Chapter 9
COLTON
Really? I silently questioned the universe. You couldn’t give me one day!
Every time I thought I was coming to terms with my chaotic mess of a life, I got completely totalled by a hidden landmine that I never saw coming.
Eloise—or Grandma, whoever the fuck she was—stared up at me with such a yearning expression that I couldn’t just tell her to piss off. What if she started sobbing? Or worse, what if she collapsed from shock or something? She looked frail, and I didn’t want to call an ambulance.
I was guided back to the booth we’d just vacated, and I was so caught up in my head that by the time I was sitting across from dear old Nana, Avery was bidding me a farewell and walking out the door.
Darcy soon took a second round of drink orders, then we were left alone.
Eloise kept staring, her gaze catching on each and every feature, as if cataloguing them into her core memory.
I cleared my throat. “Ah, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I didn’t know you existed. Why did my mother never tell me about you?”
She flinched, as if caught off guard by my direct questioning. A spark of guilt registered, but not enough to retract the words. I may have been young, but I had endured much those past few years that shaped me into the wary person I’d become.
With all the misery I’d experienced in my short life, I was adamant not to waste any more. I strived to be honest and loyal to those who deserved it. Hence why I judged others by the same standards.
Eloise bowed her head. “Colton, first off, please accept my deepest condolences. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
A twinge of discomfort ignited, making me grimace. “What do you want?” I asked, unintentionally blunt.
“I want to apologise to your father and make amends.”
“For what?”
“It’s a long story.”
“We’ve got time,” I said, flitting a hand to the twenty-four-hour sign above our heads.
I wasn’t budging. No half-truths, no secrets, or I was happy to walk.
She seemed to read my resolve, then inhaled a large breath. “Otto and I married young. After many years of trying, we finally fell pregnant with Bethany, our baby girl and only child. She was our everything, and we were hers… Until she met William.”
I lifted my chin, encouraging her to go on.
“Long story short, Otto didn’t like them together, which caused a rift between us. She loved William. We underestimated how much.”
“Why didn’t he approve of Da—William?” Hopefully, she didn’t catch that slip.
“To be frank, Otto believed he didn’t meet the calibre or standards that fit the Tems name.”
“In other words, he was poor?”
Her mask dropped in shame when she gave a subtle nod. “Yes.”
“What happened?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.
Her stare clouded over in memory. “Otto forbade her to see him again and inevitably gave her an ultimatum, us or him.”
I already knew who she chose. “And where were you in all of this? Completely blameless? An innocent bystander?”
“I wish I was innocent. But I was just as guilty as Otto.” I tilted my head, reluctantly respecting her candour.
“I come from a generation and background where you respect your husband and stick by him in all ways, even when you disagree. Please don’t take that as me trying to make up excuses.
It was my authentic life, the way I was brought up, how everyone around me lived.
I thought I was doing the right thing and protecting my girl. ”
“And in the end, you lost your daughter.”
“Yes. Then I lost my daughter,” she said, tone heavy with sorrow.
“Where is he now? Your husband?”
“Gone. He passed ten years ago, riddled with regret. I don’t want to live the rest of my days feeling the same. Hence why I’m here.”
Darcy interrupted us, placing my coffee and Eloise’s pot of tea in the middle of the table. I welcomed the minor distraction, giving myself an extra few seconds to process all that had been said.
“Why’d you come to me? Why not go straight to William?”
Eloise tended her tea before answering. “I’ve wanted to apologise for years, but Beth barred me from ever contacting him.
In the end, I truly didn’t want to add to his pain…
William didn’t inform me of her death or her funeral.
” A couple of silent tears tracked down her cheeks as she pushed on.
“I found out my daughter had departed this earth by reading the morning newspaper. I knew then that William was so hurt by our past that he may never forgive me, let alone agree to meet up.”
This is all too much.
Did Eloise deserve to be secluded from Mum’s funeral? I wasn’t there to witness their tumultuous history, so I couldn’t say.
But one fact rang true and haunting: William had denied access to his wife’s own mother, yet backed Nikita, Mum’s best friend, who had betrayed her in the worst way.
By that single factor, I knew I couldn’t trust his reasoning or fucked-up sense of logic. Which meant I had to form my own opinion.
I blew on my hot drink before taking a gulp.
“Hmm. I won’t lie, I’m a bit overwhelmed.
Still, you’ve managed to give it to me straight.
So, I guess you deserve the same in return.
I can’t and won’t be the middleman between you and William.
” She blanched, taken aback by my cold delivery.
“But I’m willing to get to know you, on my terms and in my own time. If that doesn’t work for you—”
“It works,” she rushed, before giving a timid smile.
“I may be old and late, but I like to think that I’ve learnt something from all this grief.
My stubborn nature made me miss valuable time with my daughter.
Time I’ll never get back. I want to change for the better.
To make amends to you, and especially to William. ”
“I can understand that,” I said, downing the rest of my coffee. My emotional battery was running low, energy waning from the onslaught of information.
She seemed to notice, her features morphing in guilt. “I’m nearly finished. There’s just one more thing I want to discuss. Something important. Please don’t take this as a bribe or blackmail, as the end result will remain the same, no matter your choices moving forward.”
Now, that doesn’t sound ominous at all. I lifted a brow in question.
Eloise huffed, twisting her fingers together. “Since you are the last remaining descendent of the Tems, you will inherit everything, Colton. My will has already been drawn up with Thomas, our family attorney.”
Why am I speechless? Why did she make it sound like such a big deal?
With a dry mouth, I managed to ask, “Everything. What does that mean?”
“It means that, upon my death, the entire family fortune will be passed on to you… An empire worth $40 million dollars.”