CHAPTER 143: ELEGANCE BEFORE THE STORM

On the terrace of Emeralds,

Isabella watched the décor. The terrace had no grand chandelier, only the glow of pendant lights strung between pillars. The soft candlelight reflected off the glassware, casting delicate gold ripples on the dresses. Florals in muted ivory and mauve adorned each table. Everything was subtle yet elegant.

Then she faced the blush of a sunset spreading behind the skyline. Far below, the city hummed quietly, a distant echo of the world they’d left behind for the evening.

"Aveline... she wasn’t attending parties and events, was she?" Isabella asked.

Margaret didn’t need words to convey that Isabella was also aware of Aveline and Alaric, though the two weren’t in a relationship yet. So she simply responded, "She doesn’t like them."

Isabella tilted her flute and clinked it with Margaret’s. "That’s the reason she has such a unique perspective." Her voice held a hint of appreciation.

Margaret agreed with that. Though she had attended numerous events, this décor was like a breath of fresh air.

After beat of silence, Isabella breathed out through her mouth. "I never really got a chance to pause and admire what’s around us."

It wasn’t the first time she was on a terrace for an event, but she had never seen a sunset among skyscrapers, autumn sky painting the heavens, and birds gracing the canvas.

"Always moving to the next deal, next event, next meeting. I used to think stopping meant losing ground." Her gaze lingered on the horizon, where skyscrapers caught the last gleam of sun like steel monuments. "But lately... I’m starting to think I’ve missed more than I gained."

Missed the peace that came with stillness.

Missed her chance to shower her love and warmth on her son.

Missed her son and his love.

However, Margaret was different. She didn’t have a business to run. Once her kids grew up, other than taking care of her husband and herself, she always searched for places to spend time with him.

"Give yourself the attention that’s needed," Margaret suggested.

Isabella hummed. "Maybe I should retire soon."

Margaret wanted to clarify that wasn’t what she meant, but then she shrugged it off. She didn’t have to overexplain herself just because Isabella was Alaric’s mother.

Whether Alaric and Aveline were destined to be together or not, she wasn’t going to diminish herself, as it would affect Aveline.

Isabella turned to Margaret. Though she looked the same, Margaret could see the gentleness in her eyes that she had never seen before.

"Alaric is... not someone who chooses lightly. When he does, it’s permanent." Isabella’s voice carried a weight of certainty, tinged with maternal pride and quiet regret.

Margaret wasn’t sure why Isabella was telling her about Alaric. Anyway, she stayed quiet to listen.

"I doubted Aveline because of her past, and I deeply regret it," Isabella confessed, because she knew she would never be able to apologize to Aveline for it.

Margaret’s instincts were to demand what Isabella had done, but then Isabella wouldn’t have confessed if she hadn’t regretted it.

"All I ask, Mrs. Laurent, is that you don’t hold Alaric’s past against him." Her voice lowered, threaded with rare honesty. "If you have to hold that against somebody... then you must hold me accountable."

She paused, her eyes casting down for a moment before she continued. "His past actions weren’t truly his faults. They were the result of my actions. My judgments. My distance. My stubbornness."

She looked Margaret in the eye. "He has an amazing father; he grew up watching his father never leave my side. So I can assure you, he would treat Aveline with nothing less."

A beat passed before she added softly, "So I only ask that you don’t let his past cloud what you see now."

Margaret’s brow furrowed with quiet thought, the subtle revelation leaving her unsettled yet oddly moved.

She was aware of the chaos Alaric had caused some years ago. With Isabella’s words, she realized there was more to the story that nobody knew.

"I suppose... I never considered that side of it," she murmured.

Then she suddenly realized—why would anybody bring up Alaric’s past?

Margaret’s fingers tensed slightly on her flute. Her eyes widened as she realized there were people who were going to cause trouble in Alaric’s life.

If Aveline chose Alaric, she would have to bear it too. As a mother, she wanted to spare Aveline from going through another mess of family drama.

After hearing it from Isabella, her voice layered with regret... it struck differently. She wouldn’t trust anyone easily, especially not when it came to her daughter.

But something about Isabella’s quiet confession and vulnerability disarmed her defenses.

She calmed herself and softly nodded. "If Aveline still chooses him after all that, then the Laurent family stands with him. We trust her instincts."

Isabella was glad Margaret didn’t try to dig into the details. And hearing Margaret’s response, she hoped for Alaric to receive the motherly love from Margaret and the Laurent family that he didn’t get from the Lancasters.

On the other side of the terrace, Seraphina would have crushed her flute if she were someone else, after seeing Isabella flash that rare, unguarded smile she never showed to anyone but Edward.

Seraphina masked her scowl with a sip of champagne. So the parents are aware of these lovebirds.

If both matriarchs were in support... it would make things harder. Not impossible. But trickier.

Seraphina smiled when she met Isabella’s gaze after they rejoined the other ladies. Then her lips curled into a sly arc.

"Let’s see how long their approval lasts," she muttered under her breath.

She excused herself and stepped into the empty corridor, slipping into the washroom. Inside, the air was scented faintly with lavender and disinfectant.

Making sure nobody was around, she leaned against the vanity and pulled her phone from her bag. Her expression was unreadable as she dialed a string of numbers from memory, one she hadn’t used in months.

[Hello! Sister Sera!?]

"I have a surprise for you," she murmured, voice smooth as glass. "Can you make it to Emerald’s for my event?"

There was a long pause, making her brows lift.

[Sure. I’ll be there soon.] The response came.

The call ended, and Seraphina stared at the phone for a second longer than necessary.

"Now things are going to get interesting," she whispered.