Chapter 58

**Audrey's POV**

The sickeningly familiar voice pierced through the room, making me instinctively frown. I didn't need to look up to know what would follow - I'd seen this performance too many times before.

"Blake darling!" The words carried that particular note of breathless desperation I'd grown to hate.

Laurel burst through the doorway like she owned it, a vision in pristine white. She made straight for Blake with the kind of desperate urgency that belonged in daytime soap operas. In one fluid motion, she'd wrapped herself around him, her arms finding their practiced position at his waist.

"I've been looking everywhere foryou!" She pressed her face against his chest

The room fell completely silent as her dramatic entrance shocked everyone.

Felix's eyebrow rose sharply as he glanced my way, silently questioning. I could only offer a helpless shrug in response. What else could I do? This was hardly the first time Laurel had orchestrated such a performance,and I doubted it would be the last.

William Parker's reaction was immediate and thunderous. His walking stick struck the marble floor with enough force to make the crystal decanters rattle. "Charles!" His voice carried the kind of authority that made Wall Street titans tremble. "What is the meaning of this?"

The veins in his neck stood out as he continued, "Is our mansion's

security just for show? Since when did we start letting anyone waltz in uninvited?"

Laurel immediately withdrew from Blake's embrace, her face draining of color as she bit her lip. "Mr. Parker... I didn't mean to... I was desperate to find Blake..."

"Laurel..." Blake's voice dripped honey and silk as he turned to her,handkerchief already in hand. "Coming here without permission wasn't...appropriate." The words might have been a reprimand, but his tone carried a hint of reassurance.

A familiar ache bloomed in my chest as I watched him shift-smooth,practiced, protective - positioning himself like a shield between her and his grandfather's wrath. Five years ago, when he'd been truly blind,I'd been his eyes, his anchor, his everything. Now with perfect vision restored,he saw only what he choseto see. It was painfully ironic.

Felix's brow furrowed as he shot me another questioning look. I could only shake my head slightly in response, silently conveying my own bewilderment at the scene unfolding before us. This script was as familiar as it was painful - Laurel's performance, Blake's protection, the rest of us relegated to unwilling audience members.

William Parker's patience, already wearing thin from Laurel's tears,snapped completely at Blake's obvious display of protection. His walking stick struck the floor with thunderous force.

"Charles!" The old man's voice trembled with barely contained fury. "Get me those security、guards! NOW! I want to know exactly who let this woman into my house!"

Charles Wright burst into the room, his usually impeccable composure

notably ruffled as he wiped sweat from his brow. "Sir, the security team did try to stop Miss Rose, but she..." He paused, stealing a nervous glance at Laurel before continuing, "She threatened them using her future status as Mrs. Parker... asked if they wanted to keep their jobs."

The butler drew in a shaky breath. "The guards had seen Mr. Parker escorting her out recently, so they believed her claims..."

"Sir, the guard in question is a new hire, barely a month into the job. He wasn't fully briefed on... the situation. Perhaps if you could..."

"So Miss Rose used her 'future Mrs. Parker' status to get in." Felix pushed away from the mahogany bookshelf he'd been leaning against, his casual stance belying the sharpness in his voice. His gaze flickered to me before settling on William. "But didn't you just introduce Audrey as Blake's wife,Mr. Parker? The actual Mrs. Parker?"

When no one immediately responded, he pressed on. "You two haven't finalized the divorce yet, have you? No papers signed?"

"No,not yet."

"And Miss Rose is already claiming the title of Mrs. Parker?" Felix ĝave a cold smile. "Looks like she's quite eager to break up a marriage, huh?"

Laurel's calm and collected appearance faltered a bit. "I never said that!"She grabbed Blake's sleeve, her other hand flying to her chest in distress. "I just told security I urgently needed to see Blake... they must have assumed..."

Tears welled in her eyes as she gazed up at Blake. "Blake darling,you know I wouldn't say that."

"You're all making too much of a security guard's casual words!" Blake

spoke up. His eyes narrowed as they swept over Felix and me before returning to Laurel's tear-stained face.

Watching this familiar dance unfold, I couldn't help but marvel at the irony. Since deciding to end this marriage, I'd tried so hard to avoid direct confrontation with Blake and Laurel. I wanted no part in their relationship drama. Yet here we were, with Laurel's perfect tears and Blake's protective stance, playing out another scene in their endless performance.

"Bring the guard here, Charles. Let him confront with Miss Rose." His lips curved into a smile without warmth. "I find myself wondering whose version of truth we'll hear - my security staff, trained and vetted at considerable expense, or... our dear Miss Rose."

The calculated insult hit its mark. Through the tears still clinging to her lashes, I caught a flash of pure venom in Laurel's eyes as she stared at the old man. The look was gone in an instant, replaced by her usual vulnerability, but I'd seen it.

Actually, I could understand why she did this. With our divorce proceedings still hanging-in the air and Blake's obvious devotion to her,why wouldn't she stake her claim as the future Mrs. Parker? Her only miscalculation was William Parker himself, who never approved of her.and now he seemed determined to expose every constructed lie.

The heavy doors swung open as Charles returned, the young security guard trailing behind him, his head bowed like a scolded child as he stood before William Parker. "Sir, I was wrong to believe Miss Rose and let her in.I apologize."

"Tell us exactly what happened." William's voice could have frozen Hell itself."Did she claim to be the future Mrs. Parker and threaten you?"

"Yes, Miss Rose explicitly stated she would be the future Mrs. Parker..."

"That's a lie!" Laurel's outburst was timed, her hand clutching her chest as she struggled for breath. "Blake isn't even divorced yet,how could I say such things? I only said I needed to see Blake urgently..."

From where I sat, I had a perfect view of her crystal tears and Blake's concerned expression. Her acting skills were remarkable - tears on command, perfect emotional delivery. She could win Oscars if she put this much effort into her actual career.

"I don't know who put you up to this..." Laurel continued, "With no cameras or video, it's your word against mine..."

A ghost of a smile touched William Parker's lips. "Who said there were no cameras or video?"

He turned to his butler with calm authority. "Charles, get the security footage."