Chapter 165

Gwendolyn was already waiting by the door. Her voice shot out before I even hit the last step. "Mirabelle! Come in, come in. It's freezing out here." Technically, she was my mother-in-law. Kind of. I didn't like her much, but she hadn't done anything outrageous yet, and I wasn't about to start a war over a hunch. Plus, she was probably still traumatized from how much she'd spent the last time we met. "I've cleaned Ashton's old room for you to stay the night." She beamed at me. I gave her a vague smile and mumbled something noncommittal, pretending I hadn't heard. The staff had strung up a few lights in the sitting room. There were balloons, cake boxes stacked on the sideboard, and a faint smell of polish and vanilla. Once everything was set, I texted Ashton: [I'm at the Laurent estate. Come for dinner tonight.] He called before I even put the phone down. "Where are you?" His voice was low and tight. I could hear the drag of his breathing, like he was trying not to snap. "Gwendolyn invi