“We will go to sleep,” Rose agrees, sounding as hesitant as I do. “I will go through the numbers with you again tomorrow. I want to know as much as I can in advance.”
“There is something else…“ Martin says. “I want to reach out to my contact.”
“To yourcontact?” Griffin asks.
“You mean the beta whose ass you saved a while back?” I ask.
“Yes. I want to know more about the casino shtick. I am sure he knows about it. Maybe what the bookmaker is doing is connected to Jordan’s casino somehow.”
“That’s definitely a possibility,” Rose frowns. “It’s funny. Now that I think about it, Jordan really spent an awful lot of money, especially during the last two years. My old pack is pretty well off, but there are limits. However, he flaunted the money. I guess it was another way to get the whole pack on his side and turn them on me.”
The fact that so many pack members went along with Jordan’s tricks is infuriating. There is no way that all of them were oblivious. Rose is still a young woman. A lot of these pack members were around during her father’s reign. Theyknewher, they saw her grow up, yet they turned on her, just because it was beneficial for them to do so. They have no integrity.
“Is it okay with you if I talk to the guy?” Martin asks.
“Yes, definitely do that, but don’t overwork yourselves.”
“Trust us,” Griffin says. “I know it’s hard, but you need to trust us. By tomorrow night, Martin and I will have all the data you need to have. When you are busted during the gala tomorrow—and we all know you will be—you will have something in your hands the moment you return home.”
It’s so hard to let go, but I decide to take the leap of faith. If I want these two as my allies, I need to trust them now and allow them to prove themselves. “I am putting my fate in your hands. Please, don’t disappoint me.”
thirty-one
It’s Showtime!
*ROSEA*
Iam thankful that I am busy for the whole day before Forest, and I need to leave for the gala. Before lunch and early in the afternoon, I help Griffin with the remaining data, while Martin has already gone off to meet his contact.
Whenever I think of the upcoming evening, my nerves strike, so any distraction is very much welcome. However, as the afternoon passes, I know I can’t stall it anymore. I need to prepare for the evening. The good thing is I am a huge planner. I love to be prepared for all eventualities, so when Forest and I went shopping, the day we met, I was ready for it all. I even had several orders delivered to the packhouse, some of them ball gowns.
The gala is different from the meeting Forest and I went to last week. It’s much more formal, and I do not just want—Ineed—to make a statement with my dress.
“Alright, babe,” Forest steps out of the bedroom, showing me his own brand-new clothes. “I can’t believe I am wearing dress pants, but what do you say?”
He is clad in black dress pants, a black buttoned shirt, unlike the white one most others will wear, and a silver vest. The color will go with my dress. From old pictures he showed me, I know he used to hide behind his clothes. He would wear the classic suit-shirt combo, but kind of disappear in it. He told me himself that he felt lost in them.
He certainly doesn’t look lost today. The jacket he wears on top is a mix of a tailcoat and a jacket. It’s longer than usual, with silver embroidery, and is a tighter fit. It accentuates his broad shoulders and strong build.
“You look like an alpha,” I say bluntly. “It’s hot, Forest. You are looking hot!”
“Really?” he smiles at me. “If you are saying it, I believe you. You know it’s funny, but suddenly dressing to impress is fun.”
The joy he displays is contagious and pushes me to make an extra effort, too. I already chose my dress days ago. The color matches his vest; it’s a darker silver tone. The dress itself is floor-length in a loose mermaid style. It doesn’t restrict my feet too much, but it’s form-fitting, accentuating my silhouette. The fabric is of hand-stitched beads. Between the beads, it gives the illusion of being sheer, but the only actual sheer part is my back and when it reaches the sweep train of the dress. The design of the beads gives it a dramatic style. I wear my hair up and add matching earrings and a bracelet, leaving my neck free, so that nothing takes away from the dress.
I take the time to look at myself in the mirror. When I still lived with Jordan, I always felt so hollow and like I was slowlyturning invisible, but with Forest, my confidence has become so much greater. I feel good about this. It’s a bold dress without being risky, but it shows my figure, and it’s elegant and sexy. For an event like this, I had two options: Go for a look that makes me look fragile, so I might gain sympathy, or for a dress that would make me look strong and firm.
I opted for the latter.
It’s nothing like the romantic ‘princess’ gowns I dreamed of as a teen… It’s so much better.
“Forest,” I peek out of the room. “Fair warning: It’s bold.”
He perks up visibly. “Now I am curious.”
When I step out in front of him, I can see it clearly in his eyes. The admiration, the sheer desire. I didn’t know I’d like him to look at me that way, but I do. He looks like hewantsme. “Do you like it?”
“Are you really asking?” he blurts out. “You look insane. Insanely hot!”
