Divorced Heiress
Chapter 55

There were minutes left for the guests to arrive at the work dinner at the mansion, I was finishing up some matters with my lawyers, as the case was going so well in my favor with the evidence, that I already considered it won. They would have to pay a large sum of money, since for them, money was everything, not to mention the humiliation of being behind bars until the verdict was given. The comments on social media had shifted direction, there wasn't a single insult directed towards me like in the past few days, now the negative comments were aimed at the three vipers who made such bad decisions.

I said goodbye to my lawyers when we finished discussing the matter and they both left the office and seconds later the mansion.

Just as I was going to Tristan's room, Maga invited Julian to come into the house, who upon seeing me, came over to greet me with a kiss on the cheek.

It was inevitable that my muscles would tense just by remembering his words from yesterday in front of everyone present.

-Welcome, Mr. Ferrer, please take a seat, the others will be here in a few minutes.- I pointed to the sofa and before he could sit down, he approached me with his usual serious face.

-Ms. Doinel, I want to apologize to you for what I said last night. After I left, I spent the whole night thinking about it and I don't want you to misunderstand me. I just found it very rude of Mr. Lancaster to refer to you in that way, especially considering he's your ex- husband. It sounded very disrespectful and I wanted to lighten the mood, but it ended up sounding worse than it did in my mind. Can you forgive me?- I analyzed every word that came out of Julian's mouth and in a way, I felt more relieved.

I was aware that it sounded more like flirtation than anything else and I was glad to know that his intentions towards me were not at all what I had imagined.

Although I admitted that I felt really uncomfortable after he left and left me with all those stares, some curious, others annoyed. It was so uncomfortable that I took my son in my arms and went straight to the car to wait for the others. Luckily, my parents accompanied me home and didn't say a word during the drive. Since then, I hadn't exchanged a word with anyone in this house, except with Maga and my parents.

I smiled without showing my teeth and nodded my head.

-I accept your apologies. I'm relieved to know the true meaning behind your words.- Julian tilted his head looking embarrassed and I waved my hand, downplaying it. I had already clarified everything, it wasn't such a relevant issue that needed to be overanalyzed. -Excuse me, I'll go get my father.- I said.

-Go ahead.- He replied.

I climbed the stairs, leaving Julian alone in the living room, until I reached my father's room where he told me he would be before I locked myself in his office with the lawyers.

I knocked on the door with my knuckles and after a few seconds, my father appeared, opening the door with a weak smile. Behind him was Vincent with his neutral expression and my mother who seemed worried.

-Father, Mr. Ferrer has arrived.- I informed him, pointing downstairs with my thumb, but I couldn't concentrate enough because of my mother's face. Anyone could hide their emotions except her, something was happening.

-Why wouldn't I be fine? Has Julian Ferrer arrived? Come on, dinner is about to start.- My father linked his arm with mine and made me walk towards the stairs. At that moment, I knew he was hiding something from me.

I stopped before descending the stairs and let go of his grip to look at him intently with narrowed eyes.

-Can you tell me what's going on? Do you think I'm stupid?- I looked at Vincent who remained expressionless and soon realized that he had something to do with it. -Vincent...-

-Princess, how about we talk about this after dinner? We're running late, we can't be late, especially if the guest is already here.- Vincent responded without emotion in his voice and I huffed, feeling annoyed.- Sari, there's nothing to worry about, we'll talk about this after dinner, it's most convenient, shall we? - My father said, trying to take my arm again, but I refused.

- You can go ahead, I'll go get Tristan. Vincent, will you come with me? - I looked at him sternly and he knew he couldn't escape from me.

I let my parents continue their way after giving Vincent a glance, and walked with him to Tristan's room.

- Sari... - I raised my hand as a stop sign and left the word hanging in the air.

Upon entering the room, I saw Abby lying on the couch with her cellphone, while Tristan peacefully slept in his bed. I barely looked at Abby, still not forgetting the lie she told me, and I didn't have time to talk about it with her.

