Chapter 4

Nicholas Beaumont was still in the middle of a lunch meeting when his phone buzzed with an incoming call.

He glanced at the screen and saw that it was his mother, Helen Beaumont.

His first instinct was to ignore it. He knew his mother. It was probably nothing important—just her usual complaints about one thing or another.

Eventually, the phone went quiet.

“So, what are your thoughts on the merger?” Ivan Sanders, his business partner and best friend, asked.

Nicholas leaned back in his chair and looked at the man sitting across from him, the one Ivan had introduced him to. “I think it’s a good opportunity, but I need more time to look into it.”

The man, Peter Fond, nodded. “Of course, Mr. Beaumont. Take your time. Now, let’s talk about—”

Nicholas’s phone buzzed again, and this time he saw that it was his secretary, Ethan Mars.

Now, that was someone he couldn’t ignore. Ethan knew him better than anyone. There was no way he would disturb him unless it was absolutely necessary.

Nicholas quickly excused himself.

“What is it?” he answered, already getting up from his chair and walking out of the conference room.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. Beaumont, but your mother called. She says it’s urgent.”

Nicholas frowned. Realizing his mother wasn’t someone who gave up easily, perhaps something urgent had come up. “What does she want?”

“She wouldn’t say. She’s insisting on talking to you. Maybe you should call…”

Nicholas sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “All right. I’ll call her.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Nicholas hung up and dialed his mother’s number. She picked up on the first ring.

“Nicholas!”

Her voice was shrill, and he could immediately tell that she was angry. “What is it, Mom? I’m in the middle of a meeting.”

“This can’t wait! You need to come home right now!”

“Home? Why? What happened?” Nicholas frowned. His mother never asked him to come home unless it was something serious.

“That… that wife of yours! She’s gone mad! She kicked Emilia out of the house! And then she hung up on me when I called to ask her what was going on! Can you believe that?!”

Nicholas’s frown deepened. “What are you talking about? Emilia went to my place?”

“Yes! And that woman had the nerve to kick her out! You need to do something about her! She’s been acting strange lately. I think she’s lost her mind! You need to take control of the situation before she causes any more trouble!”

Nicholas rubbed his temples. He knew his mother had never liked Eleanor. From the moment the Berkshire family switched the brides, she had been seething, calling them frauds and taking it all out on Eleanor.

But the honest truth was that, even though the switch of brides had surprised him, it hadn’t made much difference to him. He knew why he was getting married, and he had already made it clear to Eleanor that this was just a marriage of convenience.

He also knew that Eleanor had always been a quiet, obedient wife who never caused any trouble. And Emilia, well, she was one of those spoiled heiresses who often crossed the line.

So why was his mother making such a big deal out of it?

“Mom, calm down. I’ll talk to her when I get home.”

“You better! She needs to be taught a lesson! She’s not fit to be a Beaumont!”

Nicholas closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. “I’ll handle it.”

He hung up before his mother could say anything else.

“Problem?”

He turned to see Ivan standing beside him with a concerned look on his face. “No. Just home stuff.”

“Is it Eleanor?” Ivan asked curiously.

Nicholas shook his head, glad that his wife wasn’t someone who made a scene. In the two years of their marriage, she had only called him directly a few times, clearly understanding his priorities and the fact that he hated having his time wasted over ridiculous reasons. She would send him a dozen texts, sure, but they were all reminders that fit perfectly into his work life.

He sighed, forcing himself back to the present.

“No. Just my mother being overdramatic as usual.”

Ivan clapped him on the back. “Go home. Sort it out. We can continue this meeting another time.”

Nicholas didn’t even give it a second thought.

“Let’s finish this first. That can wait.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

With that, Nicholas made his way back to the conference room, pushing all thoughts of his family drama to the back of his mind.

He would deal with it later.

———

Nicholas was finally done with the meeting. He sat in his car, his eyes on the financial report he was supposed to review.

In the front seat, his assistant, Ethan Mars, cleared his throat.

“Sir? It’s getting late. Do you want me to drop you home?”

Nicholas looked up and glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was almost seven p.m. He hadn’t realized it was so late.

He leaned back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair. He was tired, and he still had work to do. But he also had a lot to catch up on after two consecutive work trips that had drained him more than usual.

“No, I have a few more things to take care of at the office. You can leave. I’ll drive myself.”

Ethan nodded. “All right. But don’t stay too late. You need rest.”

“I know. I won’t.”

Ethan got out of the car, and Nicholas drove off, heading back to his office. He needed to finish some work before going home.

And as for the drama waiting for him there, well, he would deal with it when he got there.

———

It was past midnight when Nicholas finally got home.

The house was quiet, the only sound being the soft hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen. He dropped his briefcase by the door and loosened his tie, feeling the tension in his shoulders.

He made his way to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. After that, he went straight to his room, the one where he slept alone because he had a habit of working late, even at home. And the last thing he wanted was to disturb Eleanor with the noise.

After changing into a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, Nicholas went downstairs to grab something to eat. He hadn’t eaten anything since lunch.

But when he opened the refrigerator to grab some leftovers, he froze.

The fridge was almost empty. There was nothing but a bottle of milk, some butter, and a few fruits and vegetables.

Nicholas frowned. This was unusual. Eleanor always made sure the fridge was stocked with food.

He closed the fridge and turned around, confused and hungry. He decided to go to her bedroom and ask why there was nothing to eat.

But then his gaze fell on the giant clock on the wall across the room, and he talked himself out of it. It was late, and he knew Eleanor would be asleep by now. He should just order something.

And that was exactly what he did.

He called the nearest restaurant and ordered the pasta he usually liked. It would take some time to arrive, so he decided to check his emails while he waited.

He pulled out his laptop and sat down on the couch, yet his mind kept drifting back to the empty fridge, even though that was the last thing he should have been thinking about.

He just thought it was odd.

For the last two years, Eleanor had always left a plate of food for him in the fridge. He had grown accustomed to coming home and finding it there.

And now that empty fridge…

He couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.

But he shook it off. Maybe she forgot. Or maybe she wasn’t feeling well. Maybe she didn’t know he would be home.

Exactly. That had to be it.

When the doorbell rang, Nicholas closed his laptop and went to answer the door. The delivery boy handed him the food, and he returned to the couch, finally ready to eat.

But the moment he took the first bite of the pasta, he felt a sense of dissatisfaction.

It wasn’t the taste. The food was good.

It was just… different.

He realized he liked Eleanor’s cooking better. He didn’t know what she did differently, but her food had always tasted better to him.

He shook his head and took two more bites before giving up. He didn’t feel like eating anymore. His appetite had disappeared for some mysterious reason.

Nicholas pushed the food aside and leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes.

He should go to sleep. He was tired, and he had an early morning ahead of him.

Nicholas stood up, grabbed his laptop, and threw the untouched food into the trash before heading upstairs.

That same uneasy feeling continued to pulse in his chest as he went to bed.