hapter 76


    Harper


    Maddox had told me that we’d arrived, but every glimpse of the horizon only revealed endless empty grounds.


    “It really feels like we’ve been in this limousine forever since you told me we’ve arrived.” I looked over at him as I said it and it wasn’t even in protest, but in curiosity.


    He didn’t answer right away, just nced at me from the corner of his eye. “Everyone feels that way the first time theye here. This is all part of the estate. Just wait.” <fnb715> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on find?novel</fnb715>


    It took another five minutes, but I finally began to see a change. On both sides of the road, there were trees trimmed so perfectly that they looked like they had been painted. There were also fountains that sparkled even under the afternoon light as we moved along.


    Then, the limousine turned at the corner, revealing the main house and it instantly took my breath away. It was so towering that it looked like something out of a historical film. I was already feeling so small and almost out of ce.


    We finally made it to the front yard and the chauffeur stepped out first and opened the door for Maddox, who then came all the way around just to open the door for me. The chauffeur could’ve done that, but Maddox wanted to use every opportunity just in case they were watching from inside.


    I had barely taken any steps towards the towering house, yet it seemed to grow bigger. My dress might have cost $4000, but it felt so ordinarypared to that ce.


    I was still looking around when Maddox intertwined his fingers with mine after holding my hand.


    “By the looks of it, Grayson and Tiffany aren’t yet here,” he said. “Come on. It’s time to make an entrance.”


    I followed him, my heels clicking softly on the pavers.


    As he guided me towards the front doors, leaned towards me to whisper, “My dad’s in the study. He’s the one I want you to meet first. He says we’rete but so what? The goal was to make an entrance anyway. One more thing, I don’t give a shit about Margot.”


    It was so sudden and blunt that my eyes widened and I stopped in my tracks. “What?”


    He scoffed. “Don’t act so surprised. I know you don’t give a shit either. That’s why when we get inside, there’s no need to pretend. You’re not trying to impress her.”


    His grip on my hand tightened as he continued to talk about how much he didn’t care about her and I looked down at it.


    “What exactly happened for you to feel this way about her?”


    <b>He </b>sighed, loosening his grip on my hand when he realized what he was doing. “I’ll tell you all about itter. Let’s go.”


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    The entrance hall didn’t make me feel small. It made me hyper–aware, like every step mattered. There was <b>a </b>line of butlers and maidservants right along that hall who greeted us with politeness while bowing slightly. It was their warm smiles that made me feel at ease for a few seconds.


    But that all vanished the moment we rounded the corner into the living room and Mrs Aldridge was right there, rising from her seat the moment she spotted us.


    “You’re here!” Her face beamed with that venomous politeness and my chest tightened, memories of the p she’d once delivered at Maddox’s birthday shing in my mind.


    Maddox exhaled with an effort as he whispered to me, “I kinda knew we’d run into her first, but that doesn’t change anything. Watch.”


    He faced forward as she approached us, her arms open as if to hug him. “It’s good to have you home, my son.”


    Just as she was about to lean in so she could wrap her arms around him, he took a step back, holding up his hand to block her and the fake warmth from her smile faltered. I had to swallow my gasp and press my lips together at how he didn’t hide his emotions at all. I knew he didn’t give a shit about her, just as he had told me, but I didn’t think he’d show it like that.


    Then, her gaze shifted to me and she didn’t even attempt to shake my hand, her eyes scanning me with a mixture of disbelief and scorn.


    “I would’ve never thought that my son would end up taking you seriously.”


    His grip on my hand tightened once again and I looked up at him, wondering what was going on with him.


    Quickly, my attention shifted back to her when she said, “I wonder at what point you two decided to get together, considering the type of history you’ve had in the past few weeks.”


    Her nosiness was loud and irritating and after the p from that day, I was no longer going to tolerate her. The best part was, I didn’t have to pretend, thanks to him.


    It was time to ignore her, so I nced up at Maddox and spoke in a sweet voice. “Babe, I thought you said I was meeting your dad.”


    He smirked, like he was impressed. “You’re about to meet him. This way.”


    And with that, the two of us walked past Mrs Aldridge, her mouth open as if to protest, but we didn’t stop or even look back at her. A rush of triumph and relief washed over me. The power of ignoring her felt so satisfying and I was going to save her every moment of it.


    Maddox stopped at a polished wide door, gently knocking on it while bringing his head closer to listen.


    “Come in,” a deep andmanding voice answered from inside.


    I instantly felt a knot in my stomach. This was it. This was the man whose approval mattered the most. If I was going to keep up this fake rtionship, I had to face him.


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    Maddox pushed the door open and guided me inside. The study was lined with books wall–to–wall and the air was a mix of cigars and cologne.


    Mr. Aldridge stood near therge desk, his sleeves rolled up and eyes fixed on a stack of papers. He finally looked up and his face was just a nk expression, but his words caught me off guard.


    “Ah, there you are,” he said, warm and polished. “You’re a littlete, but…” his eyes scanned our outfits. “…I can see why.”


    His nk expression didn’t match his tone, but that was still enough to put me at ease.


    cing his hand on my waist, Maddox said, “This is Harper, my girlfriend.”


    Mr. Aldridge gave a faint smile as he stepped forward. “I obviously know who you are, but now, you’re the girl who finally melted my son’s heart.”


    I managed to force a small smile. “You’re right about that.” I was just d my voice didn’t crack.


    “What can I say?” Maddox chimed in. “She actually did it.”


    I had to pretend like Maddox’s tone made my heart flutter.


    Mr. Aldridge chuckled softly, still with a nk expression as he turned towards the window, where the curtains framed the long stretch of the driveway. “I have to admit that I was watching you two from up here when you arrived. You made quite the entrance. I’m happy for you, Maddox.”


    I still couldn’t get over the way Maddox had spoken to his father the first time I’d heard him on the phone, and the way he sounded different yesterday. Seeing their interaction in person now made it all much clearer that things were definitely a little different and I wondered what had led to that. I couldn’t wait for him to tell <ol><li>me. </li></ol>


    “Now that you two are here, we only need to wait for Tiffany and Grayson,” Mr Aldridge said, turning to face us again. “Harper, about what my daughter did to you in London, it shouldn’t have happened.”


    My eyes slightly narrowed as the thought of the pain I’d been through upset me a little. I didn’t expect him to bring it up so suddenly and I wondered how I was going to feel after seeing Tiffany.


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