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“It’s going to happen,” Veronica chimed in with complete confidence in her voice. “Speaking of the Queen, I think I hear her coming.”
“It’s showtime,” I said.
Henri opened the door, allowing Mother to enter the conference room with Freddie comfortably cradled in her arms. She scanned the surroundings, then honed in on Grace, her gaze narrowing with a disapproving edge.
“Why is she here?” Mother questioned. “I explicitly expressed my desire for the two of you to be nowhere near each other.”
“Grace is the reason this meeting is even happening,” I explained.
“Grace is the reason for the turmoil in my life,” Mother said. “Everything was sailing smoothly until she arrived in Verdana like a hurricane, destroying everything in its path.”
An uneasy feeling crept over me as the atmosphere became charged with tension. We were losing control of the meeting before it even started. I needed to step in before the two of them dropped to the floor and wrestled.
“This meeting is important to all of us, Mother,” I said. “Please have a seat. We won’t take much of your time.”
Mother glanced at Grace. “Are you sure Grace will feel comfortable in the same room as a dictator?”
“Enough, Mother!” Adriana said, pushing out her chair and standing. “We are all quite tired of you blaming Grace for everything that does not go according to your plan. She has done nothing wrong. In fact, Grace is absolutely wonderful. And just so you know, she is not the person responsible for all the so-called destruction you continue to speak of.”
“Then who is?” Mother asked.
Adriana pointed to Theo. “Your son is the mastermind behind all the chaos you’ve been lamenting about.”
Mother gasped. “I don’t believe it.”
Theo, under the spotlight, fumbled for words, and his audible gulp reverberated through the room.
“It’s the truth,” Adriana continued, unfazed. “Stealing the tiara was only a small part of it. Theo also concocted a fabricated list of wedding guests to invite that would make you cringe, and slyly inserted them into Grace’s file so she would invite them all.”
Mother’s breathing seemed more pronounced as she glared at Theo.
“But wait, there’s more . . .” Adriana held up a finger. “Those peacocks in your garden and the black licorice candles for the wedding? All courtesy of your loving son, Theo.” She pointed accusingly at him. “He has been the pain in your backside, Mother. Not Grace.”
“Yes, it was me,” Theo promptly said. “I’m not proud. I’ve apologized to Veronica and Grace, and explained my reasons, though not everyone has been receptive to my apologies.”
Veronica huffed. “How about you let me shave your head and we’ll call it even?”
Theo reached up to touch his perfect hair and swallowed hard.
“Why would you do this?” Mother asked him. “I don’t understand.”
“Because I do not approve of this wedding,” Theo said.
“And now you have the truth,” Adriana said. “Please stop being so cruel to Grace.”
“If anything, you should be thanking her,” I said.
Mother stared at me. “Thanking her for what?”
“You seemed to have forgotten the tremendous amount of donations she helped bring in for the gala,” I said. “And through the kindness of her heart, she brought you this beautiful dog and gave it Father’s middle name.” I gestured to Freddie. “Because of Grace, you reconnected with Sebastian after all these years. These are all delightful strokes of good fortune that will only enhance your life. And do not deny it, because it was clearly evident on your stroll through the garden last night.”
Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have added that last part.
Mother stopped stroking Freddie, and her eyes went wide. “How would you know about that?”
“It doesn’t matter how I know, because there was nothing wrong with what you were doing,” I said, looking to change the subject. “You deserve to be happy. We all do.”
After a moment of reflection, Mother cleared her throat, her gaze softening. She opened her mouth and closed it, the pause hanging in the air as she grappled with the words that seemed to elude her.
