Chapter 277
Chapter 277:
Beatrice smashed her teacup onto the saucer. It cracked.
“That woman is a leech! I will not let her destroy my grandson’s legacy p>
She grabbed her cane and stood. “Get the car, Lydia. We are going shopping. I know exactly where he takes his ‘dates’ after he tries to impress them p>
Back at the park, Liam had recovered enough to walk. We wandered through the carnival section. The game booths were open, the staff standing at attention, waiting for us.
“Pick a game,” Liam said, trying to regain his composure.
I pointed to the ring toss. “That one is rigged. The rings are too small for the bottle necks p>
“Watch me,” Liam said.
He bought a bucket of rings. He missed every single one. He bought another bucket. And another. He spent twenty minutes throwing plastic rings with the determination of a CEO closing a merger.
Finally, by sheer luck—or perhaps because the attendant subtly moved a bottle—a ring landed.
“Yes!” Liam shouted, throwing his arm up. He looked genuinely happy.
The attendant handed him the prize: a giant purple teddy bear. Liam turned to me, beaming, and thrust the bear into my arms.
“For you p>
I looked at the bear. It was soft. It was cute.
And it was exactly the kind of thing I had seen in the surveillance photos Arthur had shown me months ago. Seraphina’s room at the manor had been filled with them—gifts from a “doting brother p>
The smile vanished from my face. The warmth from the roller coaster evaporated.
“I’m not Seraphina,” I said, my voice dropping to sub-zero. I shoved the bear back into his chest.
Liam flinched, the joy draining from his face. He looked at the bear, then at me, realizing his mistake. “I know. I… I just thought p>
“You didn’t think,” I said. “You never think p>
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it.
Suddenly, his secretary, Lee, came running toward us from the park entrance, clutching a phone. He looked frantic, his tie askew.
“Mr. Kensington!” Lee shouted, breathless. “Sir! I tried to call! It’s your grandmother p>
𝘜𝗻𝗆𝘰𝗱𝗂f𝘪𝖾𝘥 с𝗁𝖺𝗉𝘁𝘦𝘳s 𝗈𝗇 b𝗲.𝘤𝘰𝗺
Liam frowned, turning to his secretary. “What about her p>
“She found out about the park rental,” Lee gasped. “She’s furious. She’s tracking your credit card activity. She knows you have an appointment at Van Der Kock next. She’s on her way there now with Lydia p>
Liam went pale. “She’s coming to the city p>
“She’s almost there, sir. You need to cancel the appointment p>
Liam looked at me. He saw the coldness returning to my eyes. If he canceled now, he proved he was still under his grandmother’s thumb. If he went, he risked a scene.
“No,” Liam said, his voice hardening. “I’m not canceling. I’m done letting her control me p>
“Let’s go,” he said desperately to me. “I have one more surprise. Something better than a bear. Fifth Avenue. You can pick anything p>
I wanted to say no. I wanted to go back to my dorm. But I saw the desperation in his eyes, and I realized that if I left now, he would just show up at the dorm tomorrow. I had to let him play this out to the bitter end.
“Fine,” I said. “Let’s go look at diamonds p>
The limousine dropped us off in front of the flagship store of Van Der Kock, the most exclusive jeweler on Fifth Avenue. The street was bustling, but the store was closed. A sign on the door read: Private Appointment.
The store manager, a man in a tuxedo, greeted Liam with a bow so deep it looked painful. “Mr. Kensington. Welcome. We’ve prepared the Diamond Room p>