Chapter 31 A bowl of poison...

Chapter 31 A bowl of poison...
Lilith’s POV
At Mr. Lark’s fast arrival, I stiffened immediately as I resisted the urge to scamper away in fear. Before I could help myself, I leaned into Jayden, who gladly steadied me with his hands as he locked the car.
“Hello, Mr. Lark,” Jayden greeted as he linked his hand around me, nudging me slightly to keep my head in the game.
With a hard swallow, I let my fear subside and forced a smile onto my face.
“Hi, Dad,” I said, daring to look into his eyes. Now, he was standing in front of us.
His eyes ran over me and a frown appeared on his face. “Come on, I thought we already agreed on giving hugs during family dinner?” Mr. Lark asked.
Jayden nudged me again and I immediately left his side and walked towards Mr. Lark, before giving him a hug. It was short, but it felt like forever.
When I pulled away, I heard him sniff me loudly.
“Dad—”
“What the hell is going on with you? I thought you hated smelling like lavender and vanilla?”
Oh shit.
“W-what—” I didn’t know how to respond to that and all the research I made told me nothing about how she smells!
Before I could make an even better fool of myself, Jayden stepped up immediately.
“I guess being married has influenced her in many ways, Mr. Lark,” Jayden said calmly as he stepped forward and wrapped an arm around my waist as he smiled down at me.
I smiled widely as I looked lovingly at Jayden, hoping we looked real.
“Stop that,” I jokingly said as I swatted his arm playfully.
We looked up when Mr. Lark chuckled, before spreading his arms wide. “Well, it’s weird to see my daughter in love, but what can I say?” He said, letting out a small laugh. “Come on, let’s go in.”
Only when he turned and began walking towards the house did I dare to relax a bit. Jayden’s hand on my waist began drawing small circles where his arm rested, helping me calm down a bit.
“I miss coming home,” I said as we walked into the house.
“You sure did,” Mr. Lark said, throwing a glance back at us. “I must say, I didn’t expect you to actually honor my invitation.” He said as he led us to the dining room. Although he sounded as fatherly as anyone could be, there was a look in his eyes that kept me on guard.
He led us into the dining room, a space that was exactly as the building layout had shown. Knowing I knew everywhere here was soothing and it helped me relax a bit.
The house was very big but nothing close to a mansion and soon, we took our seats and dinner was served.
I had just taken a bite of my steak when Mr. Lark began his questioning.
“How about the charity auction in Geneva that you attended last spring? You never got back to me and I know it’s because you embezzled a ridiculous amount from me.”
I choked immediately and began coughing violently as Jayden quickly helped me with some water.
“Oh no, are you okay?” I heard Mr. Lark say and I nodded as I drank the water hungrily, praying for some sort of magic to happen.
What charity auction? I looked pleadingly at Jayden, quietly begging him to step in, but I was devastated to read the look in his eyes. For once, he wasn’t going to be able to help because he wasn’t there.
I wasn’t there either!
When I calmed down, I almost cried out when I realized Mr. Lark was patiently waiting for me to respond to his question.
I searched for words as my thoughts ran wild. “It went o-okay, Dad,” I said, coughing slightly.
“How so? I got a lot of reports about how you handled the whole thing poorly. How could you?”
Now, Mr. Lark wasn’t smiling anymore. He looked angry, as if he was remembering all the things Celine had done. I was tempted to beg him immediately, but as Jayden’s hand crept onto my lap as a sign of warning, I realized Celine wouldn’t beg.
She would stand her ground and insist that she did nothing wrong. A stubborn child never apologizes.
“Dad, you should listen to your child rather than some rumors from people that know nothing about me,” I said as I took a bite of my steak and this time, I didn’t choke.
“We both know they’re true. How long do you intend to be this dubious?” Mr. Lark snapped.
Oh no.
I was about to think of a response when Jayden spoke up. “I am going to make sure such things don't occur again, Mr. Lark.”
“Hmm,” Mr. Lark said as he ran his eyes through us. He poured wine into three glasses before giving each glass to Jayden and me. I released a breath, happy he was letting the whole thing go.
I had just taken a sip when he spoke up again.
"You seem... softer, somehow," Mr. Lark noted, leaning back as a servant cleared the main course. "The Celine I knew would have already insulted my choice of wine and complained about the temperature of the room."
I felt my blood turn to ice. Oh no, we’ve been caught.
"Marriage changes people, Mr. Lark. I like her just the way she is," Jayden said almost immediately.
"I suppose it does," Mr. Lark mused, after a moment of silence. He didn't look convinced. "But some things never change. Not your hot-tempered tongue and definitely not your greed.”
Celine, what exactly have you done? I wondered.
The moment was interrupted by the arrival of some servants that came bearing the second course. "Peanut pudding," Mr. Lark announced as a plate was pushed my way. "I had my chef prepare it specially for you, since it is your absolute favorite. You used to say you couldn't live without it."
I stared down at the creamy swirl in the bowl as my breath hitched in my throat. I wasn't just uneasy anymore. I was terrified. I wasn't Celine, and I certainly didn't love peanut pudding.
I was Lilith, and I was deathly allergic to peanuts.
One spoonful of the dessert in front of me would send my throat closing up in minutes. It would be the end of the night, the end of the contract, and the end of any hope for Ariel.
Beside me, I felt Jayden stiffen as well because even though he knew nothing about me, he could tell something was wrong.
"Go on, Celine," Mr. Lark urged, gesturing toward the spoon. "Don't tell me your tastes have changed as well."