The timing of my grandmother's visit hadn’t made sense, but now I understood. They were giving me an alibi. “The grannies were visiting. I’m sure my mother has surveillance of it.”
The color of her face only dimmed slightly. “Oh.”
“When you’re ready, I would like to explain everything to you.”
She nodded and took a few steps backward before she disappeared completely, and I knew there was nothing left that I could do.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Poppy
Marta setup a wedding dress fitting, because I absolutely wasn’t allowed to pick my dress, as well as the cake, and even the outfit I wore to my brother’s funerals.
Once again, Jane and I were made out to be richer than our wildest dreams, while my mother and Jade were left with nothing. It was odd, but I was too numb to question anything.
Even in their deaths, I was still to move forward with this ridiculous agreement with Donovan because if I didn’t, the fine print did state that he would marry Jane. And since Jane’s legal guardian—our mother— was a basket case, who was now apparently living in poverty, I wouldn’t have put it past her to sign off that Jane could marry the stupid bastard if something happened to me. It seemed as if our mother would do anything in her power to protect herself, and if she could get in Donovan’s good graces… I just couldn’t chance it.
“I’m very sorry about your loss,” Donovan said as he placed his hand on my lower back and led me across the restaurant. “Your brothers and I weren’t close, but I was looking forward to working with them in the future.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if that meant we were still to marry, but I knew better. I knew it wouldn’t end well, and I didn’t want him to worry about my loyalties.
“Thank you,” I whispered because it still stung. All of this. The lack of Donovan’s presence at their funeral, his lack of support in my life, and the fact that I was still shackled to this monster.
He sat down across from me and looked down at his menu. “I think you should get the salad.”
I think you should get fucked.
I smiled politely and didn’t bother with even glancing at the menu. It didn’t matter. He would order for me like he always did. He would run my life.
“I know we haven’t spoken much about it, but maybe since my brothers will no longer be working with you… We should postpone things.”Indefinitely.
His eyes darkened as he looked up at me, and I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. “Are you having second thoughts?”
I ran my tongue over my bottom lip. “It isn’t that. I just didn’t get a say in much of the negotiations, and now my brothers are gone. What kind of agreement matters now?”
Donovan leaned forward and watched me with narrowed eyes. “You have no idea the kind of company your brothers were running. It doesn’t matter that they’re gone;once we are married, I will be in control of it all. There were precautions put into place to make sure everything would run smoothly in case something like this happened.” He shrugged as if their deaths were just a part of business.
“Right, of course. I didn’t realize.”
He tilted his head, and somehow his eyes continued to darken. “I wasn’t going to say anything, because I think it’s normal to get pre-wedding jitters, but now that you’ve mentioned getting out of this contract… I think an example needs to be made.”
My blood ran cold.No, not Jane.
He leaned back in his chair to dig around in his coat pocket before he pulled out his phone. He unlocked it and slid it across the table, face up. It wasn’t Jane. It was me, locking eyes with Ivan on the dance floor at Audrey and Alexei’s wedding. My leg was wrapped high on his waist; the slit of my dress was dangerously revealing. But none of that mattered when you could see the desire burning between our gazes. It didn’t matter that his hand was cupping the back of my thigh when his face said he was in love with me. My cheeks burned as I turned away from the damning evidence.
“Imagine my surprise when I was sent this picture over the weekend and did some digging to find out that your mutt is actually old-money New York City royalty. I didn’t recognize him with the scruff on his face and his hair grown out.”
I clenched my hands together below the tablecloth. What could I do? There was nothing that could be done.There was nothing that could be said. Everything was right there, plain as day. I looked just as much in love with Ivan as he did with me.
He tsked as he shook his head. “Ole Ivan Cristof. What should I do about this? Are you romantically involved with him?”
I shook my head as my eyes burned. I wasn’t, not now, not after everything I knew. I didn’t think I could ever be romantically involved with him again, even if I weren’t marrying Donovan.
He sighed loudly and pulled his phone back across the table. “Our wedding is too close, or I’d make an example out of you. Do you understand me?”
Numbly, I nodded.
“I would fuck up your little sister's face and make you watch. But she’s in the wedding, and I can’t have two bruised women to worry about.” He cracked his knuckles as he looked around at the happy couples seated away from us. “I want nothing more than to bash your face in. I want you to beg for mercy.”
