Harper replied to my text faster than I thought she would. The smirk at the corner of my mouth wasn’t just because she answered, it was also because she was curious, wanting to know where I planned to take her. For some reason, that small detail mattered to me more than it should have.
I was in the middle of typing out the time I was going to pick her up after my meetings when Mrs Ford spoke from behind me.
“Maddox, dear, you’ve been in the backyard for quite a while now.”
I glanced over my shoulder, forcing a polite tone. “I had a few work calls to make.”
“But I thought you were on a break.” She smiled too warmly.
“I only had a couple of hours and now, it’s time to go.”
“And what about some dessert?”
“I can always have some later. It’s just dessert.”
She chuckled at that. “You’re actually right. Dessert can wait. It’s just a shame you’re not able to stay until my son and daughter–in–law get here.” She glanced around, lowering her voice with excitement. “Imagine if she gives birth to twins.”
Though a smile stayed on my lips, I was grinding my teeth inside as that must have been the hundredth time she’d spoken about Tiffany’s pregnancy. That was all anyone wanted to talk about and If I had to hear it one more time, I’d lose my patience.
I knew that the only way to not hear more of it was to leave. I was just about to excuse myself when Margot emerged from the corner, speaking to me in her annoying voice.
“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you.” She smiled at me, then her gaze turned sharper as she glanced at Mrs Ford. “Now I know who’s responsible for keeping you away from me.”
Mrs Ford laughed nervously. “Oh, not at all. He was actually making a few work calls. He says it’s time to go.”
Margot eyed me from head to toe, like she was inspecting for a stain or some shit like that. “Can’t you stay a bit longer? You haven’t even had dessert.”
“Your mother’s right,” Mrs Ford quickly chimed in. “Have some dessert before you leave.”
My lips curved into a forced smile and it wasn’t even because I was about to spare a few more minutes. It was because the Fords folded whenever Margot or Tiffany opened their mouths about what they felt was best in any situation. They both tried to suck up to my family no matter what.
Margot and Tiffany knew this pretty well and they used it to their advantage whenever they wanted to. It didn’t matter what she and her daughter said or wanted, Mr and Mrs Ford had no objections. They never wanted to get on their bad side.
It wasn’t always like that. There was a time when Mr and Mrs Ford tolerated no disrespect from Margot and Tiffany. They didn’t even want her for their son at the time. But she claimed to have changed and wanted to do better because she loved him, so she was once again embraced but I wasn’t buying into that shit. Tiffany hadn’t changed.
After getting back with Grayson, I soon learned that behind the scenes, she and her mother belittled the Fords. Grayson never found out because his parents never said a word about it. Why would they rat out Margot and her daughter when they were able to score several million–dollar contracts that were only possible because of Margot?
“I really can’t stay,” I said, already moving past them. “The meeting starts soon. I have to go.”
I had only come to the estate so I’d be present while my old room was cleaned. They’d taken advantage of my visit by making a meal and that had only irritated me even more. I wasn’t there to socialize. The meeting wasn’t even starting soon. I just wanted to get away.
Margot’s voice followed behind me while she tried to keep up. “You and Tiffany haven’t actually spent time together since we all came to London. You’ve been too busy giving attention to that…thing.”
My steps came to a halt as I clenched my jaw while glancing at her. “Her name is Harper.”
“Of course it is.” She rolled her eyes.
Then, Mrs Ford chimed in with that fake motherly concern. “I still can’t believe Harper’s this type of girl. It was so disappointing when my daughter–in–law told me what’s been going on. She used to be such a sweet girl. Who knew that she would turn into someone like this? While I’m glad she doesn’t cause problems for my son’s marriage-”
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