“Allison, you’re here,” Lindy said softly, taking a delicate sip of her coffee.
Despite being over fifty, Lindy carried herself with the grace of someone untouched by time. She wore a fitted brown cheongsam, adorned with pearl earrings, her every movement poised and refined.
As she glanced up, her gaze lingered on Allison for a moment. Surprise flickered in Lindy’s eyes. Gone were the plain, loose clothes Allison once favored, and the rigid clip that held back her hair. Today, she wore a light green dress, flowing softly, like a willow tree swaying in a gentle breeze. There was a newfound elegance, a quiet allure that hadn’t been there before.
“Good morning, Mrs. Stevens,” Allison greeted politely.
Keeping her tone respectful, Allison replied. No matter how messy things had gotten with Colton, she maintained the courtesy ingrained in her upbringing.
“There’s no need for such formality, dear. Come, sit with me,” Lindy said warmly, standing to take Allison’s hand. Yet, beneath the warmth, she couldn’t help but sense a shift in Allison’s demeanor.
Allison’s expression remained serene, her manner calm. But there was something else now-a cool detachment, a stark contrast to the docile girl Lindy had once known.
“Don’t call me Mrs. Stevens, just Lindy as usual,” she sighed, a trace of weariness in her voice. “It’s Colton’s loss, you know. I can only imagine how hard these years must have been for you.”
Allison met Lindy’s words with a polite smile. She allowed herself to be guided to the couch, but her stance remained firm.
With a calm yet unwavering tone, Allison replied, “It wouldn’t feel appropriate. It’s just a title, after all, so there’s no need to overthink it, Mrs. Stevens.”
Her response was tactful, yet it left no room for negotiation. It was impossible to find fault in her words. Lindy’s eyebrow twitched ever so slightly, her frustration barely perceptible. But she quickly masked it with a gentle, motherly smile.
“I’ve told Colton how furious I am with him. Believe me, I gave him an earful last night. If his grandfather weren’t so ill, I would’ve insisted on involving the whole family.” Lindy was used to controlling situations with charm and grace, but she hadn’t anticipated this sharper side of Allison. Just by sticking to a formal title, Allison had created a distance between them-subtle, but unmistakable. It wasn’t cold, exactly, but the message was clear.
Lindy sighed dramatically, dabbing at her eyes with a finger as if wiping away unseen tears.
“You’ve had such a hard life, my dear. No family to support you, and now this divorce. How do you plan to manage on your own?”
With that, Lindy slid a hollow enamel gold bracelet off her wrist.
“My son may have been in the wrong, and I can’t control him, but I’ve always thought of you as a daughter. If you don’t mind, I will still treat you the same way as usual. That way, we can preserve the bond we’ve built. You’ve always been like family to me.”
She tried to press the bracelet into Allison’s hand, but Allison didn’t budge, gently pushing it back.
“Thank you for the kind offer, Mrs. Stevens,” Allison said softly, “but I’m doing fine on my own.”
Allison knew all too well that no woman in this household was to be underestimated.
And Lindy, with her decades spent navigating the intricate webs of high society, was a master at saying one thing while meaning another. Her words, as sweet as they sounded, were carefully constructed, each syllable dripping with unspoken intent.
Behind the kind offer was a clear message: Keanu’s health was failing, and as an orphan without strong backing, Allison would be wise not to make waves. She’d better take the bracelet, maintain her ties with the Stevens family, and avoid causing trouble.
Beneath the warm remarks was a premeditated approach. It appeared kind on the surface, but it was a warning. Lindy’s methods were leagues ahead of Melany’s crude attempts.
Lindy’s voice stayed quiet as she said, “Don’t be shy. If I say you’re still a part of our family, Colton has no say.” Even while Lindy was still smiling, the rejection of the bracelet caused her gaze to turn colder.
Allison had no intention of accepting the bracelet. As a top designer, she had a collection of priceless jewelry. Besides, she wasn’t naive enough to overlook the subtle weight behind Lindy’s words.
With a smile as smooth as silk, she effortlessly shifted the conversation.
