Chapter 185
Blake’s POV
Laurel froze in my arms. Her gaze immediately darted toward her mother, a silent exchange I nearly missed.
She lowered her head and sniffled, her voice softening. “Blake darling, don’t you always say you dislike when I cry too much?”
When she lifted her face again, a tear slid down her cheek, landing perfectly on my finger that still rested beneath her eye.
“I was finally controlling my emotions…” she whispered.
odied
More tears followed, trickling onto my hand. “It’s been four years since my sister died. I finally managed not to cry when i see her things, and now you bring it up, making me emotional again.”
She bit her lip, looking up at me with wounded eyes. “You left, then came back just to see me embarrass myself, didn’t you?”
Her eyes darted toward Audrey before returning to me, her lips forming a pout. “Were you hoping someone would take unflattering photos of me too?”
Audrey raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on the fresh tear tracks on Laurel’s cheeks. A cold smile formed on her lips.
“Miss Rose,” she said, “why do you bring me into your moment with your fiancé?”
“Last time you accused me of taking unflattering photos, my phone was destroyed. When I went to get it fixed, your agent
stole it and had me beaten.”
Audrey clutched her phone protectively against her chest. “Are you mentioning photos again because you’re planning something for this phone too?”
Laurel turned toward Audrey, keeping her back to me. Her voice became small. “Miss Sinclair, how can you say such
things?”
“Breaking your phone was an accident, and what happened this morning with Jennifer has been investigated, hasn’t it?” she continued. “I know you must feel bitter that Blake darling plans to marry me after divorcing you, but you shouldn’t
accuse me of things I haven’t done.”
Audrey laughed. “Laurel Rose, you’re giving Blake Parker far too much importance in my life.”
I felt my face darken as I narrowed my eyes at her.
“I admit,” Audrey continued, “I used to love Blake. He was my sky, my everything.”
She paused, her eyes meeting mine with a hardness I’d never seen before. “But now… in my eyes, he’s just like any homeless man on the street – an ordinary, self–important man, nothing more.”
I felt the blood drain from my face, then rush back, my skin burning with shock. What does she mean, I’m like a homeless man? Ordinary and self–important?
“How dare you speak about Blake darling that way!” Laurel gasped, clutching my arm tighter. “Blake darling is the best
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Chapter 185
man in the world!”
Audrey merely raised an eyebrow. “If you believe he’s the best man in the world, you’d better hold onto him tightly. Don’t let him stray to other women.”
She smiled coldly. “You two are the perfect golden couple. You should never be apart.”
1 frowned, studying Audrey’s face, searching for any hint of the woman who had once looked at me with adoration. I expected to find some bitterness in her eyes, some pain that would betray her harsh words as a facade.
But there was nothing. Her expression remained calm as she discussed me with another woman. No sadness, no resentment, only a slightly mocking congratulation.
My heart skipped a beat, and an unfamiliar uneasiness crept into my chest.
“Indeed, Laurel and Blake are perfectly matched,” Scarlett interjected with a thin smile. “When Blake first started seeing Laurel, I consulted a psychic. The psychic said Blake and Laurel were destined to be together.”
She looked Audrey up and down. “The psychic also predicted their relationship would face a test – they would separate temporarily because of someone who didn’t know her place. But this person would merely be a brief interlude in their relationship.”
Audrey laughed lightly. “This psychic of yours could predict all that?”
“Of course,” Scarlett replied coldly. “The psychic also predicted that this ‘interlude‘ would be a shameless woman who would take advantage of Blake when he was vulnerable, inserting herself as a third party…”
I felt my frown deepen. Scarlett’s words were becoming increasingly offensive.
Laurel seemed to notice my discomfort and quickly intervened. “Mom, why bring up ancient history?”
Scarlett, misunderstanding her daughter’s intention, continued eagerly. “Laurel, I’m not as forgiving as you. When you and Blake first got together, I told you about the psychic’s prediction – that a third party would come between you. But you always said you trusted your relationship with Blake..
–
I watched Audrey lean against the wall, arms crossed, observing Scarlett’s tirade with apparent amusement.
When Scarlett finally finished, Audrey looked up. “Mrs. Rose.”
“If your psychic was so talented that they could clearly foresee when and where I would interfere in Mr. Parker and Miss Rose’s relationship…” she continued, “Then surely they also foresaw that three years ago, Blake Parker would become a vegetative state patient, correct?”
Scarlett froze, her eyes widening. “I… the psychic only predicted matters of the heart, not Blake’s accident…”
“But you just stated clearly,” Audrey said, blinking, “that the psychic predicted I would take advantage when Blake was vulnerable and in a vegetative state.”
She laughed. “Doesn’t that mean the psychic foresaw Blake becoming comatose?”
“If Mrs. Rose already knew Blake Parker would end up in a vegetative state, why didn’t you warn him not to drive that day, not to take that route?” Audrey’s eyes glinted. “Or were you somehow pleased to see Mr. Parker suffer?”
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Scarlett’s face turned ashen. She stared at Audrey, unable to form a coherent response.
I studied Audrey intently, watching her with narrowed eyes.
The satisfaction and cold pride on her face were expressions I’d never seen before.
This was the real Audrey.
Calm, vibrant, sharp, with clear loves and hates.
But if she had been pretending all along, why drop the act now?
Was it… because she no longer cared about me?
As that thought crossed my mind, I felt an inexplicable suffocation in my heart.
I tugged at my tie, my brow furrowing deeply without my realizing it.
Audrey’s POV
I watched with satisfaction as Scarlett Rose struggled to find words. The woman who had treated me with such contempt was now floundering, caught in her own web of lies.
She instinctively looked toward Laurel, whose response was a cold glare.
Laurel took a deep breath and smiled. “Psychic readings aren’t scientific at all. Though my mother heard these predictions, she didn’t take them completely seriously, so naturally, she didn’t try to avoid anything based on the psychic’s advice.”
“I think my mother just remembered the psychic’s prediction when she heard Miss Sinclair call Blake and me a perfect couple. She was simply reflecting on how everything matched what the psychic had said.”
She turned to me. “Miss Sinclair, Nora mentioned you came here to discuss something with me, is that right?”
Deciding not to press the psychic topic further, I pushed away from the wall and stretched slightly. “I do indeed have business with you.”
Looking toward the garden visible through the windows, I added, “Shall we go to the garden and talk privately?”
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