After, we take the bottle of wine and our glasses into the sitting room and snuggle up on the couch. I open up and tell him about Callan and me, not going into the full details of our relationship, but explaining how serious it was, how we went to college together and had planned a future in London together. I tell him about the betrayal and how what they did almost ended me.
“I’m firing him,” he calmly says when I’ve finished explaining.
I sit upright and turn around with his arm loosely around my waist. “No, Seán. I already told you I don’t want you to do that.”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”
“It’s unprofessional and unfair to fire him when he hasn’t reneged on any aspect of the contract.”
“That can be easily rectified.”
“I don’t want you ruining his business. It’s unethical.”
He snorts and sits up straighter, his arm dropping away from me. “I forget how innocent you are sometimes. This is the way business gets done in my world.”
“Don’t patronize me, and your ruthless reputation speaks for itself. I’m well aware of how you like to play dirty to get what you want.”
“Don’t expect me to apologize.”
“I’m not. I’m just asking you not to do anything to Callan.”
“Why the fuck do you even care?”
“I’m not saying I do.”
“Then you won’t mind if I fire his ass and ruin his company. It’s the least he deserves after he hurt you.”
“He hurtme!” I slap a hand over my chest. “I was the one wronged, not you. If I say I don’t want him punished, that should be good enough. I don’t want you fighting my battles for me.”
“Why the fuck are you protecting him?”
“I’m not. He’s a single father. He has a daughter to provide for. I don’t want you taking away his ability to care for her.”
“He’s not exactly destitute. He owns a property worth two-point-five mil in Ryemont and a penthouse apartment in London he rents out. He doesn’t have a huge amount of cash in the bank, but he could get by comfortably if he downsizes. Trust me, he has enough to adequately provide for Darcy.”
I’m horrified as I stare at him. “You ran checks on him? That is a massive invasion of his privacy.”
“Oh, relax. We do comprehensive checks on everyone we do business with.” He dismisses my concern with a wave of his hands.
“Then you shouldn’t be telling me this.”
“You’re going to be my wife, and I won’t keep secrets from my wife.” He narrows his eyes, and I don’t like the look on his face. “Unless you’ve changed your mind.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course, I haven’t.” I rotate my shoulders, trying to work out the kinks. “Don’t make this out to be bigger than it is.”
Slowly, he sets his wineglass down before taking mine and placing it beside his on the coffee table. He cups my face and stares deep into my eyes. “Do you still have feelings for him, Astrid?”
“What? Of course, I don’t. Why would you even ask me that?”
“Because you seem super defensive of someone who broke your heart and destroyed your trust in men. I haven’t forgotten how fragile you were when we first started dating or how Ipainstakingly restored your faith in the male species. It sure as fuck wasn’t for his benefit.”
I jump up, enraged and more than a little hurt. If he’d slapped me, I doubt it would be any more painful. “Fuck you, Seán! How dare you say that. Like I’m some hotel you gutted and rebuilt brick by brick, and I’m only as good as the return you get for it.”
He sighs as he stands, like dealing with me is exhausting. “Come here.”
“Don’t touch me. I mean it, Seán. Don’t fucking touch me right now.”
His lips purse before his face smooths out. “I didn’t mean it like that. You know I didn’t.”
