Rob sat in a white leather armchair opposite me, and I glared at him. ‘Go on then. Spit it out.’
‘I know you’re angry with me, and I get it, but you need to understand I had as little choice in this situation as you did.’
‘Really? I find that very hard to believe.’
‘It’s true. You weren’t the only one who was spied on.’
‘What? You mean…’
‘That same guy followed me, too. Well, I suppose there could have been two of them. But yes, I was photographed in what could be construed as compromising positions.’
‘Such as?’
‘Drink, light drug use, women.’
‘The usual then.’
Rob sighed and took a sip of his coffee. ‘Like with your photos, there’s more to them than what it looks like at face value.’
‘Someone forced you to take drugs?’
‘No, but I was set up. Dad announced that one of his friends was looking for a new business partner and arranged for me to meet him for dinner. The last thing I wanted was to go intobusiness with one of Dad’s mates, but given I was unemployed and living at home, I didn’t feel I could say no. Anyway, I went to the dinner and this guy plied me with booze. He drank like a fish, and I felt I had to keep up. When the bar closed, we went up to his hotel room for a nightcap. That’s when he brought out the drugs. I hadn’t done anything like that since my uni days, but I was so wasted I wasn’t thinking straight and went along with it.’
‘But how did they get photos if you were in someone’s hotel room?’
‘Hidden cameras. Dad’s mate was in on it from the start. The whole thing was a setup.’
‘Hang on,’ I said, trying to wrap my head around what Rob was telling me. ‘Why the hell would your parents want to set up their own son like that? I don’t get it.’
‘It’s about control. It always has been with them. They’ve controlled everything I’ve ever done: where I went to school, who I was friends with, where I went to uni, what I studied at uni, what business I went into. Everything. The only thing they couldn’t control was you getting pregnant. I knew if I didn’t marry you and they found out, they’d try to pay you off, get you to some private clinic to end the pregnancy. I may be an arsehole, but I wanted our son from the second you told me you were pregnant.’
‘I’ve always wondered if you married me just to piss them off…’
Rob’s lips twitched in something resembling a smile. ‘Maybe a bit. OK, maybe a lot. I was worried about the baby, that’s true, but they’d been lining me up with suitable women every time I went home for the holidays, and I suppose I wanted to see what would happen if, for once, I went against their wishes.’
‘And what did happen?’
‘They threatened to disinherit me. Looking back, I probably should have let them do it and cut all ties.’
‘But you went ahead with the wedding, and they didn’t disown you.’
‘Yes, by then we knew you were expecting a boy, so I had my own bargaining chip. The family name was always so important to them. I told them if they disinherited me, they’d never get to meet their grandson. Not only that, we’d both take your surname and lose Simmons altogether.’
‘God, Rob, I didn’t think you had it in you. But I still don’t understand why your parents needed to get dirt on you. It doesn’t make any sense.’
‘It’s not just about control, it’s also about money. They’re terrified of a messy divorce and the prospect of you going after their money.’
‘But I’m not remotely interested in their money.’
‘I know, but they don’t believe you. There’s something else you should know, but before I tell you, I’m going to need something stronger than coffee.’
Rob left the room, returning minutes later with two glasses of wine. He handed me one, then carried his own back to his chair. ‘Right, so the other thing I need to tell you is that I’ve met someone.’
‘Who?’
‘Nicola, my former secretary.’
I choked on my wine, and Rob visibly squirmed.
