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She sighed as she slid down until she was chin deep in the shallow, cooling water. The post-orgasmic bliss was waning. Her eyes moved over what she could see of the opulent bathroom. This was going to be her home for the next year. It was worlds away from the apartment she had in Chelsea, which had been in a good area, but nothing that screamed wealth. Although writing provided a comfortable living, she wasn’t a millionaire and didn’t live like one. Her family were the wealthy ones, not her, and she had been resigned to the fact that Tuxedo Park would go to her sisters until the terms of Dad’s trust were revealed. How different would things be if Dad hadn’t named her sole heir for his remaining assets? Colette would have been the one to make the decision about his death, and her sisters would have taken care of the funeral. She would have left Tuxedo Park and moved back to Chelsea, and while she would have been torn up about Dad, maybe she wouldn’t have felt compelled to reach out to Kaia or go to Colorado. She wouldn’t have bumped into Roth, reconnected with her sisters, and even if they had confided in her about his takeover of Hennessy & Co, it wouldn’t occur to her to approach him since she wouldn’t have her inheritance to bargain with. Somehow, she didn’t think she would be Mrs. James Roth again if she hadn’t gone to Colorado, but that was immaterial now.
She gave up her soak and pulled the plug on the drain before she padded to the shower. There was no need for lights when she had the city as a nightlight. As she lathered, her mind circled back to her inheritance, which she had yet to come to terms with. And, at the end of the year, Roth would make her one hundred million dollars richer. Why? She suspected it was to appease her family. What man, no matter how wealthy, would part with one hundred million after one year of marriage? It was an outrageous sum that would convince even the most cynical in high society that Roth had honorable intentions.
Questions continued to dog her as she entered the closet. As the light flicked on, she paused, taking in the sight of her clothes across from his. Everything happened so fast that she didn’t have the opportunity to process what one year of marriage would entail. They didn’t have a traditional marriage the first time around and she expected even less this time around. So, why did she have the feeling that Roth was going to turn her assumptions on their head? She shook herself and dressed in oversized flannel pajamas. She wasn’t going to wear lingerie to get her husband’s attention or persuade him to stick around. She wanted him gone as much as possible.
The master suite was empty, as were the other rooms she passed on her way to the grand living room. She retrieved her abandoned notebook and discarded clothes before she paused in the entrance of the hallway that led to the opposite end of the penthouse. She tiptoed to his closed office door and listened for a moment, but could hear nothing. It was common for men of his stature to have soundproof offices, but what was so important about this call that he needed privacy? Was something wrong? Had Thea decided to press charges after all? Would she have to give a statement to the police?
Her stomach clenched. She turned on her heel and went to the kitchen, where she nabbed a bottle of chilled wine. She savored the buttery Chardonnay before she opened her notebook to a clean page. There was only one way she was going to get through this year, and that was by putting her blinders on and keeping her eye on the prize. Everything that didn’t affect her or her family wasn’t her concern. Her priorities were the following:
Hennessy & Co
She was here for one reason and one reason only—to regain control of her family’s business. Roth agreed to restore the shareholders’ trust in Colette and allow her sisters to buy back his shares. This company was the result of three generations of hard work. She wasn’t going to let anyone tear down their legacy if it could be salvaged.
One Year
There was a time limit on this arrangement. Three hundred and sixty-two days to be exact. Every day put her one step closer to freedom. Knowing that would make all of this bearable.
Toxic chemistry
As much as she wanted to deny it, what happened in the bedroom proved where he was concerned, she had no willpower. It didn’t matter what he did, chemistry overpowered her reservations every time. If he was going to use her, she was going to get her fill and work him out of her system once and for all.
Just business
She underlined this twice. This was a business arrangement, nothing more. To him, she was a means to an end. Last time, she didn’t know the score. This time, she did. People entered into arrangements like this all the time for publicity, power, financial gain, career. It’s what her sisters had. It’s what she would have had with Ford if her father had his way. For some, an arrangement like this would be a foreign, abhorrent concept, but in her father's eyes, it was just good business. She was sure that Roth agreed.
She couldn’t allow herself to get emotionally involved. That would only lead to misery, confusion, and heartache. She had enough of that to last her a lifetime. How Roth conducted business and with who was none of her concern. Neither were his secrets. She drank more wine to snuff out the burn in her chest. She was just passing through. She had to remember that.
She was halfway through her glass when Roth walked into the kitchen. He was so quiet, she didn’t realize he was there until she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She jerked, nearly spilling wine over her list. She shot him a lethal glare, which he ignored as he reached into a large envelope. She casually closed her notebook and set it aside as he set a stack of photos beside the copy of the prenup, which was covered in highlights and sticky notes.
“For the newspaper,” he said as he poured himself a glass of wine.
She looked down at the top photo. Beneath a sky that looked like a bleeding water color, she and Roth faced one another, their faces close, seemingly absorbed in one another on their wedding day. She hesitated before she fanned out the pictures and paused on a photo of her family. For some reason, the photo looked like it had been taken fifty years ago. Maybe it was her sister’s classic outfits, the fact that none of them were smiling, or that her niece and nephew’s attention were elsewhere. The shots that had been taken in the mansion after they said their vows were unsettlingly intimate. Her family rarely took pictures since they were featured regularly in the press. Seeing these candid shots just hours before everything went to shit brought home how quickly things could change.
“What do you think?”
He watched her from across the island. He wore sweats and a long sleeve shirt that hugged his body a little too well.
“The photographer took a lot of pictures,” she said quietly.
He lined up the photos she had been shuffling around like cards. She didn’t want to see them in their entirety. Just the glimpse she was getting was bad enough. Tuxedo Park as a backdrop turned the photos into something magical and timeless. Between the sunset, lake, and autumn setting, everything looked dramatic and romantic. If she hadn’t been there, she would have thought these photos had been digitally enhanced. The photographer had some shots in black and white. Those seemed the least offensive.
“Do we have to publish them?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yes.” Roth pointed to the top row. “I think it’s between these three.”
Two featured them, while the third included her family.
“And these,” he said, pointing out three others, “will go in the magazine.”
She tensed. “Magazine? I thought this was for a notice in the newspaper.”
“Daiyu Wu is friends with the photographer. She saw the pictures and showed them to some magazine editor, who requested them for an article that will feature your dress.”
“And you said yes?”
He nodded.
His positive acceptance of all this publicity was making her ill. “I don’t think we should include my family.”
