Divorced Heiress
Chapter 54

Paul's face turned as white as a paper, he left no trace of his flushed cheeks and looked at me as if he saw a ghost, I never expected to see me here, if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be here right now thinking that my cousin was right and that he was plotting something that, in reality, I had a lot to do with.

As soon as he could, he ended the call with the so-called Mr. Richman, who until now, I had no idea who he was, because no matter how hard I tried to remember, that last name didn't ring a bell. I could swear I'd never heard it in my life.

I closed the door behind me, leaving the noise behind. I was face to face with Paul and had no choice but to answer myself. I heard very well what he said and how he said it. Honestly, I didn't like this situation at all, especially coming from him. - Sarah, what are you doing here? It's getting a bit cold, you'll freeze in that dress, I'll lend you my jacket. - His voice returned to normal, nothing compared to how he spoke a few minutes ago. He was about to take off his jacket, but I stopped him by raising my hand in a stop sign.

- I'm not cold, I just want to know what you were talking about me and with whom. -Paul stayed paralyzed in his place and was only able to adjust his clothes.

Obviously, he was taken by surprise, it seemed like he didn't know what to answer and I was starting to get impatient. I didn't want to distrust him, my lifelong friend and my best friend's brother, but I couldn't help but misinterpret his silence.

- Sari, I didn't want you to know until I had everything sorted out. -I looked at him confused and in silence, not understanding what he was talking about, until he continued after cracking his neck. - I know how busy you are and will be from now on with the collaboration project, so I took the trouble of looking for the best law firm for the defamation lawsuit against those women. I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, but I felt the need to help you with this, if you're okay, I'll be okay too. - I was astonished by his words and crossed my arms trying to understand why he was so interested in helping me with the case.

Not even an hour had passed since everyone found out about the lawsuit and Paul didn't even wait to ask me about it, when he was already looking for lawyers and saying how quickly he would win the case.

- Paul, there's no need for you to go through the trouble of finding lawyers, everything has been under control from the beginning. In any case, you should have asked me first before contacting your connections, I just announced the lawsuit, you could have waited a few minutes to consult it with me, don't you think? Also, why all the secrecy? Abby lied to me about your whereabouts, how should I take this? -I spoke calmly, but inside I felt disappointed with the Dubois siblings. Abby for lying to me and Paul for taking liberties that didn't belong to him and behind my back.

- I asked Abby to lie for me, if there's someone you should be angry with, it's me, I just wanted to seize the opportunity and help you as much as possible. Sari, forgive me, I messed up. -Paul sounded remorseful and affected, suddenly I felt bad for dismissing him once again when, according to him, he just wanted to help me.

I let out a tired sigh and immediately felt the cold on the parts of my body that were still uncovered by the dress.

Secretly, I wondered over and over again if I could trust his word. After all, why would he do something against me? Maybe I was taking this too far because of Vincent's ideas.

- Alright, Paul, just cancel any lawyer. Shall we go inside? It's cold. -I ended the subject or I would get a headache from all the issues I had in my head.

Paul nodded his head and turned around to go back, but before opening the door, the cold in my body disappeared when I felt something covering my shoulders. I quickly realized it was his suit jacket and to top it off, he put his arms around my back and his hand stopped at my shoulder, I had to admit that I liked his warmth on this cold night.

When we returned, Abby's face turned pale and she nervously smiled before quickly glancing at Paul, I let it pass because after all, she's his sister and of course he would have her back. I met my cousin's confused gaze as he saw me arrive with Paul in this way and I gently shook my head, letting him know that there was nothing to worry about. My father arrived with Alexander and Julian just as I was taking off Paul's jacket. I thanked him and he didn't let go of me, not even when I reached Tristan, who was calling his father excitedly.

-Hey, Ales, Ales, hi.- My son greeted him with a wave of his hand while in my mother's arms, and I couldn't help but smile with tenderness.

Paul stopped hugging me by the shoulders and instead grabbed me around the waist in a possessive way that suddenly made me uncomfortable.

-Hello, little dark-Haired one.- Alexander greeted him back from his spot, a gleam in his eyes. He seemed uncomfortable under the unfriendly gaze the Dubois family had been giving him since he arrived.

