"Now I have a father. He has money. He has connections. And if he wanted to, he could make life very, very difficult for the Fairmonts and the Blakes. Maybe not bring them to their knees, but enough to cause a world of trouble."
The color drained from Vivienne's face.
Hilda shrugged. "Do I need to spell it out for you, Miss Blake?"
She looked Vivienne dead in the eye.
"My father knows nothing about what happened between Jasper and me. And I have zero interest in telling him."
"Because I already died once. You and Jasper are nothing more than insignificant remnants of a life that's already dead and buried."
Vivienne's face flushed an ugly, mottled red.
"You—"
The driver pulled the car over to the curb. Hilda pushed the door open and left Vivienne with one final remark.
"I hope that after today, things go exactly the way you once told me they would."
"This is the last time we see each other, Vivienne. Keep yourself in check. And keep Jasper in check."
Jasper refused to give up. He cycled through phone number after phone number trying to get Hilda to meet him, and when nothing worked, he played his last card: Grandma Nora.
Hilda sat in the café, frowning at the man across from her. He'd dressed himself up to the nines, practically preening. She cut straight to the point. "Where's the necklace?"
Hurt flickered across Jasper's face. He pressed his lips together, then slowly, almost reluctantly, reached into his pocket and placed something on the table with painstaking care.
It was the necklace. The one he'd thrown off the bridge. The one that had caused her accident.
"Hildie." His eyes rimmed red. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so reckless. I searched that bridge for days and nights, and these were the only beads I could find. This was the best I could get it repaired."
Hilda drew a long breath, picked up the necklace, and said, "Fine. I'm leaving."
Jasper choked. His hand shot out and caught her arm.
"Hilda, let me make it up to you. I'll buy you another one. Something nicer, something more expensive."
Hilda tilted her head and looked at him. A bitter smile crossed her lips. "Jasper, there's no need to trample all over my grandmother's love like that."
His expression changed.