82 Chapter 85
Chapter 85 – A Calculated Exchange
My mind raced as I stared at the suspicious residue in my drink. Giselle’s eyes were tracking my every move, an almost imperceptible tension in her posture as she waited for me to take a sip.
“Is something wrong with your juice?” she asked, her voice dripping with false
concern.
I smiled placidly. “No, just thinking about what you said about Julian.” I needed to buy time while I figured out my next move. This woman had actually drugged my drink. The audacity was breathtaking.
“He really does miss you, Giselle continued, leaning forward eagerly. “Every day he
talks about the mistake he made.”
“That’s interesting,” I said, forcing my voice to sound wistful. “Sometimes I wonder if I moved on too quickly.”
Giselle’s eyes lit up at this opening. She was so transparent it was almost laughable. “Really? I knew you still had feelings for him!”
While she launched into a speech about how Julian and I could still reconcile, I pulled out my phone under the table. With quick, practiced movements, I typed a message to Julia *Your sister says you’ve been sleeping around with models since Ivy died. She showed me pictures. Classy family you’ve got.*
I hit send, knowing it would cause an immediate reaction. Sure enough, within. seconds, Giselle’s phone buzzed. She glanced at it, her expression shifting from triumph to alarm.
“Excuse me,” she said tersely. “I need to take this call.”
—
The moment she stood up, I scanned the restaurant ceiling. There it was a security camera in the corner, its lens pointed directly at our table. Perfect.
With Giselle’s back turned as she argued with Julian in hushed tones near the entrance, I moved swiftly, I grabbed her untouched juice and poured a third of it into the potted plant beside our table. Then I switched our glasses, placing her drink where
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mine had been and vice versa. To complete the illusion, I poured a small amount from what was now “my” glass (actually her original one) Into the plant as well, making it appear as though I’d already consumed some.
My hands were steady despite the adrenaline coursing through me. Years of precision work as a designer had given me remarkable control over my fine motor skills. By the time Giselle stomped back to the table, everything looked untouched except for the slight decrease in the level of liquid in “my” glass.
“My brother can be so frustrating sometimes,” she huffed, dropping back into her seat. Her face was flushed with anger. “He had some ridiculous accusation about me spreading rumors.”
“Families can be complicated,” I replied smoothly. “To new beginnings, then?” I raised my glass slightly.
Giselle’s mood instantly brightened. “Yes, to new beginnings!” She watched eagerly as I pretended to take a small sip, careful to keep the liquid from actually touching my lips.
“This is delicious,” I lied. “You should try yours.
I reached for the pitcher on our table and topped off both our glasses. With an innocent smile, I poured a generous amount into Giselle’s glass the one that had originally been mine.
She lifted her glass and took a hearty gulp. “The Imperial Garden does make the best fresh juice in the city.”
“Cherry will be calling me any minute about an urgent work issue,” I mentioned casually. “I may have to cut our lunch short.”
“Oh, don’t worry about work,” Giselle waved dismissively. “Julian is actually on his way here. Isn’t that wonderful? You two can talk things through directly.”
So that was the plan. Drug me, have Julian show up, and then what? Stage some compromising situation? Take photos? The scheme was as desperate as it was despicable.
“You Graysons really don’t understand the meaning of boundaries, do you?” I couldn’t keep the edge from my voice.
Giselle’s smile hardened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
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“It means you’re pathetic. Your brother threw away our relationship, married another woman, and now that she’s dead, you think you can manipulate me into taking him back? Do you have any idea how insulting that is?”
Her face contorted with rage. “You ungrateful bitch. My brother gave you everything. You were nothing before him – just some orphan with a sewing machine. He made you, and you owe him.”
“I don’t owe Julian anything except the divorce papers he’s fighting so hard to avoid signing.”
Right on cue, my phone rang. Cherry’s name flashed across the screen.
“I need to take this,” I said, grateful for the timing.
“Ms. Ashworth,” Cherry’s voice came through clearly. “Just checking in as requested.
“Yes, there’s an emergency with the Henderson order, I improvised. “I’ll head to the studio immediately.”
I hung up and began gathering my things. “I have to go. Client emergency.”
Giselle’s face had grown pale, a slight sheen of sweat appearing on her forehead. “You
can’t leave. Julian will be here any minute”
“Tell Julian to call my lawyer if he has anything to say to me.”
Her hand shot out, grabbing my wrist with surprising strength. “Stay. Please” There was a note of desperation in her voice now. “I don’t feel… something’s not right.
“Let go of me,” I said firmly, pulling my arm free.
Giselle stood abruptly, then swayed on her feet. “What’s happening? I feel… strange.”
–
A part of me the part that still believed in basic human decency felt a twinge of concern. Whatever she’d put in my drink was now affecting her.
“I need to… bathroom,” she mumbled, stumbling away from the table.
I watched her unsteady progress across the restaurant, torn between satisfaction at her plan backfiring and a nagging sense of responsibility. What if the drug was dangerous? What if she’d planned something truly harmful for me?
I quickly paid the bill and headed for the exit. Despite everything, I couldn’t just leave
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her like that. I’d make sure she was okay, then call her a taxi home.
As I approached my car, I glanced back toward the restaurant, debating whether to go- back inside and check on her. The drug was probably just something to make me dizzy or sleepy – something that would wear off in a few hours. Still, the uncertainty gnawed
at me.
I pulled out my keys, making my decision. I would follow her to make sure she got home safely, then wash my hands of the entire Grayson family once and for all.
Just as I was about to open my car door, a sharp voice cut through the afternoon air.
“Hazel Ashworth!”
I froze, keys in hand, and turned toward the unfamiliar voice calling my name.
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