I shifted slightly under Paul's touch, causing him to let go of me. I looked at him as his long fingers intertwined with mine, and under my watchful gaze, he planted a fleeting kiss on the back of my hand. I opened my mouth to let him know that I didn't feel comfortable being displayed in that way in front of everyone, but my father's voice made me fall silent.

-Thank you all for the work you've done this week.- My father began to speak, capturing everyone's attention. I looked at him expressionless, waiting for the moment he would say that the project would be carried out in New York instead of Paris, as Alexander had requested. How could everything change just because of Alexander's request? We could find another way to handle Tristan's visits without having to reconsider the project that was about to start. I looked at the dark-Haired man, and his scrutinizing gaze never left me for a second. -Tomorrow we will have a business dinner where the representatives of the collaborating brands have been cordially invited. There are some pending issues to discuss.-

Upon hearing that, I let go of Paul in one tug and felt uneasiness in my chest as I interrupted.

-Is there any change in the project that we don't know about?- I asked directly and somewhat suspiciously after requesting permission to speak. I gave Alexander a glance so he would know that I already knew about his intentions and that I didn't agree with his drastic changes.

My father fell silent for a few seconds, looking at me with a furrowed brow. I couldn't guess what was going through his mind. Was he really able to accept the suggested changes? It couldn't be true.

Staying in this city for a year would be t*****e. Not only would I be unfamiliar with the work area where the project would take place, but I also wanted to be as far away as possible from everything that brought back bitter memories and with such unpleasant people, starting with Mrs. Amelia, whom I would make pay in court. And knowing her as I do, she wouldn't sit idly by seeing that the woman she despised so much was even more powerful than her and that she had been completely ridiculed in front of everyone. -Sarah, we'll talk about that at the meeting tomorrow, there's no rush.- My father responded calmly, planting a big doubt within me. -Once again, I want to congratulate Innova and Lancaster Collection for the great work. I'll be waiting for you at the agreed upon time at the mansion.-

I laughed silently, unwillingly, while Julian and Alexander said their goodbyes to everyone. Abby rejected Alexander's greeting directly and half-Heartedly kissed Julian on the cheek.

One disliked the other even more.

Alexander approached me, and I stepped back when I saw his intention to kiss my cheek as a goodbye.

-You look more beautiful when your brow isn't furrowed.- He said as I looked at him indifferently, raising an eyebrow at his words.

Why should he care if I looked beautiful or not with a furrowed brow?

-Thanks, but it's none of your business. I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Lancaster. Oh, and I hope the changes have nothing to do with our return to Paris.- I said for his ears only, as everyone said their goodbyes to Julian until he courteously said goodbye to my mother and Tristan. The latter couldn't stop smiling and hiding shyly in his grandmother's neck.

Alexander's mocking and indifferent gaze only intensified my uncontrollable urge to leave a mark on his cheek with my hand.

-Not everything revolves around you, Ms. Doinel. Remember, there's no rush.- He emphasized my last name and walked away towards where my mother and our son were, leaving me speechless and in a bad mood. I couldn't even say a word to him from where I stood, as Julian appeared in my field of vision after finishing saying goodbye to an embarrassed Tristan.

Would Alexander never stop being an idiot?

-Ms. Doinel, it's been a pleasure talking briefly with you. I'll see you tomorrow.- My bad mood faded slightly as I saw Julian's genuine smile. I could tell it was the first time I had seen him smile, a man usually serious and expressionless. I didn't want to come across as rude or impolite. He extended his hand to me.

-The pleasure is mine, Mr. Ferrer.- I shook his hand thinking he would release it after a handshake, but he didn't.

He brought my hand to his lips and left a kiss on my knuckles like a true gentleman, leaving me completely surprised. I could swear he didn't say goodbye to other women in the same way.

-Have a good night. He let go of my hand, leaving me perplexed, and just when I thought he was going to leave, he spoke.

-Oh, and ignore the comments of certain people. You look truly radiant even when you're upset, you don't need to smile to shine with your own light.- His comment completely caught me off guard, I didn't expect someone to have heard what Alexander told me earlier, let alone give their opinion about it in front of everyone.

Julian walked away without expecting a response from me, and then I realized that everyone, absolutely everyone, was looking at the scene as surprised as I was. Well, eat it.