Page 9 of The Exception

Once the flight attendant was gone, Jo leaned in, resting her elbows on her thighs. “So, are you worried about seeing…” She gave me a meaningful look. “You know.”

Graham.

My former boss and the CEO of the Huxley Grand empire.

I hadn’t seen—or worked for—Graham in nearly two years. Despite the fact that I was no longer his personal assistant, I continued to follow him, and his company, in the news. I told myself it was merely idle curiosity, keeping tabs on the industry, but I knew there was more to it than that.

I had a feeling if anyone would’ve understood my need to see the château project come to fruition, it would be him. That or he’d tell me it was a bad investment. I cringed at the idea of hearing those words from Graham Mackenzie. He was a shrewd businessman, a visionary, even if he was often misunderstood.

“Nah. Graham never attends this type of thing. If anything, I’m concerned I’ll run into his brother, Jasper. But I doubt he’ll recognize or remember me.” I gestured to my hair, knowing they wouldn’t expect me to have longer, darker hair like my current wig.

Hell, Graham had probably forgotten all about me. And I doubted he’d ever heard of, much less read, my blog. He was too busy for something so trivial.

Even if he had somehow checked outGilded Lily, I always concealed my true identity. And besides, everything I’d written was something I would’ve said to his face. Though he would’ve just argued with me about it anyway.

I smiled at the thought. As annoying as he could be at times, I liked that he challenged me and my opinions instead of dismissing them. He’d treated me with respect.

I shifted my champagne flute, taking some pictures before repositioning the cocktail napkin. I needed to get my head in gear. As tired as I was of juggling the restoration and traveling for my blog, I relied on the income from my site to cover my monthly expenses. I couldn’t afford to screw this up.

And yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about the château and how much work it needed. If I couldn’t find a way to fund the necessary restorations… I blew out a breath. I’d done the math on the way to the airport, and I hadmaybetwo months before I was out of money.

Jo slid my champagne flute closer. “Here. You look like you could use this.”

“Thanks,” I sighed and gulped some down. The champagne was refreshing and decadent, a welcome change from the water I typically consumed. Everything else was too expensive.

When my phone vibrated, I pulled it out of my purse and glanced at the screen.

Aster: You didn’t have to be such a jerk to Iris.

I frowned.Of course, my sister had told everyone about our argument.Of coursemy brother would take her side.

Mom: You need to apologize to your sister.

Jesus.I tightened the grip on my phone. What were we, five?

And why had my mom automatically taken my sister’s side? Without even talking to me, no less. Didn’t I deserve the benefit of the doubt? Or the chance to tell my side of the story?

It was disappointing. And yet, I wasn’t all that surprised. It hurt to admit that to myself.

I ignored all the other texts and replied directly to my mom.

Me: Why do I always have to be the one to apologize? I didn’t do anything wrong.

Mom: This never would’ve happened if you hadn’t been so selfish.

Wow.Even from hundreds of miles away, her words hit like a physical blow.Selfish?Auntie Jackie had left that money to me.

It had taken me far too long to realize that my family only called when they wanted something from me. Or maybe I just hadn’t wanted to see the truth.

But now that I had, I couldn’t unseeit. And even if I could’ve, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

I’d never been more grateful for the flight attendant to announce that we had to put our devices into airplane mode.Gladly.I chucked my phone into my bag with a huff.

“Lil?” Jo nudged me. “You okay?”

The crew fired up the engines and made the announcement that we were about to take off. So, I dropped my bag to the floor and secured my seat belt before leaning my head back against the headrest. I closed my eyes with a sigh. “I am so done with my family.”

“Uh-oh. What happened this time?”

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