Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26
“T ake her home,” Lyle ordered.
“That was the plan,” Roth said curtly.
She glanced up as Lyle turned on his heel and led the way out of the ballroom. Conversations stalled as they passed. The outbreak of whispers made her stomach twist.
While she and Roth paused to collect their coats, Lyle slammed through the front door. Though Lyle seemed upset, he couldn’t know about Warren. She didn’t imagine he’d be able to function if he knew one of Hennessy & Co.’s shareholders had raped his wife.
Roth brushed her fumbling fingers aside and did up the buttons of her coat. “What happened?”
She pulled away before he could slide the last two buttons home and grabbed her clutch before she shoved through the front door. Security swung their attention from Colette and Lyle, who stood at the curb, to Jasmine as she rushed down the steps.
“Careful,” Roth snapped behind her.
Colette’s mask slipped, showing her relief. “I couldn’t leave without knowing you were okay.”
Jasmine took the gloved hand Colette extended to her and squeezed. “I’m fine.”
“The fuck you are,” Lyle snapped, his breath coming out in a gust of white from the freezing temperature. “Colette said you had a run-in with Warren?”
She glanced at her sister to see how she wanted to handle this. One glance at Colette’s tormented blue eyes told her she was second-guessing her threat to expose Warren. Feuding with someone so closely associated with them would affect one hundred or more contacts and despite being the victim, Colette’s reputation would be tarnished. The consequences of opening this can of worms would be catastrophic.
“What the hell happened?” Lyle demanded.
When Colette began to shake in delayed reaction, Jasmine wrapped her arms around her. Security and the staff in white uniforms were on alert but kept a respectful distance. Lyle and Roth wore identical bewildered scowls. As Jasmine sensed her sister’s anguish mounting, she tightened her hold and buried her face in her sister’s fur coat.
“I’m going to rip Warren’s head off,” Lyle snarled, turning to go back in.
“Don’t!” Colette choked.
Roth grabbed Lyle’s arm. “We need to know what happened before you assault someone.”
As Lyle went toe-to-toe with Roth, Jasmine tensed, worried his temper would get the better of him and he’d take a swing at Roth.
“A tale’s circulating of Minnie and Colette barging into the bathroom so Minnie could vomit. Colette yelled at the ambassador’s wife to get out so they could have privacy. That’s enough cause for me.”
“I didn’t realize,” Colette began faintly, but her voice trailed off when she failed to come up with an explanation for her behavior.
“Marty told me when you sent me to find Min and Roth.” Lyle locked eyes on Jasmine. “What did Warren do, cara ? Did he touch you or something?”
She sensed Roth’s sudden stillness. Her stomach began to jitter again. Beside her, Colette imitated the marble statue she’d seen in the library.
Running his hand down her arm and touching her hand was nothing compared to what he’d done to Colette. But, if her sister decided not to reveal her history with Warren, she had to deflect so Lyle and Roth’s minds wouldn’t continue in that direction. “No, he didn’t touch me.”
Lyle’s face was awash with frustration and confusion. “Was it someone else then? If Tucker hurt you again, I’ll?—”
Roth rounded on him. “Hurt her?”
“The son of a bitch had his hand on her so she couldn’t walk away. From the way she flinched after, I’d say he left a mark. The next time I see him, I’m gonna put his fucking head on a spike.” He spun back to Jasmine, eyes alight with fury. “Was it Tucker or Warren who?—?”
“Will you let it go!” Colette cried.
“Fuck that. Tell me now!”
She was going to step in to calm him, but the arrival of their Rolls-Royces pulling up to the curb, gained their attention. As Lyle ranted, Colette leaned down to rest her forehead against Jasmine’s. It was a gesture of shared pain and camaraderie. When her breath hitched, Colette stroked her cheek.
“We’re okay,” Colette murmured.
She nodded.
Colette looked down at her with shimmering eyes. “I would have protected you from that knowledge if I could.”
She wasn’t sure whether Colette was talking about her history with Warren or the ugly truth about Elena, but it didn’t matter. She understood either way. When she stepped back, she bumped into Roth, who was standing close enough to hear their exchange.
Lyle glared at her over the roof of the car, but his question was directed at Roth. “You’ll call me when you know?”
“Yes.” Roth didn’t waste any time rounding the car and dropping down onto the seat beside her. “You want to tell me what the hell is going on?”
Jasmine stared straight ahead. Lyle made things a hundred times worse by repeating what chatty Marty said. Couldn’t they leave the ball without someone tattling on them? Roth was talking to her, but his voice was distorted, as if she were underwater. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but she sat quietly instead, gripping her clutch as she tried to quell the inferno in her chest.
