Chapter 90
Chapter 90:
Jocelyn touched the Patek Philippe on her wrist. She felt a strange ache in her chest. She wished, just for a moment, that the dragon and the princess weren’t just roles they were playing.
Two days later, the bubble burst.
Jocelyn was in her office, sneezing. Her head felt as though it had been stuffed with cotton wool. The aftermath of the hypothermia, combined with the stress of the last few weeks, had finally caught up with her immune system.
“You look terrible,” Harvey commented, placing a cup of hot tea with lemon on her desk.
“Thanks for the confidence boost,” Jocelyn croaked. She grabbed a tissue. “Just a cold. I’m fine p>
Her phone rang. She glanced at the screen. Golden Horizon Care Facility.
Adrenaline spiked through her feverish haze. “Is it Grandma p>
She answered immediately. “Hello? Is she okay p>
“Mrs. Collins,” the nurse’s voice was tight, anxious. “Your mother is here. Elouise Stein. She’s… causing a disturbance p>
“I’m coming,” Jocelyn said, hanging up before the nurse could finish.
She grabbed her coat. Dizziness hit her as she stood — the room spun for a second.
𝖸𝗼𝗎r 𝘯𝖾𝘹t f𝘢𝘷o𝗋і𝘁е re𝖺𝖽 i𝗌 𝗼𝗇 ѕ.с𝗼𝘮
“Boss?” Harvey asked, concerned.
“I have to go,” Jocelyn muttered. She buzzed her assistant. “Have the car brought around. Now.” She typed a quick text to Gaston as she walked to the elevator.
Elouise is at the facility. Causing a scene. Going there now.
She didn’t wait for a reply. She took the private elevator down to the garage, where the driver was already waiting.
Traffic was a nightmare. By the time she arrived at the luxury facility on the Upper East Side — paid for by Gaston’s black card — she was sweating and shivering at the same time.
She rushed past the reception desk. “Room 302 p>
She could hear Elouise’s voice from down the hall — shrill, echoing off the sterile walls.
“You need to know the truth, Mother! She’s ruining her life! She’s selling herself p>
Jocelyn burst into the room.
Grandma Wolfe was in her wheelchair by the window. She looked distressed, clutching her chest, her face pale.
Elouise was standing over her, waving a tabloid magazine. Page Six.
“Get away from her!” Jocelyn cried, her voice cracking.
Elouise turned. Her eyes were manic. “Ah, the dutiful daughter arrives p>
“I told you to stay away,” Jocelyn advanced into the room, shaking with fever and rage. “Get out p>
“I have a right to visit my mother-in-law,” Elouise said. “Someone has to tell her the truth since you won’t p>
“Jocelyn…” Grandma spoke weakly, her voice trembling. “Is it true p>
“Is what true?” Jocelyn asked, her heart sinking.
Elouise held up the magazine. It was an old photo of Gaston at a fashion week party, speaking closely with a male designer. The headline screamed: COLLINS HEIR: THE GLASS CLOSET?
“He’s a sodomite, Mother,” Elouise spat the word like poison. “Jocelyn married a gay man for money. She sold her womb and her dignity to be a beard for a pervert p>
Jocelyn gasped. The cruelty of it took her breath away.
Grandma looked at Jocelyn with horror — not disgust at Gaston, but deep, heartbreaking pity for Jocelyn.