As soon as the waiter left, Victoria cut straight to the point.
"You are to stop clinging to my son."
She didn't bother with pleasantries. "If you leave my son alone, I'll give you money. Name your price—whatever it is, I can afford it."
Sophie froze. So the "buy-off" scene she had rehearsed in her head was happening right now, raw and immediate.
Victoria continued without a flicker of emotion. "I know exactly what girls like you want. Growing up poor, it's only natural you'd envy families like ours. That's why what you're doing is… understandable, in a way. I'm willing to overlook it. I'll pay you a sum of money, and we can all move on with our lives."
Sophie stared at Victoria's moving lips. "You… want to pay me…?"
Before she could finish, the waiter returned with their drinks. Both women fell silent.
"Yes," Victoria said the moment he walked away. "Just name a figure."
Inwardly she sneered, certain the girl's fox tail was finally showing.