To think she’d once envied her sister’s glamorous lives… Now she was peeking behind the curtain and what she discovered made her sick to her stomach. Colette suffering in silence all these years to keep business ties strong boggled her mind. To face Warren at meetings, events, even sitting across from him at dinner tonight… She wouldn’t have been able to do it, yet Colette treated him with such deference that no one had suspected. What tormented her most was Colette’s doubt that Dad would have defended her. Surely, if Maximus helped her divorce Roth, he would have chosen Colette over a business associate who was sexually abusing her? Now they would never know.
She had always admired Colette, but she’d never seen her sister as a badass until she faced off with Warren. The strength it took to go against decades of conditioning and look him in the eye... She thought her sister was impervious to pressure, but Colette had been just as susceptible, perhaps more so, because so much had been expected of her. Being their father’s friend, Warren had insider knowledge of Colette’s insecurities and ruthlessly exploited them. Apparently, she wasn’t the only Hennessy with an overwhelming need to protect no matter the cost to themselves. Colette sacrificed her body to save her and Ariana… Jasmine turned toward the window and swallowed bile. She wished Colette had said something so they could have been there for her.
A warm, calloused hand covered hers, bringing her out of her heartbroken daze. She turned to see Roth wasn’t on his side of the car. She instantly regretted that there wasn’t a bulky console between them to keep him at bay.
“Talk to me.”
Hearing that from him was laughable after he ignored her all week. She moved her hands out from under his, unable to bear his touch. It wouldn’t take much for her to fall apart and she couldn’t do that in front of her worst critic.
“I’m not going to let you ignore me.”
“That’s rich coming from you. So, you can ignore me when you feel like it, but I can’t do the same? Screw you.”
Normally, she kept their personal battles private, but she needed him to back off. If airing their dirty laundry in front of Mo and Johan would accomplish that, so be it.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me what happened with Tucker?”
“It was nothing.”
“Nothing,” he repeated in a sinister rumble. “It’s nothing that a man put his hands on you and hurt you?”
She glanced at him and watched shadow and light glide over the rugged planes of his face as they drove through the city. “I’m used to being manhandled by angry men. Don’t worry about it.”
A fraught silence filled the car. Johan shifted in his seat, while Mo remained completely motionless aside from his hand on the steering wheel. She held Roth’s gaze as his callous treatment of her throughout the day shimmered in the air between them.
“Tucker Baldwin isn’t allowed to talk to you, much less put his hands on you,” Roth said evenly. “I’ll take care of him. Who else?”
“You want a list of everyone who offended me tonight?”
“Yes.”
“You have enough enemies.”
“Let me worry about that.”
“Were you able to fix things with Christoph Braun?” His grim expression made her already heavy heart sink even further. “I’m sorry.” And he’d also slighted Amos Faulkner on their way out. Thanks to her, he lost two valuable contacts and declared war on Cecil. “When you were with Nathaniel, I was circulating with Charlotte and met businessmen, politicians, an admiral, even a prince who requested an audience with you. I can write down their names… You should have stayed. In fact, you should go back. Mo, turn around.”
“I don’t give a fuck about that right now.”
“You will tomorrow,” she predicted. “You shouldn’t waste this opportunity. Here.” She extracted the business cards from her sleeve, but her hands were shaking so badly, they scattered over the seat and floorboard. “You should reach out to them immediately.”
She leaned down to pick up the fallen cards, rattling off details she had filed away during the conversations. She was so focused on her task that when Roth touched her cheek, she reared back violently. The impact of her head hitting the window was loud enough for Mo to take his eyes off the road to see what was going on.
“What the fuck?” Roth exploded as he grabbed her head and rubbed the spot where she collided with the window. “ Did someone touch you?”
“No!” She pushed at him. “I just want to be left alone! I respected your need for space, now you respect mine. Back off!”
He gripped her wrists and squeezed to break her out of her mounting hysteria. She stared at him, panting, eyes burning with tears she refused to shed.
His eyes glinted with temper. “Tell me what happened.”
“Nothing happened.”
His fingers flexed on her wrists. “Don’t lie to me, Jasmine.”
“Why not? You lie to me.”
“What have I lied about?”
That he was going to change. That he wasn’t going to hurt her anymore.
“Jasmine,” he bit out, his patience clearly gone. “What did Warren do to you?”
