Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 95

Maddox Beckett was in his seventies. He had stopped attending banquets years ago, much less a birthday party centered around children, as he simply couldn't handle the noise anymore.

"Your health isn't the best,"

Meredith Beckett reminded him gently, her concern evident. "There will be a lot of kids there. Will it be..."

"It's fine."

Maddox waved a hand dismissively. "It's not like I'll be sitting there from start to finish. A short visit won't hurt."

"But..."

Meredith wanted to argue, but Maddox looked at Elara Sterling instead. "Who else is on the guest list?"

Elara answered respectfully, "Aside from the kindergarteners, their parents, and teachers, it's just family, a friend of mine, and Sebastian."

Maddox raised a surprised eyebrow. "Sebastian is coming?"

"Yes."

Elara nodded. "Melody invited him during his birthday party."

Maddox looked visibly pleased. "Good. I'll head over a little earlier then."

"Thank you, Maddox," Elara replied.

Meredith, however, wasn't thrilled in the slightest. She glanced at Maddox, then turned to Elara. "I forgot to mention this last time, but I'll be bringing a friend's daughter along that day. That won't be a problem, right?"

Elara's gaze turned somber, though she kept her expression perfectly composed. She asked with feigned curiosity, "Is it someone I know?"

Seeing Meredith's face darken, Elara offered a polite smile. "You know how Melody gets. With so many people already there, adding a stranger into the mix might overwhelm her. I'm also worried she might unintentionally startle your guest."

Meredith shot her a long, hard look. "You know her."

Meeting Meredith's eyes, Elara offered a faint smile, her words airtight. "Personally, I welcome her. However, Melody and Ms. Winthrop had a brief interaction the other day, and it didn't go well. It nearly ended in an unpleasant scene..."

She paused before adding, "Of course, if Ms. Winthrop doesn't mind the chaotic noise of children, I will... do my best to persuade Melody to accept her."

Elara knew exactly when to stop. Those few sentences were more than enough to deliver her point:

Melody knew Vivian, disliked her, and their previous encounter was disastrous. Naturally, she wouldn't be thrilled to have someone she loathed at her own birthday party.

If anything went wrong, the blame would fall entirely on them. They couldn't say they weren't warned.

Meredith understood the underlying threat perfectly, which only fueled her fury.

After all these years, Elara was still as rigid and unyielding as ever.

Even with Melody's special needs, she was still just a child. Wasn't it entirely normal for a kid to be scared and shy around strangers?