Chapter 28
Sebastian
All through Sunday, I keep Luce distracted. It isn’t difficult. We watch movies and have pizza and Chinese delivered for lunch and dinner. She avoids looking at her phone. Not because she doesn’t have anybody pinging her, but because I told her we should take a day to unplug from the world.
Later, I get some ointment Grandmother swears by and spread it on Luce’s back. Her bruises have bloomed like deathly flowers.
I should’ve kicked Karl until he peed blood for a week.
I hold her that night, too. Her cheek is mottled purple, although it looks better than her back. The swelling has mostly gone down, and she rubbed some of the ointment on her face. But she can’t go to work tomorrow like this, and I hate it that she has to change her routine because of Karl.
On Monday, I get up at my normal time, check her face—still bruised, although looking better—and slip out of bed. After a quick run in the gym, I shower and get dressed in my room, then send a quick text to Christoph to arrange for a chat with John Highsmith. Noah hasn’t sent more links, so that meansThe Hollywood Newsis the only one that has published a trashy story about us.
I put on my suit for the day, but I can’t seem to manage my tie. The Windsor knot should be simple—I’ve done it thousands of times—but I’m too distracted and annoyed. I leave the unknotted tie around my neck and head down for coffee. Maybe that will help.
As I approach the kitchen, the scent of coffee washes over me. Matthias must be back on duty. It ratchets up my concern for Luce—does she want him to see her with bruises on her face? Although the swelling’s gone down, you can’t miss the signs of abuse, and I don’t want her upset or crying.
Should I speak with Luce before she comes down and give him another day off?
When I round the corner to the kitchen, both Matthias and Luce are there. I almost do a double take. Why is she in a royal-purple dress with a jacket, like she’s ready to go into the office?
“You should work from home today,” I say.
“I have a few meetings I can’t miss. I’m going in.”
Matthias’s lips are so thin, they’ve almost disappeared. He shakes his head fractionally. Guess he tried to persuade her, too.
“Use Zoom,” I tell her. Matthias nods, then discreetly withdraws so we can talk this out in peace.
“Can’t, really. It’s a design meeting.”
“So? Tell them to send you the docs ahead of time.”
“I’m not staying home until bruises fade.” The angle of her chin is firm, the same stubborn tilt that made me think of a Valkyrie when she marched into my office. “Besides, you can’t really tell.”
“I can still see the purple under the makeup.” It’s a bit of an exaggeration. Whatever she did hides the bruises well. Unless you looked really hard, you wouldn’t notice anything.
Uncertainly fleets through her eyes for a moment, then she shrugs. “I’ll get foundation with better coverage.”
“Whatever you put on your face, I don’t want you out there.”To be the topic of more speculation and hateful gossip?No. She’s suffered enough.
She sighs. “I’ve given this a lot of thought, and you were right. It happened because Karl is an awful human being.”
Good. She got that straight.
“But hiding here isn’t going to solve anything. I’m not going to let Karl stop me from doing my job. Some of the designers from Sebastian Jewelry are coming to discuss the joint venture at nine. I can’t miss the first meeting.”
“You’re the CEO. Delegate it.” It’s what I’d do. “Using your people effectively is part of being a good executive.”
“Sebastian, I can’t. This project is too important.”
She’s going to stay on her path, even if it bothers her that people might notice the damage Karl has done. But I don’t want my wife out there alone, defenseless and vulnerable. I’ve seen enough to know that, other than her assistant, she doesn’t have a lot of allies. And since Roderick and Karl held influence within Peery Diamonds, those who are loyal to them might try to mess with her.
“Fine,” I concede. “I’ll join the meeting.”
“But you aren’t scheduled for it.”
“Christoph will make the necessary adjustments.” I brush my thumb over her uninjured cheek, then tuck a loose tendril behind her ear. “There’s nothing more urgent than making sure you’re going to be okay today.”
