Chapter 42 #2
He’s hiding himself, but I don’t understand why.
I know he loves me, and it’s nearly impossible not to love him.
But I don’t know if he’ll ever be in love with me.
As pathetic as it sounds, I’m willing to settle for the sweet love he offers.
Because it’s far better than anything else a man has ever given me.
Beginning at a young age with my stepfather, all the way up to the very day I met Nathan, men have continuously hurt me over and over again.
Ten years from now, I might look back at this desperate girl and laugh. Maybe it’ll be laughter filled with happiness, or maybe it’ll be laughter filled with tears. The one thing I know is that it will never be filled with regret.
Nathan Westin changed me. He took a shy, broken girl and turned her into a strong, confident woman. He doesn’t know about the thoughts that plagued my mind the day we met. He doesn’t know that his kind, playful approach stopped me from making a decision that would ruin my life.
He doesn’t know he helped me fashion a mask just like his.
To everyone around me, I’m a shark in the courtroom. The self-assured, poised, it-girl. Loud and unforgiving, selfish to the core. They don’t realize that she doesn’t exist behind the mask. Up until a year ago, she didn’t exist at all.
But no one has been in my life long enough to know that.
Except for Dimitri…and Els.
Ellie has known me her whole life, yet she still doesn’t see the facade. I went away to school, and she thinks I came back the woman I am now. The woman I pretend to be. The woman I created to protect myself from my past.
Nathan and I are just two strangers, giving each other peeks of our true selves, while hiding who we really are from the world. We are both broken. We are both damaged. The difference is…he fixes my broken pieces. He heals parts of me that I thought would never be able to trust a man.
I don’t heal him, though.
I guess with Nathan, qualities of that masked woman really do exist. I am selfish when it comes to our relationship.
I’ll fight to the death for the love he gives me.
Even if someone else could give him more, could heal the parts of him that need healing.
He’s mine. I won’t…I can’t give him up. I’m not stupid.
I know there is a woman he loves more than me.
I know that he is settling for me because he can’t have her.
Call it what you want, woman’s intuition, a hunch…
whatever it is, I know that I’m right. I just pray she never finds her way back to him.
I feel his presence before I feel his arms wrap around my shoulders from behind. He kisses my neck, and I melt back into him.
“My father is here,” he murmurs in my ear. I turn my head to the side and capture his lips, leaving a red lipstick stain behind. He smiles against my lips, and I pull back, seeing nothing but love in his eyes. Just not the same kind of love that is reflected back at him.
“I’ll grab my coat,” I say back, wiping the red smudge from his mouth.
I’m not looking forward to an entire evening with Nathaniel Westin.
The first time I met him, he took me to the side and asked me not to introduce Nathan to my family.
He rudely announced that it wouldn’t be beneficial for his upcoming campaign.
I wanted to tell him that a black eye wouldn’t be beneficial either.
He told me that the right time would come for introductions, but this wasn’t that time.
Nathan and I were hardly serious, but I wanted to introduce him to my family just to spite Nathaniel.
I was sick and tired of men telling me how to live my life.
But his request started to sound more like a threat, and Nathaniel Westin was not the type of man I wanted to cross.
After we got engaged, he called and told me it was the perfect time for family introductions. I feel like I’m missing something, like he is moving pieces on a chessboard…and I’m one of those pieces.
I walk inside and see Nathaniel waiting in the small living room. His face is a picture of disgust, like he can’t fathom why his son isn’t living in a mansion as he attends law school.
I seriously hate him.
“Shit,” Nathan cusses behind me. I turn around to see the sympathetic look on his face as he stares down at his phone. “The firm just sent me a text. New evidence came up on that case I’m helping with. They want everyone in tonight.”
Chills creep up my spine. He is not leaving me alone with his father. “Can’t you go after dinner? They’ll have to understand you haven’t eaten yet.”
“Nonsense,” Nathaniel chimes in. “This is the life of a lawyer, you know that, Kate. We will have dinner without you, Nathan.”
I look back at Nathan, my eyes pleading with him for a way out of this.
“Why don’t we reschedule for tomorrow night? Katie’s had a long day, anyway.” I love him for emphasizing my name. Nathaniel refuses to call me anything but Kate.
“I drove several hours to celebrate your engagement tonight, Nathan. I have a firm to run tomorrow.”
I see the anger building in Nathan’s eyes and hate that I am putting him in such an awkward position. “It’s fine, babe…We will go to dinner without you.” I stand on my toes and give him a chaste kiss, sending a silent prayer to whatever God is looking out for me.
Nathaniel and I drive separately to the restaurant, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I live closer to where we are eating, so I used it as an excuse to drive straight home after dinner.
We meet inside the lobby of the Michelin-starred Italian restaurant and are taken to our seats immediately. I thank the hostess when she hands out menus, Nathaniel says nothing.
“My son is not here, so I am going to cut to the chase, Kate.”
Warning bells ring in my head, and I look around as if I am about to be attacked in public by the man in front of me.
Ridiculous.
“Okay?” I respond, trying to keep my voice from shaking.
“You are marrying my son. Which means you are going to work for my firm,” he commands as if there is to be no argument.
No. Absolutely not. I have enough of that happening in my life as is.
“I’ve already committed to Stokes & Baros, and I’m enjoying my position there,” I say with far too much venom in my voice. I feel like I am losing control over my life—again—and there is nothing I can do to stop it.
“Kate. Let’s not pretend like I don’t know why you committed to Apollo Baros.”
My breath catches. No. This is not happening.
“The thing is, dear…you have far more to lose if you say no to me. An exposure like this could ruin your career before it even takes off. You are marrying into my family. This means you will work for my firm. I can handle any sort of…disagreement from Apollo and Angelo, but if you need a little more persuasion…” He slams a file on the table in front of me. I pick it up with shaky hands.
“Wha-what’s this?” I stutter.
“Those are records of your stepfather embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from Brewer incorporated. In your sister’s name. With your sister’s signature.”
I grab the file and immediately start thumbing through all of the accounts.
They are dated back several years, but the evidence is damning.
I know Ellie didn’t do this, but there is no tangible way for me to prove that.
Not right now anyway. I need to get home.
I need to subpoena Chris…and Brewer Incorporated… and…
“I’m not going to go after your sister, Kate. There is no need to be dramatic. We are just having a conversation.”
“What do you want?” I whisper. I already know this isn’t going to end well for me.
“You already know what I want. I told you before this needed to turn into these…theatrics.”
“Fine. I will come work for your firm.” How I’m going to tell Angelo Stokes this news is a problem for another day.
“Happy to hear, my sweet daughter-in-law.” He slides another folder toward me. “First order of business, I need you to deliver this to the person on that envelope.”
I grab the folder and leaf through the delivery information.
“Nathaniel…this…this is going to a defense witness on a case that you are prosecuting. Whatever this is needs to be assessed and delivered through the courts.” I start to slide the folder back toward Nathaniel, but he slaps his hand on top, stopping its progress.
“The first thing you need to know about working for me, is that you don’t question my orders. Ever.”