15:41
Chapter 44
When Emerson heard about Patricia and Theo’s divorce, he sobered up fast. The news hit him like a splash of cold water.
Back when Patricia came back to Riverdale after finishing her studies abroad, the whole Martin family was on edge. Before anyone could come up with a plan, Patricia had thrown herself into their business. In trying to save Theo, she ended up ruining his legs–and his future. After that, the Martins finally backed off.
Everyone thought Patricia would leave in disgrace and run back to the Parsons family. But instead, she stayed in Riverdale–right by Theo’s side. Some called it entanglement; Emerson saw it as revenge. If anything, Patricia was playing her own game.
Theo and Ruby, now, that was a classic childhood sweetheart story–everyone knew it.
“Do you think Patricia’s going to come for us now?” Tina asked, her voice tight with worry.
Emerson’s brows knotted. “Who knows? When’s Ruby getting back?”
“She’ll be home the day after tomorrow.”
Tina shot him a look. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of pushing Ruby and Theo together. It’s not just that he’s been married before–look at the mess with that Miller girl from the other family. I’m not letting Ruby get dragged into that.”
Emerson cut her off. “You got someone better in mind for her?”
Tina’s words caught in her throat, and she fell silent.
The next morning, Marian packed up her things, wheeled herself out the front door, and was about to head to the cemetery. She barely made it past the threshold before spotting Tina on the doorstep, dressed in a pale yellow cheongsam, smiling like she owned the place. “Patricia!”
“Heading out? Did I catch you at a bad time?”
Seeing someone from the Martin family gave Marian the same headache as seeing anyone from the Newtons. None of them brought anything good.
Before Patricia could answer, Marian’s tone turned icy. “Yep. Bad timing. Would you mind moving?”
Tina knew Marian carried the Parsons name and used it like armor. She ignored the cold shoulder, turning her attention to Patricia. “Can we talk for a minute? I won’t keep you long.”
“We can talk right here,” Patricia said, making it clear Tina wasn’t coming inside. She could see right through the visit–Tina was just fishing for information. If she got a peek at the empty house, she’d run off to Kelly and start gossiping. Patricia wasn’t about to make things easy.
Tina glanced at Marian, who stood quietly to the side. “Could she give us a little privacy?”
“She’s family. No secrets here,” Patricia replied, her gaze cool and sharp.
Tina nodded, a stiff smile glued on. If Patricia didn’t care, neither did she.
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15:41
Chapter 44
“You know Ruby’s coming home soon, right? She and Theo grew up together–if you hadn’t gotten involved, who knows, they’d probably have a kid by now”
“Now that you and Theo are divorced, maybe it’s time you let go-”
“Who told you I’m divorced?” Patricia cut her off, clearly out of patience. “Was it Kelly? Did she show you the papers?”
Tina hesitated, her eyes flickering. The truth was, she’d only heard it from Kelly–she never saw any proof.
Patricia’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Can’t wait for your daughter to swoop in as the other woman, huh? Oh, wait–Ms. Miller already has that title. If Ruby comes back, she’ll just be the next in line.”
She watched, satisfied, as Tina’s smirk faded away. Patricia folded her hands in front of her, calm and collected, watching Tina unravel.
Defeated, Tina stormed off, slamming the car door behind her so hard the driver flinched. “Ma’am-?”
“Take me to the Newton Estate,” she snapped.
15:42
