Wife Unwanted (Corrupt Vows #2)

Chapter 14

Thalia

"MORNING," HE SAID to me the next day without looking up from his phone. As though nothing happened between us. In a way, that was true. We only did what teenage kids might call second base. It shouldn't shock me and yet I hardly slept last night. I took a shower and laid in bed thinking about what almost happened. And now I had to put on an act of nonchalance as though what we did bothered me at all.

"Hi," I said. He was in the breakfast room, as he liked to call it. A small room with glass walls that showed a three sixty view of the city and a small table for two filled end to end with breakfast food. The chef must have come in early, made the food and gone. There was no sign of the tattooed young woman lurking around.

"Eat. We have to leave in an hour."

I slumped into the only other chair in the room. "Why?"

"My father called, and he wants us to attend a party. Plenty of important people will be there."

"Another party? We attended one yesterday."

"That was a fundraiser. I thought you would know, since you were the biggest donor there."

Heat crept up my cheeks. I leaned over the small table, picked up a pitcher of yellow-colored fruit juice, poured it in one of the two glasses, and drank. The sharp and sweet taste of mango and orange ran down my throat. "Forgive me for not understanding the nuances of a fundraiser and a party." I dragged the last word, which made him look up from his phone. "What sort of party is it? Pray tell my lord," I added.

He raised his eyebrows. "A garden party. The sort that's usually hosted in a garden."

"Oooh. Like a barbeque. I've been to one of those."

"If you dress like you're attending a cookout, you'll endure the wrath alone."

Part of me wanted to do that. Attending his father's precious garden party in jeans and a t-shirt just so I could see Nolan Senior's face would be fun. But since I made myself a spectacle yesterday, that would only come back to bite my reputation in the ass, and not his.

I looked over the banquet of food and snatched a dinner roll. The warm bun stretched as I pulled it apart and sweet when I took a bite. "So what's it about?" I asked after I washed down the pastry with juice.

He jerked his shoulders. "For all I know, my father just wants to be around people. He can be like that sometimes."

The party was being held in the back garden of the sprawling famous Hamptons estate. Infamous, in my view. This is the place where all the bad things about Carey and me happened. I hated it. When we arrived, the party was already in full swing. Carey was right, all of New York's elites were here. Some of which I met the previous night. I wondered if they never tired of all the partying, but judging from their enthusiasm, it seems like not.

Carey's stepmother was the first person to greet us when we arrived. She was an elegant woman who intimidated me without saying a word. Jacqueline scanned me over with her judging gaze as we made our way to her and turned up her nose disapprovingly. I had failed whatever test of hers as soon as I arrived. "You're late," she said to Carey, but it sounded as though she was blaming me.

"You informed us last minute," Carey said, his arm going around my waist as though it was an unconscious reaction to shielding me from her. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was defending me. "If I had known you were hosting, we wouldn't have gone to a fundraiser yesterday."

"Ah yes, the fundraiser were you threw a bunch of money for a couple of tickets. Your generosity is the talk of the party."

Carey tightened his grip. "It was for a good cause. You should try giving away money sometimes instead of just taking it."

Jacqueline rolled her eyes. "Your father is the one with the money, not I. He's been looking for you all day. Go see him as soon as possible."

Once more, Carey squeezed my waist. Not enough to hurt, but enough for me to know that he was holding back his emotions. A server who came at that moment and took Jacqueline away, telling her they were running out of wine.

"You don't seem happy to be here," I said to Carey as we strolled around the garden.

"Look over there," he jerked his chin towards a group of three men standing in a circle. One, the oldest of them, was familiar. The other two men who looked to be in their forties were not. "Why are they here?"

"The governor?" I assumed his father knew him and they were friends. He was at our wedding, after all.

"The governor. And his campaign manager. Rumor has it he's retiring after his term ends, so why would he be walking around with his campaign manager if he wasn't planning on running again?"

I felt a weight drop in the pit of my stomach. "Maybe they found each other here."

