Down the hallway, Beverley approached, the sounds of discord ringing in her ears.
"Fredric and Sheryl having a spat?" Aurelia shot her a look, a silent plea for discretion.
"Just take Nina and Mira down for breakfast." she said.
"Sure thing." Beverley nodded, understanding.
Once Beverley had ushered the children away, Aurelia joined Sheryl in her room, pressing a bag of ice against her cheek.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtSheryl's face was tinged with desolation as she asked, "You think I'm a joke, don't you?" Aurelia poured her a glass of water, "Why would I? Been through a divorce myself, | get it." "But you and Leopold, it was all for show," Sheryl said.
Aurelia shrugged, "He never toldit was a charade. | only found out after he officially split with Megan. He was pretty ruthless and wantedout. At first, | wouldn't have, thought about calling a family council. But then, | realized that life's too long to be wasted on one man. Without him, | can live freely and vibrantly." Sheryl glanced at her with a forlorn gaze, "Do you think | should get a divorce?" "Your life, your call," Aurelia said, "Think about what you really want. Most of all, keep your dignity around Fredric." Sheryl fell into silence, sipping her water.
All she wanted was a son, desperately.
In the Stirling family, a woman needed a son.
After breakfast, Aurelia retreated to her room, scouring the intefor clues about Joyce.
Leopold peeked over her shoulder, "Digging through old gossip?" "Not really. Just that the nJoyce rings a bell," Aurelia mused.
"An actress. No surprise you've heard of her," Leopold dismissed.
"Stage nor real?" she inquired.
"Beats me." Leopold settled on the couch, the old scandal of little interest to him.
With the clout of the Stirling family, Joyce's news was scarce, and her work was pulled from the public eye.
Finally, Aurelia found a video.
"That's Joyce?" she gasped.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmLeopold nodded, and he'd seen her once.
Aurelia covered her mouth, eyes wide with shock, "That's Chloe, Jelena's college friend. She visited us in Pebblebrook one summer.
Gorgeous, tall, like a comic book heroine. And she's Joyce?" Leopold's interest seemed piqued.
"She knew Jelena?" "Yeah, Joyce should be her stage name. It must've been the nJelena mentioned. Chloe had just started in showbiz when it all went south. She should've been a star, but Fredric... what a scumbag." Aurelia fumed, memories of the bright and cheerful Chloe fueling her indignation.
Leopold stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"She was close to Jelena?" he asked.
"Thick as thieves," she confirmed, reaching for her phone, "I have to tell Jelena. She'll dump Fredric for sure once she knows he's responsible for Chloe's downfall." Leopold grabbed her hand, "You think she's clueless?" "Chloe went into showbiz, and Jelena stayed in Pebblebrook streaming. They haven't seen each other for ages, and Chloe becoming chummy with Sheryl. It's possible that Jelena doesn't know."