CHAPTER 21: OLIVIA’S BLACK MAGIC?

Alexander groaned quietly. "Grandma—"

Pauline looked between them curiously. "A girl?"

"Oh, just someone who managed to make our Alexander forget how to form full sentences," Margaret’s eyes twinkled as she teased.

Pauline laughed gently. "Well, that’s a first. Whoever she is, I would like to meet the one who can make my son speechless."

Alexander could only shake his head with the faintest smile playing on his lips as he muttered, "You two are conspiring against me."

Pauline turned to her mother-in-law with a fond sigh. "Come inside, Mother. Tea is almost ready."

.....

[The Sunroom]

Warm sunlight poured through the tall windows, painting soft gold patterns across the white marble floors. The faint scent of jasmine drifted from the garden beyond and the gentle clinking of porcelain cups filled the quiet between them.

Pauline’s home always carried a sense of peace, calm and full of warmth. It was a stark contrast to the main mansion where the air often felt too heavy with politics and power.

Pauline Reid was Benjamin Reids first wife. They weren’t divorced but resided separately after Benjamin decided to marry Olivia Reids.

While Benjamin stayed in the main mansion along with his second wife, Pauline stayed by herself in another mansion all by herself.

After Benjamin suddenly surprised the whole family with his new wife twenty years ago, Pauline calmly left the main mansion without saying a word. While she handled the whole incident with grace while maintaining her dignity and self-respect, the same could not be said for grandma Margaret who not only thrashed her son but also chased Olivia out of the house with her cane.

After the second marriage, Pauline wanted a divorce without any alimony but Benjamin refused stating that he still loved her more than anything in the world and he would never divorce her.

Over the years, she had brought up the divorce topic several times but when Benjamin kept turning it down, she eventually stopped talking about it.

Now she was loving her own life in a separate home, away from all the chaos and politics of her husband and his new wife.

Margaret eased herself into her armchair, sighing in satisfaction. "Ah, this house still feels like home," she murmured. "No noise, no tension and no Olivia parading about in those dreadful silk gowns."

Pauline laughed softly as she poured tea for her mother-in-law. "Mother, please," she said with a knowing smile. "You will cause another feud if anyone hears you."

"Let them hear," Margaret said tartly. "I have lived long enough to speak the truth."

Margaret hated Olivia from her guts. Over the past twenty years, she never once acknowledged her even though Olivia begged for her attention and acknowledgment.

Across from them, Alexander sat silently with his elbows resting on his knees. He hadn’t said much since they had left the mall.

His silence was of course noticed by his grandmother.

Margaret took a delicate sip of her tea before glancing at him with a sly smile. "So—" she began, "Are you going to tell your mother about the charming young woman you were defending today or shall I do it for you?"

Alexander’s eyes lifted. "There is nothing to tell, Grandmother."

"Ah—" she hummed, amused. "That is what men always say when there is everything to tell."

Pauline blinked in mild surprise. "A young woman?"

Margaret’s eyes twinkled. "Evelyn Carter." She turned to her daughter-in-law, clearly enjoying herself. "You remember her, don’t you?"

For a moment, Pauline looked taken aback and then recognition softened her expression. "Evelyn—" she repeated. "Of course I remember her. Such a sweet girl."

Alexander set down his cup. "Nothing happened," he said evenly. "We just ran into each other today. Jack was being his usual self and I—"

"—decided to play knight in shining armor," Margaret finished for him, her lips curling in a sly grin.

Alexander exhaled quietly as he tried fighting back a smile. "I didn’t ’play’ anything, Grandmother. He was out of line and someone had to stop him before he embarrassed the family further."

Pauline chuckled softly. "You have always been protective of the people you care about."

He looked away to avoid the knowing glint in her eyes. "It wasn’t like that, mother." He looked at Margaret. "Grandma is obviously exaggerating."

Margaret arched a brow. "Then why do you look like a man trying very hard to convince himself of that?"

That earned her the same one Alexander used when he wanted to hide something but didn’t want to lie and that only made her smile more.

Pauline reached over and touched his hand gently. "I remember Evelyn," she said softly. "She used to bring me flowers whenever she came over. Lilies, mostly. Such a thoughtful girl. She had this calm presence." she sighed, "I always thought she would be good for Jack."

Margaret snorted. "Jack didn’t deserve her. That boy couldn’t see past his own reflection."

Pauline sighed as sadness flickered briefly across her eyes. "He has lost his way. I keep hoping he will come back to himself one day."

Margaret’s expression darkened slightly. "He is too caught up in Olivia’s world. The money and the attention is all he knows now."

She gritted her teeth and continued. "That woman—" she said with disdain. "I warned Benjamin she would bring nothing but trouble. She is cunning, manipulative and utterly without grace."

Pauline gave her a quiet, weary smile. "You have been saying that for twenty years."

"And I have been right for twenty years and I will say the same thing for twenty more years," Margaret grunted. "And if I die before that, engrave it in my tombstone."

Twenty years ago when Benjamin and Pauline parted ways after the second marriage, eleven years old Alexander followed his mother to the new house while seven years old Jack stayed back in the main mansion with Benjamin and Olivia.

Since Jack was young and stayed in the main mansion close to Olivia most of the time growing up, Margaret blamed Olivia for how Jack had turned out.

She claimed that Olivia had done some black magic and poisoned her youngest grandson’s mind.

Pauline looked down at her teacup. "I stopped holding that against him a long time ago," she said softly. "Some lessons life teaches the hard way."

Alexander’s chest tightened. His mother’s gentleness always struck something in him. The quiet kind of strength she carried even when her world had been split in two was impeccable and he always admired it.

Margaret, though, wasn’t done. "At least you got the better son," she said with a pointed look at Alexander.

He gave a short laugh, shaking his head. "I am not sure about that."

"Oh, I am," Margaret said confidently. "You are the only one in this family who still remembers how to act with decency and if Evelyn Carter is the kind of woman who makes you forget your composure, then I would say she is worth a second look."

Alexander looked up sharply, startled by the directness. "Grandmother—"

Pauline smiled faintly, trying to hide her amusement. "Mother, don’t tease him."

"Oh, I am not teasing," Margaret said. "I am old but not blind. I saw the way he looked at her. There was interest there and that too from both sides.

Alexander sighed, leaning back. "You are both imagining things."

Margaret smirked. "That is exactly what your grandfather said before he married me."

Pauline laughed softly and even Alexander couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at his lips.

Then Pauline reached for her son’s hand again. "If fate lets your paths cross again, Alexander don’t turn away. Some people are worth the risk."

He didn’t answer but the faint flicker in his eyes said enough.

....