Chapter 534

Chapter 534:

Grayson’s brow furrowed. “What is this about now? You were not fine last night p>

“Stop performing, Grayson,” Isolde said sharply, swinging her legs off the bed. A wave of dizziness hit her immediately. She locked her knees and refused to show it. “I know exactly what you’re doing — collecting material for your devoted father routine. But I won’t let you use Effie for it p>

Grayson stared at her. “What are you talking about p>

Isolde ignored him, reaching for Effie’s jacket from the chair nearby.

“Move p>

The accusation — so baseless, so poisonous, after the night he had just spent watching over her — finally broke through his composure. The concern in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a familiar, chilling anger. His face hardened into something closed and cold.

“You want to leave? Fine. If you can walk out that door on your own p>

I𝗇𝗍𝗲𝗇𝘴𝗲 𝗿om𝗮𝘯c𝗲 o𝗇 ѕ.с𝗼𝗆

He crossed to the closet, pulled out a set of new clothes — a soft cashmere sweater and dark jeans — and tossed them onto the foot of the bed. He had sent his assistant to buy them hours earlier.

“Get changed,” he said, turning his back to her. “I’m driving you p>

The morning sun in the Hamptons was usually soft, filtering through the high windows of the foyer with a quiet, golden grace. Today, it felt like a spotlight trained on a stage set for a tragedy.

Isolde walked down the grand staircase. She had changed back into yesterday’s clothes — jeans and a simple white blouse, now wrinkled and marked with a small speck of dried blood near the hem. She didn’t care.

She held Effie’s hand tightly.

Grayson walked a step behind them, carrying their luggage in one hand. The modest suitcase looked incongruous in his grip — a small, plain thing that seemed to underline the entirety of their departure.

They reached the bottom of the stairs.

The foyer was not empty.

Genevieve was seated in a plush wingback chair near the entrance, a cup of tea on the small table beside her. She made no effort to conceal her disdain, releasing a heavy, deliberate scoff as they descended. The sound echoed off the marble.

“Leaving already?” Genevieve said, her voice saturated with condescension. “Not even a proper goodbye. How utterly ill-mannered p>

Isolde paused and turned her gaze to the old woman. It was cold and entirely devoid of feeling.

“I don’t feel the need to show respect to those who show me none,” she said.

Before Genevieve could respond, the glass doors from the garden burst open. Kaiden ran in holding a remote control, and the moment he spotted Grayson, his face lit up. He sprinted across the marble and threw himself at Grayson’s legs, wrapping both arms around them.

“Daddy! Come play race cars with me p>

Grayson signaled to a nearby butler, who quietly relieved him of the luggage. Then he gently but firmly detached Kaiden from his legs.

“I have to take them back to the city, Kaiden p>