Chapter 666
Judy's POV
"Woah, you live here?!" Lucy asked, her mouth dropping to the ground as she stared up at the mansion.
"Not at the moment, but I used to," I told her. "Nan's been staying here with her mate. I've been here for so long that this place kind of feels like home."
"You never told me that you lived in a fucking mansion," Lucy said, folding her arms across her chest. "How could this never come up in conversation?"
"I told you, when I arrived at the Redcliff pack, I didn't want to think about my old life," I told her.
"But still," she said, shaking her head. "I've opened up to you, it's kind of sad that you felt you couldn't open up to me."
"It's not that I didn't think I could open up to you, Lucy," I assured her. "It was just too painful to talk about. "
She nibbled on her lower lip. We sat in the front parlor, Nan curled up on the armchair, and Lucy sat beside me on the couch. She was tugging at her fingers, staring down at her lap with a sheepish expression on her face. I know I hurt her when I lied to her, but I was hurting too. The entire time I was in the Redcliff pack, I was in pain. My heart constantly felt like it had exploded when I thought Gavin and Rachel were together and expecting a baby. I thought my world had crumbled, and I was trying so hard to pretend that it wasn't.
One of the maids walked in and gave us a platter of snacks and some wine. I told her I wasn't feeling well and asked for water instead. She got me a bottle of water from the kitchen, and I ignored the curious looks from Nan and Lucy.
After thanking her, she retreated.
"You even have a maid," she said, her eyes wide.noveldrama
The Redcliff pack was small, and though their packhouse was large, they didn't have hired staff like that. It was hard for them to have a steady stream of income for stuff like that. That was part of what I liked about that pack; they worked hard for what they had.
"This is Landry's property. Of course, there are maids here," Nan said, taking a nacho off the platter and stuffing it into her mouth. "Not as good as Chester's, but they are tasty," she said, taking another nacho.
The door to the parlor opened, and Irene walked in. She smiled when she saw me and then gave Nan and slight wave.
"Sorry, I'm late,” she said, putting her purse on one of the side tables before taking a seat beside Lucy. "Did I miss anything good?"
"No, we just finished giving Lucy the grand tour," I told her. "You didn't miss anything."
I noticed Lucy was gawking at Irene.
"You're Irene Landry..." Lucy breathed. Then she looked at me, her eyes wide. "You're friends with Irene Landry?"
"Well, yeah,” I said, raising my brows. "She's Gavin's daughter."
"I used to talk about her clothing
brand all the time. I wish I could own a few pieces, but they were so expensive. We literally sat together and coped about her photos in different fashion magazines and you didn't bother to tell me you actually knew her??"
I nibbled on my lower lip, knowing that she was right. I didn't bother telling her any truth about myself. I hated lying to her, but at the time, it felt necessary. I knew a simple "I'm sorry" wasn't going to suffice.
"You're a fan?" Irene said, pleased.
"A huge fan," Lucy admitted, a blush creeping along her cheeks.
Irene's smile grew; she liked it when people from outside the territory recognized her.
"Well, I haven't created anything new recently. But I do have a ton of clothes from last year that I haven't worn yet. We look to be about the same size. They are upstairs; want to try them on?"
Lucy's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Really? I mean, I don't want to impose or anything..."
“Nonsense; it's literally just sitting there untouched," Irene said, waving off her concern.
With that being said, we went upstairs and tried on Irene's clothes. The rest of the night was filled with laughter, gossip, and friendship.
Later in the evening, Chester arrived with Emalyn, and Nan disappeared with her little family. Lucy and Irene spent the night in Irene's bedroom; apparently, they had a lot more in common than they thought, and they quickly became incredible friends. I always knew that Lucy reminded me a lot of Irene, and I think that's why I got along with her so well.
I went to my old bedroom. I smiled when I stepped inside; it's been a while since I've been in this room. For a white, this room had become my comfort zone. Remembering my first day in this room, a smile tipped the corner of my lips. I felt so out of pláce here at one point, and I never imagined this place would become a home to me. I never imagined that Gavin would become my home.