Page 51 of Blue Gold

“So, as I was saying, we’ve made sure to have the best of the best. We’re known for our Fourth of July parties for a reason.”

Mother’s wide smile would have made you think she was talking about one of her children, but no. As if the great Evelyn Lillian Williams, once a beauty queen and the cover girl for a yacht magazine, would care for such things… After all, my siblings and I were raised by various au pairs while she was busy planning her parties and looking the other way while Father screwed those so-called nannies. But then again, I was sure sleeping with her own call boys took out a lot of energy, too, so could she be blamed for having no time for us?

“Everyone who’s important will be at this party, and this year, it will be extra special because I ordered Belgian fireworks,” she said, and I frowned, because what the hell did that even mean?

“Fireworks?” Maya cheered.

“Oh, there will be plenty of fireworks. But you’ll have to stay until late to see them, Cupcake,” my father teased her, and they all started talking about fireworks until Elliot returned with a toothpick for Dad.

He placed it next to him before quietly leaving the table, and as he did, I noticed how Claudia’s eyes followed him. I wondered what was going through her mind until she spoke.

“Evelyn, is it okay if Elliot joins us on Saturday?”

What? Why?

“It’s just that I hoped to introduce him to some people in the fashion industry. And what’s better timing than a party?”

My stomach flipped because, until now, I’d almost ignored the idea of him becoming a model and getting far beyond my reach. Yet before getting ahead of myself, I took a deep breath. There was no reason to get nervous, as Mother would never agree⁠—

“Oh, that’s a great idea!” She put down her glass. “He’s such a beauty… I must introduce him to my friend Robert.”

Now she’s interested?

“Robert?” Father gawked.

“You know Robert, dear. Tall, thin, badly done plastic surgery? Anyway, he has a big modeling agency.” She turned back to face Claudia. “The minute he sees our boy, he’ll sign him on a contract immediately.” She laughed. “Thankfully, we’ll have Daniel to go over the details, won’t we?”

Our boy? A contract? Modeling agency? It was all going so fast that I’d yet to realize the whole table was staring at me, and baffled, I coughed to ease my tension.

“I’m sorry, but don’t you think Elliot has a say in this?” I scowled at Claudia.

“He already agreed when I asked him about it earlier today.”

The floor could have ripped in two and swallowed me whole with how shocked I was because… when did all of this happen? Before or after he kissed me? And more importantly, did Elliot truly plan on leaving?

“Now you’ll need a new cook and a new coach, huh?” Father grinned while raising his glass at me, only his joke wasn’t at all funny, especially with how it caught Claudia’s attention.

“What coach?” She frowned, brows pinched in confusion.

With a sigh, I looked down at my lap as Father informed Claudia of how I’d fired her tennis coach only an hour ago. He sounded so proud of me for once until a slam cut off his words, and I looked up, surprised to see Elliot had placed a new bottle of wine on the table.

“Excusez-moi,” he said, his eyes locked with mine. “It was mistake.”

But there was no mistake; Elliot meant to slam that bottle after walking in on our conversation and hearing that I’d fired Lucas. My throat dried under his intense stare that made it feel like we were the only two people in the room. This moment, which lasted only a few seconds, felt like it dragged on forever until Elliot finally turned around and walked out.

“He should be careful with those bottles,” Mother cluelessly said as she picked up the wine bottle to inspect the label.

An awful feeling erupted through me, and I bit the inside of my cheek before standing up.

“Will you excuse me,” I announced to the table, then quickly got out of there, my heart beating fast as I hurried toward the staff kitchen. I had to find Elliot and explain to him what had happened. More than that, he had to give me some answers, too.

I walked down the hall toward the kitchen and was almost there when I noticed Elliot’s shadow on the far wall. It moved gracefully as he cooked, creating an elegant silhouette that I wanted to capture in a frame. Only a few steps separated me from him, and I was prepared to take them when someone called my name. Before turning to face my wife, who stood behind me, I remained focused on Elliot’s shadow, which froze at Claudia’s call. Clearly, he’d heard her, too, and decided to stay still. Knowing he was listening, I turned to face Claudia.

“What on earth was that all about?” she asked.

“It’s all just one big misunderstanding,” I said as her brows furrowed, and she took a step closer.

“So you didn’t fire Lucas?”