Page 60 of Twins for the Off-Limits Lawyer

"So you used me." The words came out flat, emotionless, though inside I felt like I was falling from a great height. "You brought me here to be your cover story."

"It wasn't supposed to be like that! I genuinely wanted you here, wanted to help you with the new job opportunity. But yes, I also thought your presence might provide... camouflage."

I stood abruptly, pacing to the windows where the morning sun felt too bright, too cheerful for this conversation. Staying here suddenly felt like a trap—everyone watching, everyone knowing, while I'd been completely oblivious to the games being played around me. I couldn't even pack and leave with dignity because that would confirm I was exactly the naive American they all thought I was.

So here I was, hiding in the conservatory like a wounded animal, too proud to run but too hurt to face anyone.

"So all your encouragement about Edward and me, all the pushing and the opportunities you created, that was just you trying to manufacture a convenient distraction?"

"No! Well, not entirely." Daphne's voice was becoming more desperate. "I saw the way you looked at each other that first morning. The attraction was real, Lili. I just... encouraged it. Maybe more than I should have."

"Maybe more than you should have?" I spun around to face her, anger finally breaking through the shock. "Well, I'll be damned! Daphne, you orchestrated our entire relationship! The London tour, the auction, every 'coincidental' moment we hadtogether—you set it all up so you could sneak around with James while we provided the entertainment!"

"That's not how it was—"

"Then how was it?" My voice was rising, months of confusion and manipulation finally making sense in the worst possible way. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you brought your best friend across an ocean to be your unwitting accomplice in deception! Did you know what your Mother was planning? Did you know she was using me to complete some business acquisition?"

Daphne's face went pale. "What are you talking about?"

"The acquisition, Daphne! Your Mother knew exactly who I was from the moment I arrived. She knew Edward's firm was working on buying my company, and she used me—used all of this—to manipulate the situation." I felt tears of fury and humiliation burning behind my eyes. "Your Mother didn't just know about the acquisition, Daphne. She accelerated it. She made sure the timeline moved up specifically to trap me here while Edward and I were... while we were falling for each other. She used our relationship as evidence that I was a corrupting influence, proof that I needed to be removed from your family's orbit."

"Lili, that's not—"

"Isn't it? Because it seems like everyone in this family was using me for something. You needed me as cover for your affair, your Mother needed me as a pawn in her business games, and Edward..." My voice broke slightly. "Edward knew about the acquisition all along and said nothing."

Part of me wanted to hate her completely—it would be so much easier than this complicated mess of love and betrayal and disappointment.

But I could see the genuine remorse in her eyes, the way her hands shook as she tried to explain the unexplainable.

"You don't understand what it's like, loving someone you can't have publicly. The secrecy, the constant fear of discovery—"

"Oh,Idon't understand?" The irony was so sharp it could cut glass. "Lord have mercy, Daphne, I've been living that exact nightmare for weeks! The difference is, I didn't drag an innocent friend into my mess as camouflage!"

"You don't understand the pressure, Lili. The constant scrutiny, the way every choice reflects on the family reputation. I've been trained since childhood to think strategically about relationships, to consider how every connection affects the broader picture." Something dangerous flashed in Daphne's eyes."Innocent? You want to talk about innocence?” she spat. “Let's talk about how you've been sneaking around with my brother while playing the grateful houseguest. Let's talk about how you've been lying to my face while sleeping in our family home!"

The accusation hit home because it was true, but that didn't make her manipulation any less devastating. "At least I didn't orchestrate someone else's relationship for my own convenience! At least, when I fell in love, I didn't drag innocent people into my web of lies as human shields!"

"And at least I didn't seduce my best friend's brother while benefiting from her family's hospitality!"

We stood facing each other in the conservatory, two women who'd once been close friends now separated by a chasm of mutual betrayal and hurt. The sound of rain beginning against the glass roof created a melancholy soundtrack to our destruction.

"Seduce?" I repeated, my voice dangerously quiet. "Is that what you think happened? That I came here with some grand plan to entrap Edward?"

"I think you saw an opportunity and took it," Daphne shot back. "The charming American girl winning over the wealthy English aristocrat—it's quite a story, isn't it?"

"You sanctimonious hypocrite." The words came out with more venom than I'd known I possessed. "You literally brought me here to provide cover for your own affair, and you have the audacity to accuse me of opportunism?"

"At least James and I didn't involve business conflicts! At least we're not risking a professional acquisition for the sake of romance!"

The mention of the acquisition made my blood run cold. "So you did know. You knew about your Mother's plan all along."

"I knew Edward's firm was handling some acquisition, but I didn't know it was your company until recently. And I certainly didn't know Mother was... manipulating things."

"But you suspected something, didn't you? You warned Edward to be careful after the auction. You realized what your Mother was capable of, but you said nothing to me."

The betrayal felt complete now, layers upon layers of deception.

"She didn't just reveal the acquisition, Daphne. She made sure I understood that every kindness, every gesture of acceptance—even lending me the family rubies—was all part of keeping me docile while they prepared to destroy everything I'd worked for.

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