- Abby, everyone is waiting downstairs, dinner is about to start. - I told her as an excuse to get her out of the room and be able to talk to Vincent alone, for it was the only way I could release what my parents were hiding.

Abby stood up with her gaze fixed on the floor, it was clear she felt sorry about something and even though she wanted to talk to me, she knew it wasn't the right moment.

She passed by and I approached Tristan's bed without the desire to wake him up, he looked so relaxed sleeping, it would be a crime to interrupt his sleep.

When Abby left, I waited a few seconds before turning to Vincent and looking at him with a raised eyebrow. His serious gaze never disappeared and after letting out a sigh, he began to speak.

- I have told Leonardo and Joelle about my suspicions regarding Paul - He suddenly blurted out without any anesthesia, and I looked at him confused. - I'm sorry, princess, but I know there's something wrong with him, and last night they came back from outside as if nothing had happened. I don't want you to get hurt again, you've had enough with the husband you found and the people around him, to have another disappointment with Paul. You trust him a lot, don't you? - I crossed my arms, holding back my annoyance at people making decisions about my life.

Just because I was like that with Paul, didn't mean I acted as if nothing happened.

- First of all, it's not necessary for you to intervene, Vincent. I know you don't want me to have more disappointments, but I'm not a child. If you have something to tell me, say it to my face. Why involve my parents? - I complained in a low voice, careful not to wake up Tristan.

Vincent approached me and held me by the shoulders, looking at me intently.

- Sari, I know you're not a child, but you'll never stop being my princess and I'll never stop watching your back. I stopped doing it when you got married and look where it got you. That won't happen again. And I'm sorry, but you know I'm very observant, and I know Paul is up to something and you're caught in the middle. Don't you feel curious about why they lied to you so blatantly? Who was he talking to? Because it certainly wasn't about the company. - I didn't want to make my cousin feel bad, but I felt he was overreacting. Although what I heard from Paul last night wasn't right, I didn't feel like it was something that would harm me.

- He was talking to a lawyer, a certain Mr. Richman. He wanted to find the best lawyers for the defamation case. - I replied almost automatically, hoping he would drop the subject.

Vincent chuckled without any humor and looked at me after a few seconds in which he looked at the ceiling as if thinking about something.

- Is that what he told you? He himself asked me about the case after you publicly accused those women. Of course, I told him you had the best lawyers and that the case would go in your favor. A few minutes later, he received a call, said it was from a branch office, but I didn't believe him because of how restless he looked and the words he exchanged in secret with Abby. What do you think about it? - The information my cousin was giving me awakened the suspicions that disappeared the night before. If Paul knew I had lawyers and that the case was leaning in my favor, why call a lawyer? Why did he lie to me? Who was Mr. Richman? And what was supposed to go perfectly?

- Did it really happen like that? - I asked, bewildered and trying to find some answers or logic to the matter. But it was impossible, maybe if I hadn't interrupted the call last night, I would have heard something else, now doubt lodged in my chest thanks to Vincent. -Why lie to you? I wouldn't have told you if it wasn't this way. Besides, if I hadn't told your parents, they would be making a decision right now based on a conversation Leonardo had with Alexander, I must admit your ex-husband is very audacious wanting to change the project. -The sudden change of topic was not enough to distract me from my thoughts.

It was hard for me to think badly of Paul. He was the brother of my childhood best friend. He had been my friend since I could remember and his parents were my parents' best friends. It would be easier to believe that he was with different women because of his reputation as a playboy in the past. What did it have to do with lawyers and me?

Soon Vincent's last words echoed in my head and I snapped back to reality.

-What changes did Alexander want? - I asked after a few seconds of silence. Although I already knew what the big change that Alexander wanted was, Julian had told me last night.

-Alexander wanted to carry out the New York project and your father was still unsure about it, God knows what he said to make him consider his proposal, but after today's conversation, he prefers to have you close, back in Paris.- What did Alexander intend?