Page 21 of Betrayal of a Billionaire

Sierra scoffed. “Like we can’t take care of her. She’s fine.Andshe has way better purses now, too.”

Grant slid his eyes closed. “I’m not certain her sister is going to care about her purse collection.”

Sierra narrowed her eyes as she stared at where Alicia had once stood and shuddered. “Probably not. It looked like her entire wardrobe came from L.L. Bean.”

Kyle tossed his napkin on the table. “Someone should check on Julia.”

“I’ll do that,” Grant said.

“Really? Are you really the best person for that?”

“I would rather not explain why her stepson is checking on her instead of her husband, would you?”

Kyle heaved a sigh as he waved a hand toward the door. “Go ahead.”

Grant rose and strode from the room, his mind swimming. He worried about what was happening between the two women. Would Julia leave the meeting more upset than she started? Would she pull away again?

He threaded through the house to the living room, peering in at the scene. His lips turned up at the corners as he spotted the sisters holding hands. He shuffled to the doorway, hoping they had everything resolved. “Juls, everything okay?”

Alicia’s features, soft as she gazed at her sister, hardened the moment she saw Grant. She leapt from her seat with a shake of her head.

“Ally?” Julia asked as she stood.

Alicia jabbed a finger at Grant as she strode toward him. “I’m good with my sister, but I have a big problem with you. And I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure she’s free of you.”

She pushed past him and stormed to the door. It slammed seconds later, startling Julia.

Grant stared after her, the threat hanging in the air. Her sister hated him. Would she taint Julia’s mind against him?

Grant flicked his gaze to Julia who eyed him.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

He slid a hand onto her shoulder and squeezed. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I’m sorry if I came at the wrong time.”

“You didn’t. I thought we had everything resolved.”

“Apparently not.”

Julia flicked her gaze up to him, her forehead creasing.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, reading the signal easily.

“I had to tell her. About us.”

His heart wrenched at the words. No wonder her sister hated him. She probably had the same view Kyle did. He stared toward the door, a mix of fear and worry knotting his stomach. What did this mean for him and Julia? Had he just lost her?

“I couldn’t explain it any other way. I’m sorry.”

He tried to be supportive even while his insides churned with upset. “She’s your sister, I don’t blame you.”

Her features still showed a mix of upset and concern.

“Julia, I don’t. Don’t beat yourself up.”

“I just…I’m not sure why she’s so angry with you. But it won’t affect anything, I promise.”

He rubbed her shoulders. “Julia, it’s okay. You don’t need to apologize. Let’s just put it behind us, okay?”