“About five years ago, yes. I inherited the land from my father and never bothered building out here before that because it was thirty minutes from any of my businesses in the city, so it wasn’t exactly convenient.”
He doesn’t walk around to sit behind his desk. Instead, he sits in one of the two visitor’s chairs, and I sit next to him, helping him dig into boxes, and once everything is open, we each take a set of chopsticks and dig in.
“Oh my God, it’s so good,” I say around a bite of egg roll. “I was hungry. Okay, what changed? Why did you build it five years ago?”
I glance over and find him watching me with somber eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re gorgeous when you eat.”
I cover my mouth with a paper napkin and shake my head. “I eat like a linebacker. I like food. Tell me more. I’m trying to get to know my husband.”
His eyes heat at that word, and he takes a bite of beef with broccoli. “I needed a sanctuary out of the city. I kept my building with the penthouse, so I could crash there when I had late nights at work, but this is home. Elliott always hated it out here. He prefers the city.”
I nod, chewing slowly. “WhereisElliott, Julian?”
He doesn’t even look my way. “You don’t need to worry about that.”
“I just?—”
“Are you disappointed?” he counters, his voice calm as can be, but his eyes arenotcalm.
“That I didn’t marry him?” I ask, and he simply holds my gaze. “Fuck no. I don’t want to insult you, but your son is ... horrible.”
He winces and then nods. “I’m aware. He didn’t used to be. Since he’s become addicted to gambling and alcohol, he’s gotten worse. He’s learning his lesson.”
“What does that mean?” I whisper.
“Exactly how it sounds. Now, tell me about you. Did you go to college?”
The subject of Elliott is obviously closed, so I take a deep breath and reach for the beef with broccoli and pop a bite in my mouth.
“Yes, I graduated from high school at sixteen and immediately started college. I have an MBA.”
Julian stares at me for a full ten seconds. “You’re twenty-two, and you’re telling me you already finished your bachelor’s and then got an MBA?”
“Yes. All from UNLV. I wasn’t allowed to go away for school. In fact, I’ve never left the state of Nevada.”
Now he scowls. “Your father just kept you here? No vacations, no sightseeing?”
Shaking my head, I reach for the box of sweet-and-sour chicken and take a bite.
“No. Here’s the thing with my father: Children,girlsin particular, are pawns. I was never under the illusion that my life is my own. I knew that one day I’d get married off to someone for the betterment of my father’s business. I went to business school so that if I never did marry, I’d be an asset to him.”
“Is that what you wanted to do?”
I scowl and reach for another egg roll.I really am hungry.“Of course not. It’s boring as hell. But I’m smart, and I’m good at it, and that was the only option I was given.”
Shrugging a shoulder, I take a sip of my water.
“What would youliketo do?”
“What do you mean?”
Julian lets out a humorless chuckle. “Angel, if you could chooseanythingto do, what would it be?”
“Like, for money?”