She twisted out of his hold and was relieved when he released her. She rubbed her wrists like someone who just got out of handcuffs. “I already said, he didn’t touch me.”
“He doesn’t have to touch you to hurt you.”
She let out a harsh, humorless laugh and ran her fingers through her hair to soothe her prickling scalp. “You’re going to go after him for hurting my feelings?”
“It’s more than that. Whatever he did made you physically ill and spooked Colette.”
She bit her lip and tasted blood as she tried to contain the pain that was slamming into her with the force of a freight train. When she tried to turn away, he clamped a hand on her nape, keeping her facing him.
“What happened, baby?”
His attempt at a gentler tone paired with the endearment savaged her insides, because she knew he didn’t mean it.
“Don’t call me that.”
“Tell me what he did. I’ll take care of him and anyone else who was involved.”
No force on planet earth could make her repeat Warren’s interpretation of Roth’s actions or the distasteful origins of her birth. Maximus ranted more times than she cared to remember about how her mother had trapped him. What had never been mentioned was that her father was just one of many Elena had tried her wiles on. She couldn’t even begin to process the disturbing sexual details Warren had shared about her parents or the fact that her father’s cronies expected to have a turn with her. They didn’t see her as a person with her own identity, but a reincarnation of her mother. Had her father reinforced that belief in the degrading way he used to speak about her?
Despite what Dad said about her in the past, in the end, he loved her. Right? She hadn’t imagined the last years they had together or the relationship they built. Or was she kidding herself like she was in her marriage, cottoning the edges of her brain, because she couldn’t bear to see her life for what it truly was—a wasteland of superficial, one-sided relationships with people who tolerated her because they needed something from her?
Roth massaged her nape, strong fingers digging into the taut muscles. “Breathe, princess.”
She took a shuddering breath, unaware that she’d stopped. The agony was so great, it was ripping her apart. She bowed her head, hands tumbling in her lap as she tried to think of something else.
“I’m sorry for making that scene with Cecil,” she said hoarsely. “And causing more problems. You said Hennessy & Co. is costing you more than you anticipated. I can liquidate?—”
“I don’t need your money.”
Then she would find another way to get rid of her inheritance. She didn’t want it anymore. If managing her inheritance required her to deal with society, she would rather scrape by in life. And if Maximus had known she’d end up with Roth, he would have given the money to her sisters or burned it anyway. Lyle was right. Everything that came from her father was tainted. That included the money and her. But she wasn’t completely useless.
“Charlotte Trentham invited me to help with her foundation. I’ll be able to mingle with the other wives and get invitations to any functions you want.” She was proud her voice was steady despite the excruciating pressure on her chest. “I also met a former prime minister of Portugal who’s now doing something with the UN. If you’d like to meet him, he’s going to be in town for?—”
He went nose to nose with her, eyes glittering ominously in the blazing light from storefront windows on East 62nd Street. “Stop deflecting and tell me what the fuck happened.”
“No.”
She wasn’t prepared for him to yank on her leg, sliding her across the seat so she was flat on her back. Her dress and coat bunched around her waist as he crouched over her.
“A strike against you is a strike against me,” he said in a lethal hiss. “No one disrespects you. I don’t care if it was a look or a passing comment. No one is allowed to put that look on your face.”
“What look?”
“The look you wore when you tried to break off the affair.”
Her chest quaked. How accurate. Dad had mentally and emotionally beaten her so severely, she could barely make eye contact with Roth when he showed up on campus. It hadn’t taken Warren hours to reduce her to rubble. Five minutes tops was all it took to devastate her and make her feel dirty, humiliated, and broken.
“Tell me who hurt you, princess, and I’ll destroy them.”
It was tempting to lean on him, to have him take on even more of her shit, but she had learned her lesson. If Colette approached him for assistance in taking Warren on, that was her choice, but she wouldn’t betray her sister’s confidence. If Colette reported Warren to the authorities, would they take an incident that happened a decade or two ago seriously? Realistically, even if they did, Warren had the money and connections to wriggle out of any long-term consequences. Lyle would go after Warren physically, socially, and financially, but he didn’t have the power to decimate him. But Roth did. He crumbled empires for fun and would win by any means necessary.
Would Roth feel any responsibility to defend a sister-in-law he didn’t respect, saw as worthless, and deemed unfit to run Hennessy & Co.? If he said Colette deserved what happened to her or it was her fault because she hadn’t spoken up, Jasmine may shoot him. Would he add this anecdote to Colette’s file so he could use the information against her sister in future? Fuck that.
