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“You should have him get you a matching necklace for the wedding,” Celia said, sipping her mimosa. “He can afford it.”
“I know he can afford it, but it’ll really depend on the dress. I was talking with Monique, and I just can’t decide between the three designs. They’re all so fabulous. So, I told her to make all three and I’ll decide closer to the wedding.”
Celia shared a knowing look with Marianna. Neither of them approved of Henry, but they would gladly spend his money when we all took a vacation to his private island next month.
“So, Celia, any movement with Grant?”
She pursed her lips, practically shooting daggers at me. She didn’t want me to discuss Grant in front of the others, but it wasn’t a secret Grant was using her as a beard. Grant was the gayest man I’d ever met, but he needed to marry well to inherit his fortune. Thankfully, Celia didn’t mind marrying him if it meant living in the lap of luxury. The problem was, she wanted kids, and he wasn’t exactly willing to rise to the challenge.
“Not yet, but I have no doubt we’ll work it out.”
Marianna slung back her drink and raised her glass for another. “Just have him do his business in a tiny room, and then you can get inseminated. It’s what Lilliana did when her husband was sleeping with that Puerto Rican waitress. She secured her place in his life, and he had to write her a check for a hundred million dollars just so she would keep her mouth shut.”
“I could never do that,” Celia scoffed. “I won’t be the talk around town.”
“Celia, we all are,” I chastised. “Look at Bryce. I know you read all about it. No one could possibly miss a headline like that.”
“What are you going to do?” Serena asked.
I shrugged. “I’m going to let the story die down. Then, at the appropriate time, we’ll be seen reconciling. There’s no way I’m giving up all that money.”
“But isn’t it horrifying?” Serena asked. “Just imagine all those photos circulating. If it was me, I would be mortified.”
I knew what she was really saying. She pitied me for staying with Bryce and the scandal he caused. She thought with Henry, there would be no such scandal, and I was having to accept what I could. The truth was, I’d take Bryce any day over Henry. Yes, Bryce had cheated, but Henry would be a non-existent husband. She would be lucky if she could get photos taken together at their wedding. The man was attached to his phone, and he never let the opportunity to make money pass him by.
“And yet, I’m not,” I grinned, holding up my glass. This was supposed to be our afternoon tea, but it always turned into mimosas instead. That tended to happen when all the ladies who got together took their turns getting digs in at each other. Sometimes, I wondered why I bothered to meet with them, but then I realized they were just like me. We all had our crosses to bear in life, and we carried them as best we could.
The tea carried on for another hour, each of us gossiping about some other poor soul who had fallen from grace. I found that even in just the short hour we met together there was never a dull moment. Sometimes I wondered how I would ever have time to have a real job with all the other things I did to fill my time.
I glanced at my watch and sighed. “Well, I need to leave, ladies. I have an appointment to get to.”
“Another wax job,” Serena said innocently, rubbing her finger across her upper lip.
“Actually, I’m headed to the salon for a blowout. But maybe you should schedule an appointment. Your chin is looking a little darker than usual,” I grimaced, turning and slipping my sunglasses on my face.
I grinned at the horrified gasp that followed me through the restaurant. If she didn’t want me to throw her hairy chin in her face, then she shouldn’t have brought up my lip wax. It was one time, and I only did it because I wanted to see what it was like.
Stepping out into the sun, I pulled my coat closed and was just about to the car when I felt a hand wrap around my mouth, cutting off the scream lodged in my throat. In a matter of seconds, I was dragged away from George, who was chasing after me. I felt something hard dig into my side, piercing the fabric of my new dress. My heel caught on the sidewalk, snapping at the base as the man flung me around, pushing me toward a vehicle.
I knew I couldn’t let him get me inside. It would be all over after that. Yes, my father would pay a great deal of money to get me back, but what would happen in the meantime? I had to fight back. I twisted the band of my ring, making sure the diamond was by my palm. Then I swung back, scraping the ring across the man’s face. He screamed, releasing me just long enough that I could spin out of his hands. I stumbled back against the vehicle, and when he came at me, I panicked and kicked my leg forward. My heel hit him in the gut, and it was only when he fell to the ground that I felt confident enough to run away.
George was there in an instant, catching me in his arms as my legs collapsed beneath me. A commotion sounded around me, screams wrenching through the air, but I ignored all of them as I tried to look distraught for the cameras.
“Let’s get you home,” George murmured.
4
BROCK
“Change of plans,” Lock said, walking back to where I was seated with Edu. “The client was attacked outside a restaurant. She’s at home recovering now, so we’ll head right to her father’s house and interview her there.”
“Wren,” I grumbled. “You can say her name.”
“I prefer to keep my distance.”
I leaned back in my seat with a grin. “Why? Worried you might fall for the woman you’re protecting?”
He narrowed his eyes at me, then blew a thick strand of hair out of his face. I whipped out my comb and handed it over to him. “Need some help?”
