Chapter 306
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Chapter 306:
“You stopped being my mother the day you let Aspen lock me in that dark attic,” Jocelyn said, her voice a quiet, lethal hiss. “If you ever come near me again, Gaston’s lawyers will ensure you spend the rest of your life in a concrete cell p>
The mention of the attic — and of Gaston’s lawyers — cut through Elouise’s delusion. Genuine terror flashed in her eyes.
The distant wail of police sirens drifted in from the street.
Elouise scrambled to her feet, grabbed her purse, and fled through the revolving doors into the Manhattan crowd.
Jocelyn straightened. She turned to the lobby full of stunned guests and arranged a polished, professional smile onto her face.
“I apologize for the disturbance, ladies and gentlemen,” she said smoothly. “Please enjoy complimentary drinks at the lobby bar for the next hour, on the house p>
The guests murmured their approval and dispersed. The crisis was contained.
Jocelyn turned and walked back to the private elevator. Her expression was composed. But when she reached the call button and looked down at her hand, her fingers were trembling so violently she could barely feel them.
The air inside the exclusive Manhattan private club was thick with cigar smoke and aged liquor.
Jocelyn sat in a deeply shadowed leather booth in the back corner, the dim amber lighting obscuring her face. She stared at the crystal glass in her hand — neat bourbon — then raised it to her lips and took a long swallow. The alcohol burned a hot trail down her throat, slowly dissolving the adrenaline left over from the lobby.
𝘚𝘵𝗈𝗿ie𝗌 𝘆𝗼𝗎 𝘸oո’𝘁 p𝘂𝘵 𝖽o𝘄ո оո
Bella slid into the booth across from her, visibly worried.
“I came as soon as I got your text,” Bella said, dropping her purse on the table. “Are you okay? What happened p>
Jocelyn let out a ragged sigh and told her everything. The screaming. The extortion. The police.
“She is a parasite,” Bella said fiercely, reaching across the table to squeeze Jocelyn’s hand. “You did exactly the right thing. You cut out the infection p>
Jocelyn nodded. She took another long drink. The bourbon was rapidly dismantling her usual emotional control. Her eyes had gone slightly glassy.
Across the room, the heavy oak doors swung open.
Gaston Collins walked in. He had just finished a brutal board meeting on Wall Street and had tracked Jocelyn’s phone the moment she failed to return to the penthouse.
He spotted her immediately in the back booth and started toward her — then stopped.
He took in the slump of her shoulders. The empty glass.
Gaston stepped behind a thick marble pillar, completely swallowed by shadow just a few feet from their booth. He held his breath and listened.
“So, the wicked witch is gone,” Bella said, leaning back. “Now that you are completely free from your past… what are you going to do about Gaston p>
Behind the pillar, Gaston’s heart slammed against his ribs. His hands curled into fists. He didn’t move.
Jocelyn stared at the ice melting in her glass, swirling the amber liquid. The soft clink of ice was loud in the quiet corner.
She was silent for a long time.
“The prenuptial agreement,” she finally whispered, her voice thick. “The non-interference clause. It feels like a massive joke now p>