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Maybe it’s the same for V as well, but I never noticed it before.
“Friends don’t seduce their friend’s husband.” I tilt my head to the side. “Right, Gemma?”
“Ava.” She takes my hand between hers. “I would never.”
“Please.” I pull my hand free with visible disdain. “Don’t gaslight me when I personally saw you bat your lashes at my husband.”
“But you don’t even like him.” Her tone changes from pleading to snotty entitlement.
“That doesn’t give you carte blanche to seduce him.”
“You’re being selfish.”
Gemma is like me. She doesn’t like being denied what she wants. But she’s probably worse, in a sense. I don’t pretend to be a Goody Two-shoes, whereas she made up a makeshift personality where she always appears like a damsel in distress, victimized and sickeningly nice.
And she’s done it so well, never breaking out of character, even in private, that I almost fell for it at one point.
“Selfish?” I let out fake laughter. “Honey, I’m wearing his ring, so that gives me every right to be selfish over my belongings. You, however, need to remove yourself from this party and subsequently my life. I cut contact and didn’t invite you for a reason. Read between the lines, please. Oh, and Eli doesn’t even know your first name. He only recalls the last because he does business with your family. Sorry to break it to you, but you’re not that important.”
Her face grows red and a tremor shakes her slim frame. Vance tries to step in, but I hold up a hand, signaling that he should stay out of it.
Gemma lets her bright-pink lips pull in a smile even as her chin trembles and her hands fist at her sides. “And you think you are? He treats you like a valuable piece of real estate, probably for business reasons, or he wouldn’t have recruited your own friends to keep an eye on you as if we’re human cameras.”
My mouth sets in a line, but I’ll be damned if I let her see the confirmation of her words, or how much they hurt me. “At least you have some use, hon.”
“You’re just a possession, Ava. A bright, shiny thing he took a liking to but will eventually tire of.”
“Unlike you, I don’t believe my worth is dependent on whether or not I keep a man. I have higher standards.” I point behind me. “Now, leave before I have you thrown out and cause a scene you don’t need.”
She grinds her teeth and attempts to say something, but Vance pushes her forward and she walks out with her head held high.
“I’m sorry about that,” he says as she disappears in the crowd. “I didn’t know you fell out.”
“Well, now you do, so I’d appreciate it if you don’t shove her in my face again.” I lean against the bar counter and ordera mocktail before I turn back to him. “I thought you were in Australia.”
“I was, but I came back.” He takes a sip of his whiskey. “I must admit, I was slightly wounded you allowed him to expel me.”
I tilt my head. “You insinuated I cheated on him with you while knowing my memory is unreliable, so excuse me if I chose not to fight your battle.”
“Whoa.” He smiles, his expression shifty. “I insinuated nothing except for us spending time together again.”
“Try harder to fool me, V.”
“It’s true, though. We were so good together and I do want to rekindle our relationship. He’s bad news wrapped in sophisticated charm, and you know it. He’s lying to you about so many things.”
“And you’re in the loop, how?”
“I have my contacts.”
I narrow my eyes. “Have you been investigating us?”
“Him. He’s attempting to destroy my family business and your life, Ava. I think it’s logical for me to go after him. I don’t have proof yet, but I know for a fact that he did several shady things.”
“Since you have no proof…” I grab my cloudy pink mocktail and start to sidestep him.
He stands in front of me, forcing me to a halt. “You’re being oblivious and naive, a combination I never thought you’d ever be accused of.”
“And you’re being rude at my own party.”
