Chapter 252
Chapter 252:
“Why… why do you care about an old building?” she asked, her voice carefully controlled.
Azalea stilled. Her expression softened, turning wistful. She looked down at the flyer.
“My mom,” she said quietly. “Before she got really sick, she worked as a waitress at a diner a few blocks from there. She used to take her breaks in the park across the street and stare at that building and dream. She said it was full of magic that could fix broken things. She said she wished she could go inside just once — to see a place so beautiful p>
Azalea looked up, her eyes shining. “If Grandma Jeannine sold it to some developer to turn into condos, I’d never forgive her. It’s the only thing of hers that’s actually cool p>
Eliza felt the floor drop out from under her. The Institute wasn’t just a building to Azalea. It was a memory. A thread connecting her to the mother she had lost.
And now Eliza owned it. And she couldn’t say a word.
“Maybe,” Eliza stammered, leaning back against the very bookshelf concealing the deed, “it’s just maintenance. Checking the pipes p>
ѕ𝗁𝗮𝘳𝖾 𝗒o𝗎r t𝗵𝗈𝗎𝗀𝘩𝗍𝘀 o𝘯
“I hope so,” Azalea frowned, studying the flyer. “If it opens, we have to go. We have to be the first ones in p>
“Yeah,” Eliza whispered. “We have to go p>
She understood, in that moment, that the secret she had just accepted was heavier than any tiara.
The rain had cleared overnight, leaving the city scrubbed clean and bright. Sunlight poured into the penthouse kitchen, bouncing off the stainless steel appliances, but Eliza felt a distinct cloud hovering over her head.
She stood at the counter, pressing coffee grounds into the French press, her mind drifting to the bottom drawer in the living room. The deed lay there like a ticking bomb.
Azalea was perched on a barstool, scrolling through her phone with the intensity of a stockbroker, a piece of dry toast going stale in her hand.
“Grandma Jeannine is trending,” she announced, mouth full. “Hashtag ‘The Ice Queen Melts p>
Eliza poured the hot water. “What did she do p>
“She donated a hundred grand to a puppy shelter yesterday,” Azalea scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Trying to buy goodwill after Gigi publicly humiliated her. Classic damage control p>
“Maybe she’s changing,” Eliza suggested, carrying the coffee to the island. “People can change, Azalea p>
“Leopards don’t change their spots, El. They just learn to hunt better.” Azalea tapped her screen. “She’s up to something. Mark my words p>
Eliza blew on her coffee, desperate to change the subject. “How is Forrest p>
The transformation was instantaneous. The cynicism evaporated, replaced by a flush of pink across Azalea’s cheeks. She looked down at her lap. “He’s… okay. He asked me to study later. Library. Just study p>
“Good,” Eliza smiled, feeling a genuine warmth. “Keep it that way. If Dallas finds out you’re doing anything other than algebra, he’ll hire a bodyguard to sit between you p>
“He’s a tyrant,” Azalea grumbled, though she was smiling.
The intercom on the wall buzzed. The sharp sound made both of them jump.