116 The Rival’s Entourage and Veiled Offerings


    While waiting for Cora, I realized I’d left my favorite silk scarf in the master bedroom closet. Since Damien wasn’t home, I decided to retrieve it.


    “Mom! You promised toe get me!”


    My phone rang, jolting me from my thoughts. It was Cora again.


    After a brief conversation filled with Cora’sints about being left with the nanny, I hung up and caught Chloe’s sympathetic gaze.


    They were beautiful–handcrafted brocade boxes with intricate patterns in deep burgundy and gold. I approached cautiously, puzzled by their presence. These weren’t here thest time I’d visited.


    I stared at the boxes, heart hammering. What did this mean? Why would Damien leave something for me now, when we were in the final stages of our divorce?


    “What do you mean?”


    “Mom!” Cora’s voice echoed from downstairs. “Are you up there? I’m ready to go!”


    “Dad had to go to work,” Corained. “And Vivienne went shopping with her


    friends.”


    The weight of Damien’s card felt heavy in my pocket, filled with unspoken words I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear.


    The next morning, I drove to Damien’s vi to pick up Cora. Hannah, the housekeeper, greeted me at the door.


    After assuring Cora I’d be there first thing tomorrow, I headed to my apartment, the gift for Grandma still unfound.


    I nodded, grateful I wouldn’t have to face Damien today. Our brief encounters were always strained, filled with polite words that masked deeper emotions.


    “And look at thements,” Chloe continued, scrolling down. “Even Crawford from legal is drooling over her. Isn’t he married with three kids?”


    The bedroom remained unchanged–the same elegant furniture, the same cool <b>color </b>


    116 The Rival’s Entourage and Veiled Offerings


    palette. I moved toward the walk–in closet, then stopped short at the sight of two ornate boxes on my old vanity table.


    “I’m heading out early,” I told Chloe. “Need to buy Grandma’s gift before picking up


    Cora tomorrow.”


    ra’s POV


    “Don’t,” I warned before she could speak. “I’m fine.”


    I closed my eyes briefly. “I’ll see it tomorrow, I promise. Did you finish your


    homework?”


    I reached out to touch one, then hesitated. Why were they on my vanity? Had Damien


    left them? Or were they Vivienne’s things, mistakenly ced here?


    Chloe set her phone down, her eyes softening. “That must have been tough.”


    The group moved toward a real estate office,ughing and talking animatedly. My stomach tightened with realization. They were looking at properties. The Dubois family was nning to move here.


    “Everyone falls for her charm.” I kept my voice steady, not wanting to reveal how much it still hurt. “It started when we were children. Our parents, our teachers, even our grandparents. Vivienne was always the favorite.”


    “Mom!” Cora called again, impatience clear in her voice.


    As I greeted my daughter, her pink sparkly dress indeed reminiscent of something Vivienne would wear, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had settled over me. The Dubois family moving to Baumond, Cora’s growing attachment to Vivienne, and now these strange gifts–everything seemed to be shifting, realigning into a pattern I couldn’t quite decipher.


    her smile I nced at the photo–Vivienne leaning against Damien’s newest sports car, radiant under the sunlight. Damien stood beside her, his hand casually resting on her waist. They looked perfect together.


    Therger box had a small card tucked under its gold ribbon. With trembling fingers, I pulled it out.


    “I simply adore Baumond in the summer. Theke is divine for swimming.”


    116 The Rival’s Entourage and Veiled Offerings


    “Thank you, Hannah.” I stepped into the familiar foyer, memories washing over me. This had been my home for years, yet now I felt like a visitor.


    “Oh, Mr. Thorne left early for a meeting,” Hannah added. “He said to tell you he’ll drop off Cora’s science project materials on Sunday.”


    “Coming, sweetheart!” I called back, taking onest look at the mysterious boxes before heading downstairs.


    My phone buzzed with an iing call from Cora. I answered immediately, heart lifting at the sound of my daughter’s voice.


    “But I want to show you my new dress now! Dad got it for me. It’s pink with sparkles,


    like Vivienne’s!”


    Vivienne stood across the street, surrounded by a small entourage. Her father, Alistair Dubois, nodded along with whatever she was saying. Next to him stood Erin, Vivienne’s


    mother, looking elegant as always.


    As I exited an antique store, a familiar voice made me freeze.


    Of course. I was only the first choice when Vivienne wasn’t avable. I swallowed the familiar sting of rejection.


    “Miss Popr strikes again,” Chloe fumed, showing me her phone screen with Vivienne’stest social media update. “Four thousand likes in twenty minutes! For what? Standing next to a fancy car?”


    “Mom, I’m booooored,” she whined. “When are youing to get me?”


    “Sweetheart, that’s tomorrow,” I reminded her gently. “Friday, remember?”


    The upscale shopping district buzzed withte afternoon energy. I wandered from store to store, nothing catching my eye as special enough for ra. She’d been my rock through everything–she deserved something meaningful.


    “Aren’t you with your father today?”


    I ducked behind a disy window, not wanting to be seen. Why were they all here? Alistair and Erin didn’t live in Baumond–they resided in the capital, where Alistair’s business headquarters were located.


    “I got used to it.” The lie came easily after years of practice. “Besides, I’m too <b>busy </b><b>for </b>


    116 The Rival’s Entourage and Veiled Offerings


    social media drama.”


    I watched them disappear into the building, my mind racing. Vivienne was already a constant presence in Damien’s life—and by extension, Cora’s. If her entire family relocated here, their influence would only grow stronger.


    I slipped the card into my pocket without reading it. Whatever game Damien was ying, I wasn’t ready to find out. Not yet.


    The handwriting was unmistakably Damien’s.


    The rest of the day passed in a blur of meetings and emails. <i>By </i>Thursday afternoon, I realized I’dpletely forgotten to find a birthday gift for Grandma ra. Her celebration was this weekend, and I needed something special.


    b


    I shrugged, turning my attention back to myptop. “That’s just how it’s always been


    with Vivienne.”


    “I’m working too, sweetheart. But I’ll see you tomorrow as nned, okay?”


    “Miss Cora is finishing her breakfast, Mrs. Thorne. She’ll be down shortly.”


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