“No,” I said.

Eleanor grabbed my sleeve tighter, her fingers trembling.

“Natalie, think about your career,” she whispered. “He can do it. He really can.”

“I’ve made my choice, Mother,” I said.

Gregory looked at Eleanor, his lips curling in disgust.

“Go inside, Eleanor,” he ordered. “I’ll deal with you later.”

Eleanor looked at me, then at Gregory.

She didn’t move.

“I said go inside,” Gregory repeated, his voice dropping an octave.

“No,” Eleanor said, her voice shaking but clear. “I’m staying with Natalie.”

Gregory stared at her, genuine surprise flickering in his eyes for a split second.

Then his face hardened back into stone.

“Fine,” he said. “Both of you can ruin your lives.”

He turned to his security guards.

“Move aside,” Gregory told them.

The guards hesitated, then stepped back into the shadows near the hedges.

“Go on,” Gregory said, gesturing to my car.

“Take it to the authorities. See what happens.”

“I will,” I said.

“But before you do, Natalie, take a very close look at the calendar,” he said.

He smiled, a slow, thin line of white teeth in the dark.