Meadow’s POV:
‘No, please. Anyone but him.‘
I never realized it before, but recently it hit me that when rissa was advising me against ric in the bathroom, her intentions may not have been wholly pure.
‘Whatever you’re getting from him, it’s not worth it. Stay away from him.‘
I was stupid enough to think that she was really just looking out for me. And maybe she was–Hell, I didn’t know who ric truly was. But knowing that she and ric had something real and intense when they were younger… It just made me feel like rissa wanted something from him.
In less than two hours, I arrived at the restaurant where she’d asked me to meet her.
My aunt was seated at a table in the corner. Not a lot of people were present, seeing as it was a sunny Tuesday afternoon, unfortunately. I didn’t much like being around so many people, but in a situation like the one I was about to be in with rissa, I wouldn’t mind a number of people surrounding us.
It was so I could have something else to drown myself in–the noise–whenever it got too much.
Once she spotted me, a wide grin stretched her red lips and she rose to her feet. rissa had on a red sundress, and her dark hair was tied in a ponytail so her slender neck was exposed. Dangling prettily around it was a simple gold ne entuating her corbone.
Compared to rissa, I looked… nd in just my jeans and off–shouldered croptop. If a man–ric, for instance–was to walk in here, the first person he would notice was her. She always had that effect on people. On men. I aspired to be her when I was a teenager.
“There she is,<i>” </i>she drawled as I got to the table. “My favorite niece.”
She pulled me into a hug before I could even react. A hug that would’ve been longer if I hadn’t pulled
away.
My gaze narrowed instantly. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure your favorite niece is Juniper. Not me.” I lowered myself into the seat ross from her.
rissa’s brows drew together as she followed suit, settling into the chair so elegantly.
God. She was perfect for him.
I shook my head fiercely, biting on my tongue hard so I could focus on something else. Anything else, really.
“Why would you think that?” she asked.
I scoffed. That was a no fucking brainer.
“Because Juniper is everyone’s favorite, Yvonne. Including you. If you’ll ever be brave enough to admit it anyway. Did you order anything yet?” I added, picking up the menu to distract myself.
I wasn’t hungry, but if I was to get through this conversation–which I had a feeling was going to take a
while–I needed something strong.
She stared at me wordlessly for a little too long, before she sighed, shaking her head. “I would’ve ordered
cocktails but I wanted to wait for you since I wasn’t so sure what you would like<i>.</i><i>” </i>She paused, and then
finished under her breath: “Seeing as you ghosted me for five whole years.”
My jaw clenched and I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I thought you asked me toe here because you
owed me exnations. I didn’t realize I’d be the one doing the exining.”
Her shoulders dropped. “Meadow… what you saw that night-”
“Why did you lie?” I cut in firmly, swallowing hard. Even though I was aware ric was not mine, I
needed to get some answers. Yvonne owed me at least that.
“What?”
I parted my lips to speak again, but a waiter approached our table. “Can I get you anything,dies?” he asked smoothly.
“Cosmopolitan,” Yvonne said. Something warm tugged slightly at my chest as she said that. She had always been obsessed with cosmopolitan. She even taught me how to make it. I suppose some things never change. “What about you, Meadow?”
Yeah… um…” I scanned the menu, unable to focus because I could feel the waiter’s leering eyes on me. I snapped my eyes up to his, shooting him a re that had him taking his eyes off my cleavage. “I’ll have the same thing she’s having,” I said coldly, curling my left hand on the table so he could see the ring on my finger.
The blond haired waiter–he didn’t seem to be much older than me–only smirked at me before walking
away.
Yvonne arched a brow. “You hate cosmopolitan.”
“Yeah? Well, I kinda hate you but I’m seated here with you right now, aren’t I?”
Her face fell, and a look I didn’t recognized shed in her eyes. “Meadow…”
“Why did you lie to me, Yvonne?” I asked again, keeping my voice calm and low even though <i>I </i>couldn’t stop it from cracking. “You told me you had something to do with ric only once, and then I find out that he was your fucking… high school boyfriend?”
“I didn’t want to hurt you,” she tried to defend, but I knew that it was bullshit.
“If you didn’t want to hurt me, you would’ve given me a heads up. Told me that Ingrid was going to make
an announcement and that she was so obsessed with the idea of you being her daughter–inw<i>.</i><i>” </i>I leaned
forward. “You would’ve told me so I would prepare myself—”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she breathed. I jerked my head back like she had pped me.
Yvonne didn’t apologize. She just shrugged. “Okay, now you know. You know that ric and I were in
love and I assume you know he can feel my touch as well. But I don’t see you leaving him, Meadow.”
My bottom lip trembled slightly. She noticed and a look of guilt shed in her eyes. The waiter returned
with our drinks. “Here you go,” he said, and I could still feel his eyes on me.
“I know you’re not blind… what’s your name? Jeff?” Yvonne asked, annoyance dripping from her tone. “I know you can see the ring on her finger. Expensive, might I add. Now what does that tell you?”
The smirk didn’t leave his face. “That she’s married, Miss.”
“Right. To a damn billionaire. Now, usually, I’m ady–especially in public–but right now, I’m going to have to politely tell you to fuck off, so… fuck off, Jeff.”
Despite myself, my lips twitched at the way she was defending me while still managing to be polite.
Yvonne was theplete opposite of my mother.
Something shed in his eyes as they shifted to me, and then his gaze dropped to my cleavage again and back to my eyes. “Most marriages are jokes anyway,” he murmured, giving my ring one more nce before walking away.
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