Chapter 26
“Of course we do,” Maxine said proudly. “She’s the only girl in the family. We dote on her.”
Elnora chimed in and gave Nelson a sharp look. “Unlike someone who always promises to treat her like a daughter but let her get hurt again and again.”
Nelson frowned and glanced angrily at Paulette.
He was silently saying, “What lies did you
make?”
Paulette felt a flash of anger but held it in. This was typical of him. He always tended to blame her first.
Fine.
She had nothing to hide.
She was leaving anyway. There was no point holding back now.
She calmly took a bite of braised beef and quite enjoyed it.
Nelson nearly scoffed. He let out a heavy breath and said, “Mom, please just eat. The food’s getting cold.”
He kept serving Patricia and playing the perfect host.
But all the attention from Elnora and Maxine stayed on Paulette.
Dinner ended in a weird sort of silence. Nelson took Patricia upstairs to show her around.
Elnora leaned over and whispered, “Paula, what do you think of your
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dad’s girlfriend?”
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Paulette glanced upstairs and answered in a low voice, “Ms. Carver looks nice.”
“Nice? Please.” Elnora scoffed.
“You’re too innocent to see her through.
“She was eyeing everything the second she walked in. Her eyes lit up when she saw Monet’s painting, and she practically drooled over your father’s collection.”
Paulette hadn’t noticed.
Patricia was a journalist, after all. Maybe she was just curious.
Elnora sighed and held her arms, leading her into the garden.
“Paula, I may not be ancient, but I’ve met enough people to spot a young liar when I see one.”
“They say eyes are the window to the soul. People can’t hide what they want. That Ms. Carver is just too eager.”
Paulette listened quietly. “But Grandma… Doesn’t it matter most that Dad likes her?”
“When you’re young, love surely matters. But as you grow older, you’ll realize that character comes first.”
She poked Paulette’s forehead, her eyes full of affection. “You’re so pure that it worries me. If only everyone had a heart like yours.”
Paulette kept quiet for a moment and rested her head on Elnora’s shoulder.
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“Grandma, it’s not that I don’t understand.
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“I just want to live simply. Not everything needs meticulous calculation.”
Elnora nodded. “That’s fair.”
They sat and chatted for a while. Paulette suddenly felt sad.
She was leaving for Crireton soon and didn’t know when she would be
back.
Having no answers, Elnora tilted her head and noticed Paulette’s dazed look.
“What’s on your mind, sweetheart?”
“Grandma…”
Paulette hugged Elnora’s arm as they went back. She sniffled. “When I’m not around, please take care of yourself, okay?”
Elnora squinted at her and pretended to be mad. “What’s that supposed to mean? You’re not planning to come visit?”
“Well, I have to work.”
Paulette wasn’t sure how else to explain. She grinned and added, “I’ll visit when I can. But I can’t stay by your side all the time. Grandma, you have to take good care of yourself.”
Upstairs by the window, Patricia watched everything.
She always knew the Chapman family treated Paulette like one of their own.
But she didn’t expect that in front of Nelson, both Elnora and Maxine still sided with Paulette.
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What was so great about Paulette?
Patricia curled her fingers into fists and made a silent vow.
She was going to lock things down with Nelson in the next couple of days, no matter what.
The injury on Patricia’s back hasn’t healed yet, so she couldn’t go out.
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After a tour around the villa, Nelson worried she’d sweat and infect the wound. He led her back to the room and found a few photo albums for her.
Patricia showed much interest. After praising every single picture of Nelson, she suddenly remembered something.
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