Genevieve stiffened, hurt filling her blue eyes as a familiar kind of pain seeped into her chest and wrapped it's hand around her heart like a vise.
''Did you just…'' she trailed off, the words catching in her throat, ''Okay. It's alright. I... I'm… sorry for bringing that up at all.''
"It's alright. You're still young, and mistakes are inevitable," Anna said, her tone firm but not unkind. "That's why I'm here. My job is to guide you back onto the right path when you stray. And right now, my advice is simple: focus on winning over your husband. Make him happy, make him like you more. Your beauty has already done half the work for you, so take the initiative and do the rest until he's completely under your spell."
Genevieve's face paled in disbelief. "What the hell are you saying, Aunt? Did you miss the part where I said he's over seventy? How am I supposed to seduce a man who's nearly four times my age?"
Anna arched a brow. "The same way you would have seduced the son, if he was the one who bought you."
Genevieve swallowed hard, briefly allowing her mind to drift into dangerous territory of how it would have been if Adrian had been the one to buy her? The thought sent a shiver through her.
He was cold, ruthless, and unpredictable with his craziness an enigma she had yet to unravel. But despite all that, the idea of enduring years with him felt strangely less daunting than the mere thought of sharing a life with his father.
''Are you even listening to me at all?'' Anna's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. ''Anyways, you should know you have no choice but to seduce him if you want to quicken our plan. Or we'd stay stuck in one place for years, and time, we can't afford.''
Before Genevieve could respond, she drained the last of her coffee and rose to her feet.
"We can't keep meeting like this if we want to avoid rousing suspicion and raising unnecessary attention," she said briskly. "You should get a burner phone to contact me, or use a payphone if they allow you outside often enough."
She turned to leave but suddenly halted, as if struck by a new idea. Spinning back around, she fixed her niece with a sharp gaze.
"Better yet, find an excuse to visit the orphanage. Charity work, donations, whatever nonsense works. Remember, Reynolds was able to sell you because he convinced his clients you had no family."
''I do,'' Genevieve nodded. ''Goodbye, Aunt Anna.''
''See you soon, Eve.''
Genevieve kept her gaze lowered, refusing to watch as the only family she had left walked away. She remained seated in the booth for a few more minutes, replaying her conversation with Anna and going over her plan one more time.
In the end, as much as it stung to be forbidden from making friends, she had to admit her aunt had a point. She wasn't the best judge of character when it came to trust and following Anna's advice would be the safest course of action.
With that resolution settled in her mind, she stood, made her way to the cashier, and paid with the card the girls had given her earlier. Stepping outside, she leaned against the café's exterior and began scanning her surroundings.
Now, all she could do was wait, hoping Ronaldo would realize early that she was missing and come for her without wasting time.