"They both just happened to be invited by my father at a non-political gathering."

"It could be a coincidence."

He turned to face me. "When it comes to my father, there are no coincidences. You, of all people, should know."

"Carey…" His words were like a dagger to the chest.

"Am I wrong?"

"Carey!" someone called from behind us. It was the other Nolan. His eldest brother strolled to us with a bright smile and arms wide open. "You're late to your own party? That's one way of making a statement, I guess."

Carey frowned. "My party? Dad only told me about this, like early morning. I had no idea these people would be here." He leaned over to his brother. "Like, what's the governor doing here?"

It was Nolan Jr's turn to frown. "I thought you knew? Oh no. This is an ambush, isn't it?"

"What ambush?"

Nolan Jr turned to me. "You didn't tell him?"

"Excuse me?" I had no idea what was going on, and the implication that I did rocked me off my axis. Carey looked at me with suspicion, but before I could tell him I was as blind as he was, his father joined us. Nolan Sr was like an older clone of the younger Nolan. When they stood side by side, one could see that there were minor differences between the older gentleman and his oldest son. What separated them apart besides the wrinkles and gray hair was the harshness of his face that the son Nolan Jr didn't have.

"You've finally made it," Nolan Sr said to Carey. He gave him a handshake and practically acted as though I didn't exist as he continued on. "I was starting to think you weren't coming."

Carey crossed his arms. "Care to tell me what's going on here?"

"You think something suspicious is going on?"

Carey cocked his head to the side. "Dad…"

Nolan Sr flashed a conspiratory smile and tapped his son's shoulders. "Things are going to plan." Then, as though remembering I exist, he turned to me. "Seems like you've finally understand your place now. Keep it up. Please enjoy the party kids, just don't leave yet."

"What does he mean by that?" Carey asked after he left.

I blanched. "I don't know."

But Carey didn't look like he believed me. His eyes narrowed, and he assessed me like I am an alien specimen he can't quite figure out. It's not as if I understand his father. Last time I met Nolan Sr it was to ask for a divorce and leave his son, and he had kicked me out of his office. We hadn't spoken since. Maybe he meant I had decided to stay and not run away in the middle of the night? Not that he gave me a choice.

Nolan and Carey spent the next few minutes catching up while my gaze wandered to the party, cocktail glass in hand. Their conversation was mundane and, frankly, boring. Nolan Sr came back again, this time with an older woman. The conversation shifted to law and politics. Another boring subject, so I excused myself and ended up strolling around the garden. I was looking for somewhere to put down my empty glass when I bumped into a body. "Oops, sorry," I cried out. I had almost made some poor woman fall and had to hold her up by her arms. "I'm so sorry," I said again as she brushed her light blue floral frock as I let go of her.

"It's fine." She raised her raven-colored head, smiling only for the smile to falter when she, it seemed, recognized me and I recognized her. "Oh. You're here! Of course you're here, you're Carey's wife." And as though she felt embarrassed, her cheeks flashed. Why she would feel awkward, I had no idea. She was even more beautiful up close. Her eyes were a deep blue color that made her seem other worldly. Combined with her hair and beautiful curves, she looked like a young Elizabeth Taylor.

She extended her hand. "My name is Gemma."I shook it. Any other reaction would feel inadequate.

"I've seen you before. Yesterday. At the fundraiser." I said.

She flashed a bright white smile. "Of course. Thank you for that donation, by the way. The news it made will probably bring some awareness to the cause."

"N-news?" I don't know why, but I never thought I would end up making headlines for a stupid mistake I made.

"Yeah. Several newspapers wrote about it. A few were there, you see. We invite them to bring some publicity to our event."

"So, is that what you do? Run events I mean." I didn't know how else to probe further into more information about Carey's alleged former lover, but I wanted to learn more about her. My jealousy wouldn't subside until I glimpsed what she was like. She was definitely beautiful. I couldn't stop staring at her.

