Chapter 241

Chapter 241:

“I heard you.” Dallas fixed his mother with a hard look. “‘Phase.’ ‘Rebellion.’ You’re recycling your material, Mother.” He crossed to Eliza’s chair and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You project your own unhappy marriage onto mine,” he said, his voice turning sharp. “You married Father for status. You despise him. You’ve despised him for thirty years. Don’t lecture me on love p>

Jeannine flinched. The mask of icy composure cracked, and a flash of genuine pain moved across her eyes.

“That was cruel, Dallas,” she whispered.

“Truth is cruel,” Dallas said. “Come, Eliza p>

He held out his hand. Eliza took it and stood. She looked at Jeannine one last time. The woman sat surrounded by her expensive things, looking remarkably small and lonely. A strange pang of pity moved through Eliza despite everything.

“Wait,” Jeannine called out as they reached the door. She rose and smoothed her skirt. She addressed Eliza directly. “Meet me tomorrow. Café Pierre. Alone p>

“No,” Dallas answered immediately. “You’ve said enough p>

“I’ll be there,” Eliza said, overriding him.

Dallas turned to look at her, his brows drawing together. “Eliza p>

“I need to finish this conversation,” Eliza said firmly. “Without you protecting me. If I’m going to be your wife, I need to handle this myself p>

M𝗼𝘳𝗲 ո𝗼𝗏𝖾𝘭𝗌 𝘰ո

Jeannine nodded slowly, a gleam of something — respect, or perhaps calculation — entering her eyes. “Ten o’clock,” she said. “Don’t be late p>

Eliza arrived at Café Pierre at 9:55 AM. It was a pretentious little spot on the Upper East Side — the kind of place that served tiny pastries for the price of a used car.

Jeannine was already there, sitting at a corner table, staring out the window. The café was oddly empty. Eliza realized with a jolt that Jeannine had likely bought out the morning slot to ensure privacy.

“Punctual. Good.” Jeannine gestured to the empty chair without looking up.

Eliza sat down. She kept her coat on. She set her left hand on the table, the diamond ring catching the light.

Jeannine stared at it. Her eyes narrowed. “That diamond,” she murmured. “It was his grandmother’s. Gigi’s. He had the setting reset. But the stone is old p>

“I didn’t come here to talk about jewelry,” Eliza said.

“No. You came to prove a point.” Jeannine leaned back and crossed her arms.

She reached into her purse and produced a checkbook. She slid a single check across the polished table. It was blank — signed, but with the amount line left empty.

“Fill it in,” Jeannine said. “Any number. Seven figures. Eight figures. I don’t care. Then leave New York p>

Eliza looked at the check. It was a piece of paper that could solve every problem she had ever had. It could buy back the Solomon Estate. It could buy freedom.

“Why are you so afraid of me?” Eliza asked, leaving the check where it lay.

“I’m not afraid of you,” Jeannine said. “I’m afraid for him p>

“He is happy with me,” Eliza said. “You saw him yesterday. He defended me p>

“I saw a man ready to destroy his own father for a woman,” Jeannine said sharply. “That is not stability, Eliza. That is chaos p>