AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I take a bite of my shrimp, but I can barely enjoy it because Arsen seems fixated on my mouth as I chew. “Yeah, well, once I got over the initial nerves, I realized something: I don’t care what these people think of me.”
Arsen reaches out and tucks a loose curl of hair behind my ear. “You really don’t, do you?”
It’s not really a question. He says it softly, almost like he’s talking to himself.
I can’t quite explain why it feels like the greatest compliment he’s ever given me.
28
LAILA
“You know, it takes a brave woman to eat at one of these events. I could never. I really admire your independence.”
Jessica Rabbit is beside me again, armed with a bright smile and a fresh coat of lipstick. I, meanwhile, have a shrimp tail hanging out of my mouth.
Not that it matters. I ate my lipstick off within ten minutes of walking through the doors.
I swallow a barely-chewed bite of food as she claims the seat next to me without invitation. “Yeah, well, when I’m hungry, I eat. Call me a feminist icon.”
“Clearly.” Her eyes take in the carnage of empty plates and glasses in front of me. The only edible thing remaining is a wilted lettuce leaf. “I admire that you’re not worried about unnecessary weight gain, too. Pregnancy is the perfect excuse to let loose.”
Just like that, my appetite shrivels. This bitch is very good at what she does.
I slide my plate away. “Elenor, right?”
“Elenor Martinson,” she says, hiking up her bustier as if her insane cleavage is a suffix.Elenor Martinson, Her Royal Chestiness.“I would have introduced myself earlier, but the vultures were circling. Everyone wants to meet you.”
I fake a laugh, glancing around for Arsen or Dominik or anyone who can save me from this conversation. No white knights in sight, though. I could pull the pregnancy card and excuse myself to use the bathroom, but just the thought of getting on my feet again makes me feel faint. My hip has been screaming bloody murder at me for the last hour.
“It makes sense. I mean… Arsen Adamov, married,not once but twice?! And so soon after the tragic death of his wife, no less.” She sighs forlornly, but the momentary sympathy disappears almost as soon as it started and she gets this calculating look in her eye. I’d bet dollars to donuts that the next thing that comes out of her mouth is gonna be some premeditated murder type shit. “Well, hisfirstwife, anyway.”
Nailed the guess, Lai. Nice work.
I don’t even try to hide my eyeroll. “Yes, I’m his second wife. Oh, the shame. Oh, the horror.” I dismiss her with a wave. “If you’re here to make me feel bad about that, you severely overestimate how much I care about your opinion.”
Her thin eyebrows arch in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“You are either here to make me feel bad that Arsen had a life before I met him—or, best case scenario, you’re just another vulture looking for the inside scoop. But with bigger boobs and a better nose job.”
“I came over here to benice,” she hisses. “I came over because you’re eating shrimp alone. You looked pathetic.”
I smile sweetly. “Don’t feel bad for me. The shrimp was better company.”
She shoves her chair back and stands up. “Fine. You can spend the rest of the night alone for all I care.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
She huffs away, swinging her white-blonde hair over her shoulder as she goes. I almost feel bad, but when I notice her heels are two inches taller than mine, yet her ankles are svelte and unswollen, that feeling burns away.
There’s a dark chuckle from just behind me. “What a show.” Arsen’s eyes are bright with amusement.
“How long have you been lurking there?”
“Since Elenor sat down.”
“Just perfect.” He takes the seat the witch just vacated, and I cast him a gloomy look. “That wasn’t one of my finer moments.”
“On the contrary, I thought you were extraordinary.” I narrow my eyes at him, waiting for the catch. But he just smiles. “You held your own. It’s tough to do with Elenor.”
