Chapter 7 - The Tribeca Nursery
The Tribeca loft smelled of fresh paint and expensive lavender diffusers.
Eleanor pushed the unlocked door open. Chloe was in the center of the massive living room, directing two workmen carrying a custom crib.
"Put it by the window," Chloe ordered. She turned and saw Eleanor. She didn't flinch. "I figured you'd show up."
"You left the door unlocked," Eleanor said.
"Vanguard Holdings owns the building. The security guard let you up because I told him to." Chloe waved the workmen away. "Coffee? It's decaf."
"I don't drink with squatters," Eleanor said, stepping over a roll of Bubble Wrap.
"I'm not a squatter. I'm the mother of the heirs." Chloe walked to the kitchen island, pouring herself a mug. "You played a good hand last night, El. But Arthur is a bulldozer. You're broke. Your lawyer abandoned you."
"You seem very confident for a woman carrying a man's child who refuses to marry her."
Chloe took a slow sip of her coffee. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards into a sly, vicious smile.
"Who said I wanted to marry Richard?" Chloe asked.
Eleanor stopped. She stared at her sister. The jagged ridges on her phone case dug into her palm.
"Richard is weak," Chloe continued softly, tracing the rim of her mug. "He does whatever his father tells him. He's a placeholder."
"He's the father," Eleanor said.
May you like
Chloe laughed. "Are you sure? Because Vanguard Holdings wasn't set up by Richard. Richard doesn't have the clearance to move ten million dollars."
Eleanor’s pulse hammered in her throat.
