up together.
You were like an annoying little sister to me, just like Eleanor.
I don't know when you changed into this person I don't recognise or why.
But I need you to leave and never come back. "
Lila, still shaking, looked between them, her mask slipping further. "I-I didn't-"
"Lila, as your brother's best friend, listen to me. Get some professional help," Troy said, not even looking at her.
Lila's confidence finally shattered, and her act dropped entirely. Her face contorted in fury as she hissed, "This is not the last of this."
Troy's expression didn't waver. "Yes, it is. I'm going to speak to my lawyer. If you come within a mile of me or Jenna, or try to disrupt our life one more time, I am getting a restraining order."
Lila's jaw clenched, but she said nothing. Instead, she turned sharply on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Silence fell over the room. Jenna exhaled slowly, feeling the weight lift. Troy ran a hand over his face, his entire body sagging.
He moved first, pouring himself a whiskey. Without a word, Jenna took the decanter from his hand and poured one for herself. Their eyes met as they clinked their glasses together.
"It's not my kid, you know," Troy muttered, still shaken.
Jenna replied wryly. "I know. Unless you teleported your sperm into her."Troy let out a low chuckle, shaking his head and Jenna joined in.
The first real laugh between them in what felt like years. The silence that followed wasn't heavy or charged-it was understanding. Jenna set her glass down, watching Troy carefully .
"I think that beautiful bed upstairs is asking to be christened" she asked, her voice soft but sure.
Troy's eyes flickered with surprise, "Jenna, don't say that if you don't mean it. And I really really need you to mean it. I am tired of cold showers "
" Sometimes I can be serious" Jenna smiled playfully. His eyes flashed with something unreadable before he nodded and let her take his hand. This wasn't forgiveness. This wasn't a fix. But it was something. And for now, it was enough.