Catherine’s eyes widened.
"If I could help you, I would. But right now, I can’t. That’s why I’m saying... just apologize to Matthew. If you do, I’m sure he’ll change his mind. He’s not heartless."
Catherine didn’t speak for a few seconds as she processed everything. How could his father kick him out?
"Why are you letting him do this?" she finally asked. "You are the Lindberg heir! I don’t understand... why would you let him trample you like some adopted son? That’s your home."
Lenox exhaled. "Because I can’t stop it. My father controls everything. Every asset is still in his name. I only get my trust fund when I turn twenty-one."
"You should say something about this."
He shook his head. "I don’t want to make it worse. I still love my father. Even if he hates me."
"That doesn’t make sense," Catherine said. "Why would he hate you?"
Lenox hesitated. Then looked her straight in the eye.
"Because he blames me for my mother’s death."
Catherine didn’t respond. She just stared at him.
"He never said it outright," Lenox added. "But I can tell. Every time my name is mentioned, it’s like a switch flips in him."
Catherine stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Lenox.
He didn’t move at first, but then his hand rested lightly on her back.
"I’ll help you," she said quietly. "If apologizing to Matthew is what it takes, then I’ll do it. But you—" she pulled back to look at him. "You need to go back to the mansion."
Catherine was originally planning to borrow money from Lenox but now...
She swallowed. Where would she get that money without Lenox’s help?
Lenox gave a small shake of his head. "That’s not going to happen unless Matthew asks Father to let me back in. And I don’t think he will."
She frowned. "Why not? He used to listen to you."
"He misunderstands me now," Lenox said. "It’s better if you don’t mention this to him. Not the mansion. Not me being cut off. Nothing. I don’t want to add fuel to the fire."
"He’d think I’m trying to use him," Lenox cut in. "I don’t want that. I’ve always cared about him. Even when we were kids, I tried to be a good brother. But sometimes, it just feels like no matter what I do, I’m always the one left behind."
Catherine hesitated, then slowly nodded. "Alright. I won’t tell him."
She had planned to confront Matthew about this. She wanted to demand answers, call him out. But Lenox had a point. If she pushed it, Matthew might twist the story, take it straight to Old Mr. Lindberg, and who knows how far things would go from there? Get Lenox expelled? Cut him off entirely?
She clenched her fists. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
"How could he do something ?" she muttered.
She looked up. "Is this because of me?" she asked. "Is he hurting you because... of me?"
The pieces were coming together too cleanly. Matthew had been cold ever since she refused his gift. First, he pulled back from helping Lenox entirely. Now, Lenox was out of the house.
Matthew wasn’t just bitter, he was vindictive and jealous. And for what? Because she wouldn’t pretend to like him? Because she made her own choice?
Catherine’s stomach twisted.
This wasn’t about pride. That man just wanted control! Matthew couldn’t handle rejection, so now he was using everything he had to tear Lenox down. And that made her hate him more than ever.
Lenox looked away. "It’s not."
Catherine’s eyes narrowed. She reached out and grabbed his hand, gripping it tighter than she meant to. "You don’t have to lie. Don’t worry. I will fix this."
Her heart was pounding now, but not from panic. It was from anger.
"I’ll apologize to him," she said through clenched teeth. "If that’s what it takes, fine. I’ll do it. I’ll even pretend I still care. Smile at him, act sweet, whatever he wants."
She could already picture it, standing in front of Matthew, swallowing every ounce of pride, forcing herself to say things she didn’t mean. Just to get him to stop.
"If that’s what it takes to make him change your father’s mind, I’ll do it," she continued. Her grip tightened as her gaze darkened. "He doesn’t get to ruin your life just because I wouldn’t play along."
"I just want everything to go back to the way it was," he added.
"Let’s go," Catherine said after a moment. "They’re probably waiting for us downstairs." At least she knew that Matthew was waiting for her.
The thought of Matthew made her blood boil. No matter what, she is going to make Matthew pay for what he did to Lenox!
To her surprise, Lenox suddenly reached for her hand and gently lifted it, pressing a kiss to the back of her palm.
Catherine froze. Her eyes widened, and before she could process it, she felt the heat rush to her cheeks. Her face burned.
"Thank you," Lenox said, looking up at her with a smile that was unusually soft, sincere in a way that caught her off guard. "Have I mentioned how beautiful you look tonight?"
Catherine opened her mouth, but no words came out. She stared at him, completely thrown off. Her mind scrambled for something to say, anything that wouldn’t sound ridiculous. But nothing came.
She finally managed a weak breath.
Then Lenox straightened up and glanced at the clock. "We should go down now. I’m sure everyone is waiting for the star of the night to show up."
"Don’t say that," Catherine muttered, shaking her head as she followed him out of the room.
They walked into the hallway, side by side, the sound of their steps softened by the thick carpet. Neither spoke as they approached the elevator. Once inside, Catherine watched the numbers change, trying to calm her nerves.
The ride didn’t take long.
But the moment the elevator doors opened to the lobby, they were greeted with a burst of noise. People were gathered near the ballroom entrance, voices rising, phones out.
"What’s going on?" Lenox asked, stepping forward, brows drawing together as he scanned the crowd.
"It’s Mr. Keller!" someone said. "Mr. Frank Keller!"