Divorced Heiress
Chapter 30

The stylists finished styling my hair and doing my makeup. When I saw my reflection in the mirror, I felt really satisfied with the result.

The brown waves of my hair rested on my left shoulder, leaving my right ear visible adorned by my sapphire and diamond earring that my mother gave me. The simple makeup highlighted my facial features, making my long eyelashes look even longer and giving my lips a reddish shade. Everything was perfectly balanced, without being extravagant. I couldn't be happier with the stylists' work. They understood what I wanted very well and did it in record time.

Abby and my mother couldn't stop complimenting me on how good I looked, and I returned the compliment before going to find Jack to go over tonight's activities just minutes before leaving.

Even though I already knew what I had to do, it didn't hurt to review all the information on my tablet as many times as I deemed necessary.

My father was waiting in the living room, talking to Vincent, while Michelle continued talking on the phone at the mansion door.

I arrived in the room with Abby, Jack, and my mother. The two men didn't hesitate to tell us how perfect we looked, although I could see a bit of sadness and disappointment in Abby's eyes when she saw that Vincent didn't even look at her, though it was obvious that he was doing it on purpose.

Okay, I understand that he was upset with her for how forward she was last night, considering how serious and proper he was, but he could have at least greeted her out of politeness.

I didn't want to meddle in other people's affairs, but seeing my friend so down, I felt like having a serious conversation with my cousin. I didn't intend to force my friend on him, but I would like to remind him of how chivalrous he had always been and that pretending Abby didn't exist was very impolite on his part.

My father assigned us our respective cars. He would go with my mother, Michelle and Jack would go with me, obviously to finalize our plans, and as luck would have it, my friend would go with Vincent. I gave her a subtle look of complicity when my father announced that, and her trembling arm linked with mine as if she was about to faint.

"It's all yours. I hope this time you don't ask him irrelevant questions." I encouraged her as Vincent left the mansion completely serious, ready to leave at any moment. Abby nodded, regaining composure as she took a dramatic breath and followed the man in the black suit.

Before leaving with my two companions, I said goodbye to Tristan, who was standing sadly at the mansion's entrance. I couldn't stay too long saying goodbye or I would end up changing all the plans. I hugged him and left countless kisses on his adorable face, immediately boosting his mood. I left him in Maga's arms before hurrying into the van and heading to the first event of the week.

I was nervous, yes, but I tried to calm myself down while studying the names of some important American brands that would be present and qualified to start a project with Doinel.

I turned off the tablet screen after pressing the dismiss button when the name of Lancaster Collection appeared as one of the top and most important American brands with which I could start a successful collaboration.

Disqualified.

It would be the last company I would start a project with. For the comfort and well-being of everyone, it was better to discard them for future collaborations. Working with Lancaster Collection would be a total and absolute hell, not only for me but also for my son. It would not be pleasant for Amelia and Gina to approach him; they wouldn't hesitate to unleash their venom, even though he was just a child.

I didn't want my son to be around unpleasant people.

"But, Ms. Petit, Lancaster Collection is one of the best options. Working with them would be very beneficial, it's a guaranteed success." Michelle spoke beside me, realizing that I had completely dismissed the best option among all the high-end fashion brands on my tablet, and I gave her a fleeting look.

Yes, she was right, and it wasn't very professional of me to mix personal matters with work, but I would do whatever it took for Tristan's peace of mind. I was terrified of the idea of my son becoming a victim of the attacks from the Lancasters, just like they did to me for years.

"Do you want to do the work for me, Ms. Boyer? We haven't received any proposal from Lancaster Collection, which means they're not interested in working with us at the moment. We have projects to review, I won't divert my attention to a company we would have to convince instead of convincing ourselves for collaboration. It's not the only brand nor the best in the country." I replied sharply, making everything clear and wanting to leave the subject there, feeling a bad taste in my mouth just from hearing that surname. However, Ms. Boyer seemed like she wanted to push my buttons with what came out of her mouth next.

"Is that it, or is it because your ex-husband is the president of Lancaster Collection? Did your marriage end so badly? Will you keep hiding from him for the rest of your life? Oh, of course. You don't want to face Mr. Alexander or let him know you got pregnant by another man."

I looked at Michelle with a raised eyebrow, maintaining an impressive calm. Her destructive words didn't affect me because they were far from reality, and I had no reason to respond to her ill-intentioned questions.

