Chapter Seven

Sienna’s Pov

For several long seconds, neither of us spoke.

I remained standing beside the chair while Eleanor Calloway watched me with a level of composure that somehow made me even more nervous than anger would have.

She looked exactly the way every magazine described her, elegant, perfectly dressed, and completely in control. Even the way she held her teacup seemed like she practiced over and over.

She finally smiled.

“Please.”

She gestured toward the empty chair opposite her.

“I don’t enjoy speaking to people while they’re standing.”

I hesitated before slowly sitting down. The chair suddenly felt much smaller than it actually was.

A waiter appeared almost immediately.

“Would you like something to drink, Miss Vale?”

“I’ll just have water, thank you.”

He nodded politely before disappearing again.

Eleanor waited until he was gone before speaking.

“I appreciate you coming.”

I blinked. That wasn’t what I had expected.

“I wasn’t sure I had much of a choice.”

“You always have a choice,” she said, folding her hands neatly on the table. “You simply decided this conversation was important enough.”

Her voice was calm, the kind that never needed to be raised to command attention.

I studied her carefully.

“I thought you’d be…”

She tilted her head slightly.

“Cruel?”

I looked away.

“I wasn’t going to say that.”

“But you were thinking about it.”

Heat crept into my cheeks.

“I’ve read enough articles.”

“They make you sound terrifying.”

She smiled faintly.

“I’ve never cared what strangers think of me.”

For a brief moment, the tension eased, not because I trusted her.

Because she wasn’t behaving the way I had prepared myself for.

The waiter returned with my water before quietly leaving us alone once again.

Eleanor waited until he was out of earshot, then she looked directly into my eyes.

“I know about Ava.”

There it was, the reason I hadn’t slept.

My fingers tightened around the cold glass.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She sighed softly.

“I had hoped we could avoid pretending.”

“I don’t discuss my daughter with strangers.”

“A reasonable decision.”

She nodded once.

“But I’m not asking for details.”

Her expression remained unreadable.

“I’m only asking one question.”

She leaned back slightly.

“Does Cole know?”

Everything inside me froze. My heartbeat became painfully loud.

Somehow I managed to answer without hesitation.

“No.”

The lie came easier than I expected.

“He doesn’t.”

Eleanor never looked away. She simply watched me.

I forced myself to keep breathing.

Finally she smiled. It wasn’t a warm smile.

It was the smile of someone who had just confirmed something.

“You’ve just lied to me.”

A chill swept through my body.

“I haven’t.”

“You have.”

She spoke so calmly that it barely sounded like an accusation.

“I’ve spent most of my life negotiating with politicians, lawyers, investors, and journalists. I know what the truth looks like.”

“I told you the truth.”

“No.”

Her eyes softened just slightly.

“But I understand why you lied.”

I looked down at the table.

“I won’t ask again.”

Her voice became quieter.

“Whether Cole knows or not is no longer important.”

I frowned.

“Then why ask?”

“Because your answer told me everything else.”

I didn’t even know what that meant.

Before I could ask, our lunch arrived.

Eleanor had apparently ordered for both of us.

The food was placed neatly in front of us before the staff disappeared once again.

I stared at the expensive meal.

“I don’t think I can eat.”

“You should.”

She picked up her knife.

“It may be a long afternoon.”

I wasn’t hungry, but I forced myself to take a few bites.

For several minutes, we ate in silence.

Finally I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why am I here?”

She placed her fork down.

“Because you deserve to know something.”

I waited.

“If Cole returns…”

The words hung in the air.

“…people will try to use your daughter against him.”

My fork slipped from my fingers onto the plate.

The sound echoed through the room.

“What?”

She didn’t repeat herself.

“You heard me.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You aren’t meant to.”

My pulse quickened.

“What does that even mean?”

I shook my head.

“No.”

I leaned forward.

“You don’t get to say something like that and refuse to explain.”

“I do.”

Her voice remained perfectly fine even after dropping this bombshell.

“There are matters you are safer not knowing.”

“My daughter is involved.”

“I am aware.”

“Then tell me.”

“I cannot.”

Frustration exploded inside me.

“Cannot or won’t?”

She looked out the window for a moment before answering.

“Both.”

I stared at her in disbelief.

“You expect me to walk away after hearing that?”

“I expect you to protect your daughter.”

“I’ve been protecting her since the day she was born.”

“I know.”

Something in the way she said those words sounded almost like respect.

“I’ve read everything.”

She looked back at me.

“You’ve raised her alone, built a quiet life, and kept her hidden.”

I couldn’t speak. She knew far more than she should.

“How long have you been watching me?”

“I haven’t.” She answered immediately.

“I simply know how to find information when necessary.”

That wasn’t comforting.

“If you know so much…” I steadied my voice. “…then tell me why.”

“Why what?”

“Why would anyone want to hurt a little girl?”

A flicker crossed Eleanor’s face. It disappeared so quickly I almost imagined it.

“Because adults often destroy innocent lives while fighting each other.”

Silence settled between us. Her answer sounded painfully personal.

I suddenly remembered something Nate had said.

The family got rid of him.

My chest tightened.

“What happened to Cole?”

The question escaped before I could stop it. Eleanor became completely still.

“I wondered how long it would take before you asked.”

“So tell me.”

“I can’t.”

Again.

Always the same answer.

“Everything with this family is a secret.”

“Secrets keep people alive.”

I frowned.

“That’s a terrible way to live.”

“It is.”

For the first time since I’d met her, genuine sadness appeared in her eyes.

“It truly is.”

She reached into her handbag and removed a small envelope.

She slid it across the table toward me.

I looked at it but didn’t touch it.

“What’s that?”

“Information.”

“About Cole?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“About security.”

I slowly opened the envelope.

Inside were three private security contacts and information for a prestigious school specializing in child protection.

I looked back at her.

“I don’t understand.”

“You don’t have to use them.”

She stood from her chair.

“But keep the list.”

“I don’t need bodyguards.”

“I hope you never do.”

She picked up her handbag.

The waiter appeared almost instantly with the bill.

Eleanor signed the receipt.

“It’s taken care of.”

“I can pay for my own lunch.”

“I invited you.”

She smiled politely.

As we walked toward the exit, I finally asked the question that had been bothering me from the beginning.

“Why did you really want to meet me?”

She stopped just before the restaurant doors.

For several seconds, she simply watched people moving through the dining room.

Then she spoke quietly.

“There is one final thing you should know.”

I waited.

“You believe accepting your position at Calloway Industries happened because you applied for a job.”

“Yes.”

“It didn’t.”

I stared at her.

“What are you talking about?”

She turned to face me fully.

“You were always going to be hired.”

Every muscle in my body stiffened.

“I don’t understand.”

“It was never an accident.”

A thousand thoughts collided inside my head.

“Who arranged it?”

She didn’t answer.

“Was it Roman?”

Silence.

“Nate?”

Nothing.

“Was it…”

My voice almost disappeared.

“…Cole?”

For the first time during our entire conversation, Eleanor’s expression became impossible to read.

“I’ve already said more than I intended.”

She walked toward the waiting car outside.

Before getting in, she looked back at me one last time.

“Whatever happens next, Miss Vale…”

Her voice carried easily across the quiet entrance.

“…keep your daughter close.”

The car door closed.

Seconds later, the black sedan disappeared into traffic.

I remained standing on the pavement with the envelope clutched tightly in my hand, my untouched questions growing heavier by the second.