Chapter 120 Time To Find The Truth
"Are you accusing me?" Catherine's voice wavered slightly.
"I just want to know." Rebecca's tone was calm, but her eyes missed nothing. "What really happened?"
Catherine straightened her shoulders, trying to maintain control. She hadn't expected Rebecca to know about that.
"I don't know what happened. Maybe he was just tired. Or stressed. I was only keeping him company—nothing more!"
Rebecca studied her for a long moment. "Is that so?"
"Of course!" Catherine forced confidence into her voice. "If something was in his drink, maybe someone else put it there. Someone who wanted to hurt him. Or create a scandal." She leaned forward slightly, grasping for anything that would deflect suspicion. "Elliot has enemies, Auntie. You know that."
Rebecca didn't respond immediately. She let the silence stretch, her eyes never leaving Catherine's face.
Then she smiled—thin, unreadable. "That's an interesting theory."
Catherine nodded quickly. "I've thought about it a lot. Someone could have slipped aphrodisiac into his drink when no one was looking. Someone who knew the timing, who knew he'd be vulnerable."
"And you have no idea who that might be?"
Catherine's heart raced, but she kept her expression steady. "If I knew, Auntie, I would have told you."
Rebecca picked up her teacup again, taking a slow, deliberate sip. "Mm."
The sound was noncommittal. Catherine couldn't tell if she believed her or not.
"But you were there," Rebecca continued, her voice light. "You were the one who tried to take him somewhere private."
Catherine's breath caught. "I was trying to help him. He looked unwell. I thought fresh air—"
"You thought." Rebecca set her cup down with a soft clink. "Interesting."
The silence that followed was heavy. Catherine felt like every word she said was being weighed, measured, filed away for later.
Rebecca finally looked up, her expression unreadable. "Thank you for coming, Catherine. I appreciate your... concern."
It was a dismissal. Catherine could feel it.
She stood, her legs slightly unsteady. "I should go. I have another appointment."
Rebecca nodded. "Be careful on the road."
Catherine walked toward the door, her heart pounding. She could feel Rebecca's eyes on her back, watching, assessing.
She paused at the threshold. "Auntie."
"Yes?"
"I do care about Elliot. I always have." She didn't turn around. "I just want what's best for him."
Rebecca's voice was soft. "I know you do, dear."
Catherine walked out. The moment the door closed behind her, she exhaled sharply, her hands trembling.
She didn't notice Elliot standing in the hallway, watching her go.
He stepped into the room a moment later.
Rebecca was still at the table, her tea forgotten, her expression thoughtful.
"You heard?" she asked without looking up.
Elliot nodded, taking the seat Catherine had vacated. "Enough."
"She mentioned someone putting aphrodisiac in your drink," Rebecca said slowly. "She brought it up herself. Without being prompted."
Elliot's jaw tightened. "I noticed."
Rebecca looked at her son. "That's an odd thing for an innocent person to suggest, isn't it? Most people would say you were tired. Or stressed. But she went straight to someone spiking your drink."
Elliot was silent for a moment. "She was there that day. She was the one trying to take me somewhere private."
"And now she's the one suggesting foul play." Rebecca's eyes narrowed. "Either she knows something she shouldn't, or..." She let the implication hang.
"Or she's covering for herself."
Rebecca nodded slowly. "I can't prove anything. Not yet. But I don't trust her, Elliot. And I don't want her near your wife."
Elliot reached across the table, covering his mother's hand with his own. "I know, Mom.”
Rebecca squeezed his fingers. "Just… be careful."
Elliot gave a faint smile, his heart warmed knowing how worried his mother was for him. "You recorded everything as I told you, didn’t you?"
"Of course." Rebecca smiled—a thin, sharp smile that reminded him exactly who he'd learned from. "I always record conversations with people I don't trust."
He almost laughed. Almost. "You played her perfectly, Mom."
Rebecca leaned back, reaching for her tea again. "She thought she was so clever. Coming here to poison me against your wife." She shook her head. "Foolish girl."
Elliot studied his mother. "You didn't have to do that for me."
"I did." Her voice was firm. "No one hurts my children. No one hurts my family." She looked at him, fierce and protective. "If she did something to you that day, I will find out. And when I do—" She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to.
Elliot squeezed her hand. "Thank you, Mom."
She patted his cheek. "Take care of your wife. And let me know if that woman causes any more trouble." Her eyes gleamed. "I have a few ideas for how to handle her."
Elliot chuckled softly, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."
Rebecca smiled—warm now, genuinely warm. "As long as you keep my daughter-in-law safe, you'll always be on my good side."
She glanced toward the door where Catherine had disappeared, then back at her son. "Now go find your wife. I want to make sure she knows exactly where she stands in this family."
Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"
Rebecca's smile widened. "Right at the center. Where she belongs."
Elliot stood, a warmth spreading through his chest that had nothing to do with the tea. "Mom."
"Yes?"
"I'm going to find out what really happened at the Fairmont lunch. One way or another."
Rebecca nodded, her expression serious. "When you do—" She paused. "Bring her to justice. The right way."
Elliot met her eyes. "I will."
He walked out, leaving his mother with her tea and her thoughts.