Clearly, she wanted to ruin my night by bringing up a past that had been buried six feet underground for years, and I wasn't going to allow it. She had no right to meddle in my private life or my affairs.

"If you're so interested in my private life, you can schedule an appointment with Jack. I'll give you an exclusive interview about my life for you to publish in your gossip magazine. Is there anything else, Ms. Boyer?" I asked calmly, with a fake smile on my face. Michelle, offended, opened her mouth in a perfect 'O' And then closed it, remaining silent for the rest of the way, as she should have been from the beginning.

She better not dare to meddle in my affairs. If Lancaster Collection wasn't offering to collaborate with Doinel, it wouldn't be me who would take the initiative. And if they offered themselves at the last moment, it would be discussed in a board meeting until a decision was made, where she clearly wouldn't be invited.

Breathe, don't let anyone ruin this night.

Soon, I thought about Abby's question again, as if I were a complete and total masochist.

If Alexander found out that I had a child with him and hid it from him for more than three years, he could claim his rights as a father. Not only that, but he could also start a legal process to take away my custody of Tristan, which would require me to find the best lawyer. No. No, no, no. He wouldn't do that, right? He wouldn't take him away from me, wouldn't separate me from the only good thing he left me. Just the thought of my life without my son's company and laughter made my stomach turn.

No, definitely not. Nobody would find out about his existence, for Tristan's sake.

The car stopped in front of the hotel where the opening show would take place. A crowd of fans and journalists were outside waiting for the arrival of some public figures to photograph. Michelle was the first to step out of the car when the door on her side opened. Jack followed her, and he offered me his hand to help me out carefully, adjusting the wrinkles in my dress.

The flashes immediately went off upon my arrival and increased when a handsome and elegant chestnut-eyed man approached, dressed in a stylish gray suit, an impeccable white shirt with not a single wrinkle, and a black tie that matched his olive skin very well. The authentic smile adorning his face made him look even more handsome than he already was.

His eyes traveled from head to tow as he scrutinized me carefully before taking my hand and placing a kiss on the back, as if he didn't care that our names would probably be in the headlines tomorrow.

"You look incredibly beautiful, Ms. Sarah. You'll steal the show with your mere presence." Paul said with a sparkle in his eyes. He looked at me as if I were the most impressive thing he had ever seen in his life, and my cheeks blushed automatically.

I knew Paul arrived at the event hours in advance to do his respective work, but I couldn't have imagined that he would be waiting anxiously for me at the hotel entrance, to receive me in the most gentlemanly way in front of everyone. Every move was being captured by the cameras, and apparently, he didn't care in the slightest.

"Thank you, Mr. Dubois. You look very elegant tonight." I responded to him with the same cordial tone he used with me, and he let out a silent chuckle while looking at his outfit.

"I have my reasons." He said with complicity and a half-smile. The heat rose to my cheeks as I remembered the date we would have after the banquet, I had no idea where we were going and that made me somewhat nervous.

Before I could even ask him a question, my parents appeared, interrupting any word that was about to come out of my mouth. They greeted Paul and a few seconds later, my attention turned to the newcomers.

Vincent got out of the just parked truck with a serious expression, without a hint of grace, and offered his hand to Abby to help her out. She had a smile from ear to ear, looking at the journalists like a diva, as she hooked her arm with my cousin.

By the way they both left the house, each on their own, I could tell that Abby, in her own way, forced Vincent to behave like a gentleman tonight, or he was acting on his own to keep up appearances in front of the media.

I disliked either of the two options, but I didn't want to dwell on it too much.

I turned my attention to my father, who ordered us to pose for the cameras. The flashes almost blinded me, but I didn't stop smiling without showing my teeth, while Paul held me by the waist.

"It would be a crime if your image doesn't appear on the cover of magazines tomorrow." Paul whispered in my ear before discreetly kissing the top of my head.

I gave him a look without responding, the corners of his lips were slightly curved, forming an almost non-existent smile. He shifted his gaze from the cameras to me and gave me a genuine smile that made me smile.

My smile vanished when I saw the car that had just parked at the entrance, a few meters away from us. Amelia got out of the back seat of the Range Rover wearing a red dress, and barely waited a second to smile at the only journalist who noticed her.

