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The smile froze on her face. “Pardon?”
When he leaned forward, she drew back. Pressed up against the wall as she was, she felt cornered, a little freaked, but strangely exhilarated.
“Your father blacklisted me. Why put yourself on the line for me?”
She jutted out her chin. “Because I felt like it.”
His ire was the last thing she expected. It wasn’t enough that Dad lectured and humiliated her, the man she put herself out on a limb for was complaining? Men and their stupid egos…
“You got in trouble for helping me.”
Her cheeks burned with shame. It sounded like she was twelve instead of twenty-three.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m always in trouble,” she said with a nonchalance she didn’t feel.
“In trouble for what?”
Her stomach began to tumble again, this time with irritation and embarrassment. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about, but she had a feeling Roth wouldn’t allow her to steer the conversation into more socially acceptable waters. And what was the use? If Roth managed to hold his place in her father’s circles, he would find out soon enough that she was the black sheep of the Hennessy clan and not taken seriously in society.
“I’m a huge disappointment to my father,” she said flatly, hoping he would catch the hint and change the subject.
His eyes flicked over her. She wasn’t sure what he saw, but when he met her eyes again, the black fire in his gaze had lessened.
“You’re attending Wharton’s?”
She frowned. “Yes.”
“And Langdon mentioned you’re in graduate school. How can you be a disappointment when you’re attending one of the best business schools in the country?”
She took a sip of her drink and let the combination of sweet and dark flavors wash down the hurt that flared back to life. A man paused beside their table, making her eyes flick up briefly. He winked at her, which got him a wan smile. When she refocused on Roth, she saw he was watching the man walk out the door.
“I’m far from perfect,” she confided, bringing that disconcerting gaze back to her. “My father has high standards and expects perfection from everyone around him. That includes anyone he does business with and, of course, his daughters. I barely meet the minimum requirements to be a Hennessy.” Her mouth pulled up in a self-deprecating smile he didn’t return. “After you fought so hard to be where you are, you deserved a fair shot.”
“I would have gotten one eventually.”
“But on whose terms?”
His eyes narrowed. “Meaning?”
She rotated her cup, debating how much she should tell him. She had already crossed the line by interfering at the party. This could get her disowned. Her lips quirked in a sad smile. That would be a relief.
“Jasmine.”
She eyed him thoughtfully. She wasn’t sure why she felt compelled to warn him about her father and the world he was entering into. Obviously, he was doing just fine on his own, but how long would that last if he didn’t know the rules of the game? Roth made a bold statement by dressing the way he had and taking the hazing with a grain of salt, but he didn’t know the half of it.
“Dad is highly selective about his guest list. These parties are planned weeks, if not months, in advance. The fact that you were a last-minute addition shows how valuable you are.” She grinned when his eyebrow shot up. “I know, he has a funny way of showing it. He was impressed by your swift rise. He actually made inquiries about you. I’ve never seen him take a personal interest in anyone. It’s hard to impress my father, but you managed to… and that’s not a good thing.”
He didn’t move, but she sensed the coiled tension in him.
“Explain.”
She pursed her lips, debating how much she should say, but the ball was already rolling, so she might as well finish it.
“Everyone at the party took notice of the treatment you were getting. No one would do business with you without my father’s say so. With one event, Dad ensured you couldn’t advance without him. Eventually, you would have accepted a deal on his terms, which would have heavily favored him, of course.” She shifted restlessly, conscience pricking at the countless careers her father had destroyed using this method. “We had a small window to change their perception of you. I knew if just one person saw what Dad did, it would make it that much harder for him to control your future.”
For a second, he didn’t react, and then he sat back. He didn’t look pissed, even though he had every right to be. He thought he was attending this party for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Little did he know Dad was trying to hobble him and manipulate his career.
“I’ll be damned,” he said quietly.
