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“Fuck your apology,” he snaps before walking away.
My eyes well up with tears, and this time, they do fall. I get in the car and Jason starts to drive.
“If you say one word to me, I’ll break your jaw,” I threaten.
He wisely keeps quiet the entire drive home, leaving me to my heartache and pain.
CHAPTER 13
Graham
Istep back into the ballroom, feeling dazed. There’s no way in hell the last few minutes actually just happened.
Mikayla appears beside me. “Gray, are you okay?” she asks, placing an arm on my shoulder.
The woman I spent the last three months thinking about and agonizing over just showed up and told me that she wants nothing to do with me. And then I had to watch as she was led away by another man.
No, I’m not fucking okay.
But I nod regardless, trying to school my features into normalcy. This is Xander’s special day and I’m not about to ruin anything.
“Yeah, I’ll just go see what dad wants now,” I tell her.
“But—” she starts but I don’t wait around to hear the rest.
I’m sure she’s curious and wants to know about Isabella. But I can’t talk about that now.
When I appear in front of my father, he’s angry.
“Where have you been?” he snaps. “There were important people you needed to meet. If you’re going to be spending time in New York, then you should be aware of who to mingle with.”
“I’m sorry, Father. I had to answer an important work call outside.”
“Alright. Now come with me and I’ll introduce you.”
I let him lead me around the room. The faces of the businessmen blur in my mind. I manage polite conversation with them, trying my hardest not to lose my shit. When my father’s satisfied that we’ve met everyone of consequence, he turns to me.
“Have you been keeping tabs on the news?” he questions.
I nod. “Not one negative article so far.”
“Good. We’ll be lucky if the news of the wedding dies down without some foolish reporter trying to swing a hatchet at us,” he mutters.
“There’s no such thing as luck,” I say, quoting words he’s said to me several times.
“Exactly. Now go and tell your brother that I’ll be leaving in a few minutes.”
“Really? Did you even talk to Katerina’s father? You’re in-laws now, you could at least try to establish a relationship,” I point out.
Even as I say the words, I realize it’s highly unlikely. My father wants nothing to do with Katerina’s family. He barely tolerated them getting married. I don’t know why he’s being such a snob; it’s not like he’s a saint. Quite the opposite, actually.
“I’m aware. And I did shake the man’s hand earlier. That’s as much familiarity as I require. Now go,” he orders.
I do as he asked, going to meet Xander.
“The term ‘blushing groom’ would be apt to describe you right now,” I say to my brother once I’m standing in front of him.
He chuckles before throwing back some champagne. His happiness is damn near infectious, but my stomach is in knots right now, making me impervious.
