Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 29

"How does it not?"

Elara threw her hands up casually. "Did you forget that the first person Sebastian introduced was Melody?"

"Using Melody as an icebreaker made perfect sense. It signaled that Sebastian adored his little cousin, and it felt completely natural for him to want everyone to meet her."

"But if he had suddenly dragged his estranged uncle onto the stage... don't you think that would have been bizarrely out of place?"

Meredith opened her mouth to argue, but the words failed her.

Elara smiled and drove the final nail into the coffin. "Besides, if it were that simple, why hasn't Sebastian ever introduced his uncle to that crowd in all these years?"

Meredith was silenced.

When she had married Richard Beckett, Sebastian's mother had been enduring the absolute agony of her husband's infidelity.

Still young, Sebastian couldn't comprehend the intricate betrayals of adults. All he knew was the suffering his mother endured, ultimately blaming her tragic death entirely on the older generation.

In his eyes, if his grandfather hadn't rushed into a new marriage and instead focused on protecting his mother, she might still be alive.

Over the years, Sebastian had never explicitly voiced his hatred, but Meredith could always feel his resentment radiating off him. He frequently looked at her and Julian with thinly veiled contempt.

Given that deep-seated hostility, the idea of Sebastian willingly leading Julian into the inner circle of high society was a sheer fantasy.

That was precisely why, despite being members of the Beckett family for years, they had never been truly accepted by the upper echelon.

Elara was spitting cold, hard facts, and Meredith couldn't refute a single word. Deep down, she felt an infuriating sense of being utterly belittled.

It was one thing to silently acknowledge your own failures; it was an entirely different nightmare to have someone else rip them out into the open.

"Hmph."

Meredith scoffed coldly. "Anyone who matters already knows the connection between Julian and Sebastian. Whether he introduced him or not makes no difference."

Since the two of them were still at the office, she headed to the restaurant early to order, ensuring the food would be ready the moment they arrived.

Halfway through the meal, Julian received an urgent business call and had to step out of the private dining room.

"Eat up, Vivian."

Meredith placed a tender piece of meat onto Vivian's plate, her expression melting into a warm, affectionate smile. "You've looked so exhausted lately. Is the workload getting to be too much?"

Before Vivian could answer, Meredith pressed on, "If it's too taxing, just tell Julian to take some of the pressure off your shoulders."

Vivian smiled softly and thanked her, but her fork hovered over her plate. She glanced at Meredith, clearly wrestling with something she wanted to say.

Meredith caught the hesitation instantly. "What is it?"

Vivian looked deeply conflicted, biting her lip before finally caving, as if unable to hide the truth from the older woman. "Meredith, it's about Melody... I don't think she likes me."