Page 51 of Lilly

"I want her away from that woman!" Her voice is so harsh and shrill I have to hold the phone away from my ear. "That woman is NOT her mother!"

"We're not going to fight about this. Lilly is not going to meet you at your hotel so I suggest you make other plans. Why are you coming out here anyway?"

"To see my daughter. Weren't you listening to what I just said?"

"You wouldn't fly all the way out here to see Lilly." I pause, wondering if I should just come out and ask her what she and Phillip are up to. But it's a risky move and might make them cover their tracks better so I decide not to. "Are you coming here for a charity event?"

She sighs. "If you must know, yes, it's for an event, but the event isn't until the fall. We're still in the planning stages. I'm on a committee and I have to attend a meeting."

When she said 'committee' I immediately thought of the organization. Obviously she means a different committee but the thought reminds me of Phillip.

"So do you like having your sister nearby?"

"How do you know about that?"

She knows the answer. She's just playing games. So I play along.

"I attended a meeting. He didn't tell you?"

"I'm not allowed to be told such things. You know that, Pearce, so why would you even ask?"

"You and Caroline have always been close. I assumed she would've told you."

"We have better things to talk about. So why did you attend a meeting? You're no longer required to."

"How do you know that? Didn't you just say you're not allowed to be told such things?"

She clears her throat. "My father told me. Years ago. Before he died. Or if we're being truthful here, before he was killed."

"Are you implying something?" I ask, a touch of humor in my tone. To this day, I don't regret killing Leland. Not even a little.

"You know what you did," she spits out.

"As do you," I say, referring to her killing my father.

"And yet I was the only one punished! Not only did you take my old life away, you also took my daughter, but I promise you, Pearce, I will get her back."

"And how will you do that, Katherine? Are you going to drag her to a cotillion, kicking and screaming? Because that's the only way you'd ever get her to go to those types of events. Maybe you should focus on your son instead. I've heard he's making quite a name for himself at various New York society events." I dropped a hint, but will she take the bait? She loves to brag and this is an opportunity for her to do so, and if she does, there's a chance she'll let something slip.

"Since when do you follow society news?"

"My mother told me she saw him in the paper. She said he's quite handsome."

"And tall. Like you." She pauses. "Your mother always said you were tall at that age."

"How does Lyndon feel about his son partaking in these events?"

"He couldn't be happier. Unlike you, Pearce, he actually wants his child to have a bright future."

"Lilly's future will be whatever she desires. I'm not going to dictate her future the way our parents did with us."

"Our parents did what was right. You can't expect a child Lilly's age to know what's best for her. She's too young. Too inexperienced."

This conversation is going nowhere. She's not going to tell me anything and I feel my temper rising the longer we talk.

"I need to get some work done," I tell her. "I'll let Lilly know that you called."

"Make sure she is at the hotel on Wednesday."

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