My curiosity was aroused when the man in the passenger seat hurried to take out a wheelchair, but I didn't want to see anymore when I realized that the dark-haired, honey-eyed man I detested was yet to come out. Maybe he stubbed his pinky toe and that was why he needed a wheelchair.

"We should go inside." I said to Paul, turning my gaze back to him as I hooked my arm with his.

"Your wish is my command." Paul replied, ready to guide me inside the hotel, but my father stopped us before we took a single step.

"Before we go in, I would like to pose with my wife and my vice president. I hope you don't mind if I borrow her for a few seconds, Paul." My father said, extending his hand for me to take and I quickly glanced at the newcomers.

I didn't want to run into them, especially not in this moment in front of so many cameras, although it seemed inevitable, as Amelia approached slowly on one side of the wheelchair being occupied by Alexander, who looked physically very different from the last time I saw him in Paris.

Seeing him didn't even make me feel anger like I had imagined before, I felt nothing for him, not even a hair moved.

"She's all yours, Mr. Doinel." Paul's voice made me look back at my father and I let go of Paul's arm to position myself between my parents and smile at the cameras.

"I don't want to ruin this moment." I muttered under my breath for only my parents to hear.

"But Alexander just arrived with his mother and they're approaching."

My mother couldn't hide her reaction as soon as she found out and turned her head towards the entrance, checking that they were just a few meters away from joining us. My father, on the other hand, remained calm, smiling at the cameras like a gentleman, although I could tell that his muscles were tense.

"They better not mess with you, because there are still scores to settle and I wouldn't mind settling them in front of the cameras." My mother spoke with anger but didn't erase her smile, as she looked away from the Lancasters.

"Dear, don't lose your composure over a family without manners. Tonight, we're going to enjoy our first family night at Fashion Week. The day will come when they'll have to swallow their venom when they find out who Sarah really is." My father murmured, glancing sideways at the pair of people who were about to reach our side.

"And who is Sarah? We all know that she is a gold digger, tell me something I don't know." Amelia intervened in the family conversation in a low voice, but loud enough for only us to hear.

I looked at her with an arched eyebrow without losing my composure, her words no longer affected me at all, she could keep saying whatever she wanted about me.

I gave a quick and bitter look to Alexander when he looked at her with a furrowed brow and clenched fists on his legs, his muscles tightened, at the same time his breathing became heavy, it seemed like he wanted to say something, but something was preventing him.

Whatever happened to him to end up like this was not my business, however, I could see something different in him when his eyes met mine, the shame and the sparkle with which he looked at me made my pulse quicken. I looked at his mother, dissipating the slightest feeling in my chest through her honey-colored eyes.

"Who is this rude lady?" Asked my mother, evidently annoyed, and I gave her a look so that she wouldn't even bother exchanging words with Amelia, it was not worth it.

"If you know me so well, then it shouldn't matter to you, nor should you meddle in other people's conversations, did you leave your manners at home?"I calmly replied, without erasing the slight smile.

Her face twisted at my response, and before she started spewing her venom, a hand passed around my waist, and I knew it was Paul by the exquisite fragrance of his perfume. "Shall we go in, Sari?"

I lifted my face to look at him when he asked that question that would save me from the unpleasant presence of the elder harpy and her shameless son.

"Of course." I replied before linking our arms, while he took my purse to carry it for me.

"With your permission, enjoy the event."

I turned around and walked in silence, with cheeks burning with anger, next to Paul into the interior of the hotel, while I held onto the train of my dress so as not to stumble.

Once we arrived at the hall where the opening fashion show would take place, I exhaled the air I had unknowingly held, Paul caressed my hand resting on his arm and gave me a reassuring smile, although it wasn't enough to get over that ordeal with that pair.

I didn't realize how spectacular the place looked until Paul guided me to the reserved seats for Doinel, which were being occupied by Abby, Vincent, Michelle, and Jack, only my parents were missing, who walked behind us in complete silence, Paul and me. I sat in my respective seat and furrowed my brow upon seeing a male figure standing on the other side of the catwalk.

My head nearly exploded thinking how it was possible for him to be there talking with Gina and Mike, if just a moment ago he was outside with Amelia, and in a wheelchair!

I must be hallucinating.

I needed a break from the Lancaster family or I would end up going completely crazy.