Gemma nodded. "I work as the events coordinator at the foundation, but I've also gone on the ground for some of our causes." She talked about the humanitarian work her foundation does. Not only did it raise money for cancer research, it also donated cancer medication and radiation equipment to impoverished countries. She was not just beautiful, she was a good person. That didn't help the jealousy pang. It only deepened it.

I would have felt even worse, I am sure if Carey hadn't come joined us. "What are you two talking about?" he asked.

"You. Duh." Gemma's response made Carey laugh. Another jealousy pang. "We were talking about the foundation," she added. "You know, if you are interested Thalia, you could do some part time work."

"Oh, I don't think saving people is her thing." Carey hooked his arm into mine. "Using them is more to her taste."

Gemma smiled as though she didn't understand if Carey was joking or telling the truth.

"Come," Carey said to me, "Dad's about to give a speech, and he wants us next to him."

"You and I?"

"Who else."

Jacqueline and Nolan Sr called the crowd to gather around the pavilion he was standing under. Carey and I went to stand next to him while I wondered what Nolan Sr was going to say. Satisfied that a large number of people had gathered, Nolan Sr began. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming here. You might wonder why I've brought you all today, but if you've had a chance to speak to my son," Nolan Sr slapped Carey's back, "you might have an idea why. If you care about our city, you know that it needs change. It needs someone who can come to City Hall and make things right. It needs him." The crowd went quiet. The only sound I could hear were the birds above and the waves crashing beyond. "I know, I know, I'm his dad. Of course, I think my son would make a great mayor. Great president even." Anemic laughter rippled through the crowd.

“But before I fill your head with grand ideas, I called you here today because I wanted you to see a possible future of the city, dare I say, of a country that could be forged if we all invested in the right person. Not just the right person, but the right couple.Some of you might be aware of the generous donation his wife, Thalia,” he gestured to me, "made to cancer research."

I felt Carey stiffen next to me. Nolan Sr continued. “She's not only dedicated to such important causes, but to ensuring Carey Hawthorne's political career takes off. As someone from a working class background, she brings in an insight that, let's face it, most of will never have. Together, they make the ultimate power couple. But I am getting ahead of myself again. Ladies and gentlemen, you're here to invest early in a political career that will pay major dividends for you into the future. Invest in Carey today and you'll not regret it. And we have to start from the ground up. Starting from the southern district, to city hall, to the white house!”

The crowd clapped. Some whistled. My pulse sped up as I stared into the gathering. This was no ordinary garden party. There were several billionaires I recognized. The governor and the campaign manager Carey spotted weren't the only political people present. There were also two women whose faces I was sure I once saw on a political yard sign. This was the Carey's coming out party.

Nolan Sr motioned to Carey to say something. Carey did not seem pleased. His face was blank. The only movement was his ticking jaw. I knew that face. He was angry, alright. Not just at his father, but at me as well. The cold glare he gave me when father mentioned me was all the confirmation I needed.

Carey stepped forward and gave a speech. He had not rehearsed it, but he was good at speaking off the cuff. He thanked everyone for coming, said some platitudes, and ended it by thanking the people for their support. I looked into the crowd once more. Nolan Jr and Jacqueline were standing next together. Nolan Jr. looked bemused, and Jacqueline looked like she’d rather be somewhere else. When her eyes locked with mine, a slight disapproving frown marred her ice princess features.

I felt a hand take mine. It was Carey pushing me forward. He had finished his speech and was walking into the crowd. People were clapping, some slapping his back and greeting us as we walked past. One man stopped us, one of the billionaires, and asked Carey about his first steps into his political career. Carey said he wants to become District Attorney. The man nodded approvingly and pledged to fund his campaign. Another man stopped us and asked Carey whether he would like to go through congress instead. We shook hands with a few more people, and all the while Carey had his hand in mine. Anyone would think he was being loving and protective of his wife. His hard grip would say otherwise.

After a while, we excused ourselves, as people were dispersing back into their small groups once more. The sun was sinking, and it was getting darker as Carey led me away from the party. "You and I need to talk," he said, and jerked me forward.