Page 45 of Betrayal of a Billionaire
Alicia nodded as she chewed. “It is. I thought we’d have another billionaire brawl the way he came after Luke.”
“Hardly,” Julia started before Lydia chimed in.
“Oh, Grant tends to get a little hot under the collar. Always has. I can’t tell you the number of glasses he’s broken over the years flinging them across the room.”
Alicia’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? He’s got a temper?”
“No,” Julia said with a shake of her head, desperately trying to drive the conversation back to some level of normalcy.
“Oh, yes, Julia. In fact, didn’t he just smash a glass in front of you recently? I could have sworn I saw Worthington cleaning that mess up. Why was it? Oh, the affair during the Senate race.”
“You’re having an affair?” Alicia asked.
“No,” Grant said with a shake of his head. “Those pictures were fake.”
“Well, of course, they were, dear,” Lydia said with a pat on his hand before she leaned closer to Alicia. “Humor him, or we’ll have a terrible lunch.”
“Lydia, that’s not true,” Julia said.
“Isn’t it? I seem to remember how touchy he was over breakfast after those photos were leaked. I thought the dishes would rattle apart if he pounded his fists on the table any harder.”
Julia shifted in her seat as she shot Grant an apologetic glance. He reached for her hand, grabbing it and refusing to let go.
Julia’s smile strained under the weight of the conversation. Lydia’s comments, sharp and cutting, were like needles pricking at her already frayed nerves. Grant’s hand tightened around hers, a silent plea for unity. The gesture only deepened the chasm of her divided loyalties. With every word, the precarious balance she had maintained between her past and present seemed to teeter dangerously.
Her heart twisted in her chest as she wondered in which camp she truly belonged. She straddled between them, one foot in each. She shifted her gaze between Luke’s familiar smile as she felt the warmth of Grant’s skin against hers. Memories of Luke’s comforting touch mixed with the sound of Grant’s laughter as she fought to determine whose side she belonged at.
“Let’s change the subject,” Lydia said. “Luke, I’d love to hear more about you.”
Julia’s gaze flicked between Grant and Luke. Each represented a different world she’d inhabited. Luke, with his familiar ease, stirred memories she thought she’d left behind. Grant, a symbol of her current life, held her hand with a desperation that spoke volumes. In their touch, the weight of choices made and paths not taken pressed down around her.
“Oh,” Julia said with a nervous laugh, “I don’t think we need to put the spotlight on Luke.”
“I’d like to hear more about him,” Grant said.
Julia shot him a wide-eyed glance. Why was he siding with Lydia?
“What a coincidence. So would I. I mean, it sounds like you were a big part of Julia’s life,” Kyle chimed in.
Julia’s stony gaze shifted to her stepson as the situation spiraled wildly beyond her control.
“Well, there’s not much to tell,” Luke said with a shrug, setting his fork down. “I grew up in Harbor Cove. My dad was a fisherman. I grew up on the sea and still love it.”
“And Julia?” Grant questioned, his voice a little too sharp for Julia’s taste.
“Oh, uh, Julia and I…” Luke glanced at her, his eyebrows knitting as a slight smile curled the corners of his lips. “Gosh, it just seems like we’ve always been together.”
Julia offered another nervous laugh. “That’s not accurate. I mean…I went to college and…”
“Well, yeah,” he said with a shrug, “but I think I was interested in you before you went to college. We hung out all the time with Ally and Ethan. And, uh, when she came back for the summers, we spent a lot of time together. Then we got more serious later.”
“Enough to be engaged, apparently,” Sierra spat before she sipped her tea.
Why is this happening?Julia slid her eyes closed as she tried to stop the cold sweat from drenching her as her insides tied themselves in knots.
“Yep, we were engaged,” Luke said with a bob of his head.
“Why don’t we change the subject?” Julia asked with another chuckle.