“I can’t fix this if you won’t you tell me what happened.”
“I didn’t ask for your help,” she said raggedly.
“You’re getting it regardless.” He nuzzled her and ignored the way she strained to get away from him. “If it isn’t Warren, who is it? You think I can’t take them?”
“You’re going to be so angry,” she whispered.
He went very still. “Why?”
“One of the women in the bathroom thought I was sick because I’m pregnant.”
The masculine energy in the car, which had been tense from the moment they left Trentham Mansion, went haywire. Roth turned to stone above her. Her eyes started leaking again.
“Just tell them I’m a drunk and I don’t know how to hold my liquor. That will explain why I don’t attend other events.”
“Why wouldn’t you attend?”
She let out a choked laugh. “Says the man who told me I couldn’t play my role as well as my sisters and understood why my father kept me out of the public eye.”
“I was angry.”
“You’re always angry.” Fat tears slipped out of the corner of her eyes and into her hair. “I really tried. I didn’t mean to make a scene. I can call Christoph and try to?—”
“We’re not playing this fucking game. Tell me what happened, now , or I swear, I’ll?—”
“What?” she challenged. “You’ll fire me? Good. That’ll put us both out of our misery.”
His hand went to her throat and gripped. “Say that again. I dare you.”
“Boss.”
Johan’s warning came a second before the door opened. She had an upside-down view of the valet at 432 Park Avenue. The man’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he found Roth on top of her.
“Sir?” the man said in a strangled voice as he tried to figure out whether he should close the door or not.
The man stepped back as Roth climbed off her with enviable cool. As usual, he didn’t seem to care about being caught in a compromising situation that normally would’ve warranted a call to the police. If her pride hadn’t been so thoroughly thrashed this evening, she would have been annoyed he’d made a spectacle of them in front of the other residents, who were returning from their night out as well.
Roth stood in front of the open door, shielding her so she could brush her dress and coat down. She ignored his outstretched hand as she stepped out and seized the opportunity to escape when someone called his name. She hustled toward the building, ignoring Roth’s curse as she left him behind. She approached so quickly the doormen struggled to get the doors open in time. She didn’t let that stop her and turned sideways to slip through the narrow opening.
There were more people in the lobby than was normal for this hour. They were lounging near the fireplace, some still with their blinking reindeer antlers on, clearly in high spirits. Several glanced up at her hurried entrance. Someone called out to her, but she ignored them. All her attention was on the elevator.
The attendant’s eyes widened. Hastily, he tapped the button. She must have looked as crazy as she felt.
Halfway across the lobby, her arm was caught in a stinging grip. She ignored Roth and pulled, desperate to get to the penthouse. He banded an arm over her chest, locking her to him.
“Mr. and Mrs. Roth,” the elevator attendant said gaily.
She hung her head, because talking was beyond her. She was hanging on by a thread and was surprised to hear Roth’s civilized greeting. Even though it took less than thirty seconds for the elevator to reach their floor, it felt like ten minutes. The moment the doors opened to reveal Roth’s penthouse, she surged forward, but she was held back by Roth, who stepped out of the elevator but didn’t advance any farther.
As the doors closed behind them, he whirled her around and grabbed handfuls of her coat. “I’m not letting you go until you tell me what happened.”
The pressure in her chest detonated. She slammed her hands against his chest and shoved him with all her might. It startled him into losing his grip on her coat, but it didn’t make him fall on his ass as she hoped.
“You want to know what happened? You happened! You have no idea what these events are like for me, and you don’t care as long as you get what you want. Fine. I played my part. I smiled and danced and got all the intel I could to ensure you get your money’s worth. I’m sorry tonight didn’t go perfectly and I’m such a tactless, emotional liability. If you’re not satisfied with my performance, pick someone else to play your wife. There are countless women who’d do it for a fraction of the price you’re paying me!”
When he reached for her, she wrenched back, tears slipping down her face.
“You got what you wanted out of me tonight. I have a list of names my father would have slit your throat for, but if you don’t want a briefing on that, I have nothing to say to you.”
She whirled but didn’t get more than two steps before he grabbed a hold of her again. All she wanted was to fall apart in peace, and he was in the way, wanting answers to questions she wouldn’t answer. She had no intention of handing him more deficiencies to toss in her face.
She swung around to confront him. “Is it time for my punishment?”
His fingers flexed on her. “What?”
“Three strikes, right? How many mistakes did I make? Five? A dozen? How do you want to punish me? On my knees? A spanking? Maybe I deserve a slap for ruining your night and all the deals you had to leave on the table.”
