Chapter 10

Kayla struggled to keep the nausea down as she glared at Zoe. Her voice was cold and sharp. "You know exactly what you've done. Let me be clear-if anything happens to my grandmother,I will hold you responsible."

Jeremy sat quietly to the side, his expression unreadable. He had no intention of getting involved in their family drama.

But Zoe tried to spin the situation to her advantage-using Kayla's anger to paint herself as gentle and virtuous.

She gave a soft, sweet smile and turned to Jeremy "Mr. Graham, I'm so sorry. You were kind enough to invite us to a meal, and now this is happening. Kayla clearly has some issues with me. If it's all right, I'd like to step outside and clear things up with her."

Kayla kept her eyes down, avoiding Jeremy's gaze,her chest tight with unease. She couldn't swallow her anger Amaya and Zoe had been tormenting her grandmother without mercy. How was she supposed to stay quiet about that? Jeremy glanced her way. Her cheeks were flushed,and her fists were clenched at her sides.

This wasn't the quiet, polite woman he was used to seeing. There was fire in her now.

"Your family issues are yours to deal with," he said coolly.

"Thank you, Mr.Graham." Zoe sniffled and gave a tearful smile before standing up and walking over to Kayla. "Kayla, come on. Let's talk outside.We shouldn't ruin Mr. Graham's lunch."

Kayla let out a dry laugh. "Oh, now you care about what's proper? Where's all that energy when you're harassing an old woman?"

"Kayla, don't say things like that. I know we've had our differences, but we're still family."

Zoe glanced sideways, clearly worried that Jeremy might be listening. She moved in closer and reached for Kayla's hand, pretending to be affectionate.

Kayla pulled back sharply, her face twisted in disgust.

"Ah!" Zoe gasped and stumbled, bumping into the edge of the table before falling to the floor in an exaggerated heap, one hand gripping her wrist. "Kayla,I just wanted to talk. How could you push me?" Amaya sprang up from her seat, playing along. Her voice rising "Kaylal That's your sisterl Why are you treating her like this?"

The mother-daughter act was almost impressive-dramatic, perfectly timed, and completely fake.

Kayla stared at them, her eyes hard. She glanced once at Jeremy, who still hadn't said a word. "Starting tomorrow, stay away from my grandmother."

Zoe's eyes filled with tears. She whimperad, "I didn't do anything. Why do you always think the worst of me?"

Kayla scoffed. "Keep pretending. That's what you're best at."

Not wanting to waste more time arguing,she turned and headed for the door.

Just then, a waiter pushed a serving cart into the room As Kayla stepped forward, Zoe subtly stuck out her foot.

Caught off guard, Kayla lost her footing and lurched forward, accidentally toppling the cart and slamming into the edge of the table=only to crash right into the man sitting next to it

Jeremy hadn't seen it ceming The impact knocked him off his chair, and as he hit the floor, his arm dragged across jagged pieces of a shattered wine bottle

Kayla braced for impact, ready to hit the floor, but instead, she landed against a solid, broad chest that broke her fall. She was stunned for a second.

Then, feeling his breath against her cheek, her heart skipped wildly. Slowly, she lifted her head and looked up-straight into Jeremy's eyes.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled,flustered.

Quickly, she tried to push herself off him by pressing her palm against his chest, but her hand slipped. She lost her balance and fell right back into his arms.

Jeremy let out a low grunt, his arm moving instinctively around her waist to hold her steady.

"Stop moving," he warned.

Kayla froze,too scared to move a muscle.

Across the room, Amaya and Zoe exchanged looks Neither of them had expected things to play out like this.

Zoe's face flushed with jealousy. She clenched her fists at her sides, seething. That should've been her in Jeremy's arms.

"Mr. Graham!" The door swung open. Edwin rushed in, a group of bodyguards close behind him. They had clearly heard the crash and came in.

They rushed forward, lifting Kayla off him and carefully helping Jeremy back to his feet.

"Mr. Graham, you're hurt!"

Zoe let out an exaggerated gasp and moved forward,but Edwin stepped in and blocked her.

Jeremy's white, custom-fitted shirt was now streaked with red down one sleeve. The wound didn't look small.

Edwin's face tightened with concern. "Mr. Graham,are you okay?"

Jeremy tugged lightly at his sleeve, trying to conceal the stain, then looked toward Kayla. His eyes lingered on her for just a moment.

"I'm fine. Let's go," he said.

With that,Edwin and the bodyguards moved to escort him out. Zoe and Amaya traied close behind.

Kayla didn't move. Her body felt frozen, and her back was damp with cold sweat.

Only after they were gone did she let out a shaky breath and drop heavily into a chair. "What back luck! Why did it have to be him?"

She had not only run into Jeremy but had knocked him down and injured him. What if he held it against her?

Kayla's heart thudded with unease. She was afraid Jeremy might return to hold her accountable

Minutes later, after Jeremy had left, Zoe and Amaya returned.

Amaya didn't bother hiding her anger now. She pointed sharply at Kayla, her voice thick with blame."What is wrong with you? Jeremy invited Zoe and me!Do you have any idea how rare that kind of opportunity is for a family like ours? And you just had to ruin it!"

Kayla lifted her head, her voice sharp. "So you've finally dropped the act, huh? Watching you fake being a caring mother earlier was honestly sickening."

Amaya took a step forward, ready to lash out again

But Zoe grabbed her arm. "Mom, leave it," she said with a dry smile, not bothering to hide her contempt anymore. "She's already offended Jeremy and got him injured.The Graham family won't let this go. Let's just wait and see how she plans to clean up this mess."