“I heard Melany earned your approval the moment she returned. Colton told me she even had dinner with you, and you gave her your blessing. That’s how they ended up renewing their engagement, isn’t it?”
Even with Lindy’s usual poise, her expression slipped ever so slightly.
In Lindy’s eyes, Allison was the smarter choice-no doubt about it. But being an orphan with no significant connections, no matter how graceful and capable, Allison didn’t bring much to the table. She just hadn’t expected her son to be foolish enough to brag about such things in front of Allison.
As for Melany, well, she came back from overseas with a hefty settlement and a family business that had grown into a successful farming empire. She could, at the very least, back Colton up in their ventures.
But someone as sharp as Allison? Far harder to control.
Lindy sighed, the sound of a chess player conceding a minor loss in a larger game.
“I’m just a woman. I’ve been out of the company’s dealings for so long. In the end, all I have to rely on is my son.”
She gave a small, calculated pause.
“Melany isn’t as capable as you, and even after the divorce, you’ll always be family to us. You’re just like my daughter, you know. But if Colton’s heart is no longer in it, there’s only so much anyone can do.”
Allison’s smile widened, but it was a smile sharper than a serpent’s fang.
Lindy had a masterful way of twisting the narrative. Despite having kept Allison in the dark, she spun the situation as if she were some benevolent figure-as if she had been saving Allison from the disaster of a loveless marriage.
It was pure manipulation, cloaked in pleasantries. Today, Allison saw it clearer than ever.
“No need for the sentiment,” Allison said, her tone polite but cool. “I’m a bit of a clean freak. Now that Colton and I are divorced, I prefer things to be clean-cut. Dragging it out doesn’t suit me. Besides visiting Keanu today, I’m also here to take back the invitation to the Cobweb event.” She’d decided to drop the game. The polite dance was over. Allison’s voice was steady, but the edge was unmistakable. “Since you consider me a daughter, then let me meet Keanu.”
Lindy’s smile tightened, her earlier warmth freezing over like a pond in winter.
“Keanu is busy at the moment. There’s no rush,” she replied, her voice colder now, the temperature of the room dropping with it. “You did receive the Cobweb invitation, and for that, the Stevens family is grateful. But let’s be honest. What good does it do you to hold on to it? Without the Stevens name behind you, do you really believe getting that invitation was a simple matter?”
Unlike Colton, Lindy knew how to keep her cards close. She understood just how pivotal Cobweb’s intelligence network was to the company’s survival.
“I’m truly thinking of what’s best for you, Allison,” Lindy added with the air of someone offering a favor rather than a threat. “You don’t have family, and holding on to that invitation isn’t going to help you. Why not hand it over and do us all a favor? Who knows? If you ever run into trouble, we might be able to shield you. It’s a win-win, don’t you think? You’re still young. Don’t close all your doors and make things more difficult than they need to be.”
Though Allison had expected Lindy’s veiled threat, it still sent a cold chill down her spine. Three years of service, years spent at Lindy’s side, brewing her remedies when she was bedridden, caring for her. And this was the thanks she received?
But Allison had always harbored a stubborn streak deep within her. She raised her eyes, her smile now dripping with sarcasm.
“The Stevens family can shield me?”
Lindy met her gaze, but something shifted. For the first time, she saw an edge in Allison’s eyes she hadn’t noticed before. Sharp, like glass ready to cut through even the thickest facade.
“If Cobweb had truly given that invitation because of the Stevens family,” Allison’s voice remained calm, almost too calm, “I wouldn’t have needed to get involved in the first place.”
There was a faint undertone of mockery in her words, and Lindy felt it.
“And even if it was for you, the name on the invitation is mine. Now that Colton and I are divorced, the Stevens family has no claim over it.”
Lindy nearly choked on her tea, her calm exterior crumbling for the briefest moment. She hadn’t anticipated Allison outmaneuvering her so smoothly.
A storm brewed behind Lindy’s eyes as she searched for a solution. Cobweb was the largest intelligence network around. Without them, the Stevens family would be blind, left stumbling in the dark while Ontdale’s advertisers danced circles around them.
If only. If only Colton had understood what was at stake before the divorce.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.