He released her as if she’d burned him. She couldn’t see his expression through the tears. All she cared about was that she was free to walk away. She made her way to the master suite, the click of her heels conveying her unsteady gait. She braced her hand on the doorjamb and surveyed the familiar room.
Knowing he was right behind her, she asked, “Do you have a trip planned?”
“What?”
If she wasn’t in so much pain, she would have been amused by his bewildered tone.
“A trip,” she said again. “Los Angeles, Copenhagen, London?”
“No. Why?”
Because she needed to be alone and hoped he had plans to abandon her for Christmas. “I need to go.”
“Where?”
Her first instinct was to go to Tuxedo Park but knowing that was where Maximus had banished Elena made her stomach shrivel. No wonder Maximus treated her like a leper, segregating her from her sisters and leaving Thea to raise her in the country. To make matters worse, his illegitimate, unwanted child was the spitting image of the woman he’d despised. He’d given her the tools, money, and education to choose a better path, but she still ended up whoring herself out to a wealthy man, just like her mother.
“I need some time.”
“You aren’t going anywhere without me.”
She spun to face him. “Find some other whore for a couple of days! I need a break!”
He lifted her so she was on her tiptoes. “You aren’t a whore. You’re my wife.”
She turned her face away as it began to crumple. She wasn’t his wife—not really. This was a marriage of convenience with a time limit. He was her fake husband, and this penthouse was a prop, just like her. Everything was for show. No authenticity, just smoke and mirrors for power and wealth. Beneath all the glitz and glamor was a nightmarish reality she wanted no part of. She wanted something real, authentic, and safe. She wouldn’t find any of those things here.
“Give me a couple of days.”
“What did I say?” he hissed.
“I need to be alone.”
“That isn’t an option.”
She stared at his chin as she said, “I don’t want to be here.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Anywhere.”
“Tell me, and I’ll take you.”
“Don’t you have to work?” He gave her a shake that made the fresh knot on the side of her head start pounding. “You’re hurting me!”
He stopped, but a vein in his forehead made an appearance. He visibly reined in his temper and said, “Give me a town, country—something.”
She said the first thing that came to mind. “Mountains.”
He set her down with enough force that her legs buckled. She grabbed onto him to steady herself as he reached into his pocket for his cell phone.
“Prepare the jet,” he barked at whoever was on the line. Then he ordered, “Pack a bag.”
She didn’t want him to come with her, but at least he wasn’t forcing her to stay here. Her need to flee was stronger than her need to be alone, so she didn’t argue. She dashed to the closet, stripped out of Daiyu’s cursed dress, and haphazardly tossed her clothes into a bag. If she were a good wife, she would have done the same for him, but she didn’t anticipate he’d be staying long. It was only a matter of time before he’d rush back to the city.
She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and gather toiletries. At some point, she glanced at her reflection and saw she looked as horrible as she felt. Bloodshot, swollen eyes, fake eyelashes barely hanging on, patches of foundation missing, and her lip gloss gone. She looked ridiculous wearing a pink tracksuit with millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry. She took off the diamonds and washed the remnants of this horrible night from her face.
She braced her hands on the vanity, face dripping over the sink as she tried to center herself. Her insides were as calm as a blizzard and just as clear. A glint of red caught her eye. She was still wearing Warren’s token for Elena, the small ring going unnoticed amid all the others. She wrenched the ruby heart ring off her finger and flung it across the bathroom. She didn’t hear it hit the shower wall or roll across the floor, because Roth caught it.
She stared at him, chest heaving, water soaking her front, as he examined the ring. Somehow, Roth had already changed out of the tux into jeans and a long coat. He also had a travel bag on his shoulder.
“You said this belonged to your mother,” he said quietly.
She snatched a towel to wipe her face and hide her revulsion. He didn’t say a word as she slipped a few more things into her bag and turned to face him. She stared at his chest because she couldn’t bear to meet his eyes.
“You don’t have to come with me.” She hated the way he spun that cursed ring between his fingers. She wanted to throw it in the trash but didn’t want to bring more attention to it than she already had.
When he said nothing and continued to stare at her, she started for the door.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
She looked back and saw his gaze trained on the vanity. On top of the pile of diamonds was her wedding ring. She stood there for several seconds, warring with herself, before she retrieved the ring and slipped it on.
“Let’s go.”
She followed him out of the master suite. She didn’t know why he was allowing this or where they were going, but she didn’t care. Anywhere was better than here.