Chapter Eleven #3
“Only this one,” Oliver replied. “Vivian and I have known
each other since childhood, though she was raised in America. It wasn’t until
she came to London to work for the company that I realized how gorgeous she
is.”
Edward’s expression sharpened. “Huh. That’s not what I
heard. Not about your Vivian. I’m sure she’s a sweet little American. I heard
you did bring another woman home. Helena, I believe. Whatever happened to her?”
Oliver’s jaw tightened, the only sign that he was shocked by
the line of questioning.
She’d never heard the name Helena.
Oliver squeezed her hand as the server set their drinks in
front of them. “That was a youthful mistake, and last I heard she was living it
up on the Riviera with her third husband.”
She wasn’t sure why, but she suspected Oliver was lying. She
would have to ask Sophy about it later.
Tatiana stared at Vivian for a moment, those crystal blue
eyes of hers calculating. “You look familiar.”
“I’m sure you’ve seen my Vivi around,” Oliver allowed,
though it was easy to see he was wary. Likely because Tatiana had a reputation
for being brutal with other women. “She’s been to several parties in our
circle. She’s good friends with Sophy Weston.”
Edward chuckled. “There’s an interesting family. Did you
know there are rumors her uncle used to be in a… What do they call it? A
threesome, perhaps. And he flaunted it without a care to what anyone would
think. I respect that man.”
Tatiana’s nose wrinkled. “He’s a pervert.”
“Like you aren’t, darling,” Edward countered. “I know what
you did last night. Or rather who you did. And it wasn’t singular.”
She waved a hand. “Yes, but I very properly keep it all
quiet. Discretion is everything in our world. Besides, Weston’s a bloody duke.
He should have found a woman with the proper lineage and impregnated her like
all dukes do. Then we wouldn’t be stuck with a silly American girl.” She
glanced Vivian’s way with a superior expression. “No offense, dear. I’m sure
you’re lovely.”
Oh, all the offense was taken, but she knew her role. To
look pretty and play kind of dumb. Then she wasn’t a threat to anyone. To these
people she was nothing more than Oliver’s latest plaything. She gave her most
vacuous smile. These people didn’t pay enough attention to anything around them
to guess she was lying. “I like Sophy and her uncle. He seems charming.”
“If a cobra can be considered charming,” Tatiana said with a
huff. “I was shocked by what he did to… That’s it.” She turned to her fiancé,
looking genuinely enthusiastic for the first time. “Darling, what was the name
of that American Tarquin played about with?”
Vivian felt her whole body heat. “That would be me.”
Tatiana’s eyes were lit with amusement. It told Vivian a
lot. This woman lived for gossip and enjoyed the humiliation of others. “Well,
if you’d come to me, I would have told you what a naughty lad our Tarqie can be. Always has been, especially with
working-class women.”
“Tarquin was an absolute bastard with her,” Oliver said, his
voice going cold.
She had to save this. Now she understood why this would
never work with Mal. He would lose his mind when they mentioned Tarquin’s name.
She grinned and put a hand on Oliver’s arm. “Oh, that was all ridiculous. I
never cared for that man. I was trying to get Oliver’s attention. I heard
Tarquin made up a bunch of stories. It was all very junior high, if you know
what I mean.”
Oliver calmed. “Well, you have my attention now, love. I’ve
had a thing for Vivi since we were kids, but I can be a stubborn arse at times. Sometimes a man needs a good swift kick to
get him to do the right thing. The idea of my sweet girl in that bastard’s
hands…”
“Are you the one who asked the duke to ruin him?” There was
no judgment in Edward’s eyes. Just a slight amusement. “It’s been rough on him.
He was counting on the duke to open some doors for him. You know there are
rumors that the whole family is broke and he needs to find an heiress. Though
not one from a nouveau riche family. That wouldn’t do at all.”
The horrors of not having money that went back three hundred
years. “I think it’s nice to be rich. Even if it’s new.”
Tatiana laughed behind her hand and looked at Oliver. “Yes,
I suppose you would.”
Excellent. They thought she was some airhead Ollie was
banging. It wasn’t hard to fool them.
“It’s been fun watching Tarquin plead. Apparently, the duke
holds a bunch of investments in Tarquin’s family company, and he’s pulling them
all out now. They’re potentially facing real trouble if they can’t get some
investors in,” Edward said as though the world turned for his amusement. “Not
that I would.”
“Of course you wouldn’t,” Tatiana replied, her gaze shifting
back to Edward. “You’re too smart, and all your money is wrapped up in your own
business. And other things.”
The last bit was said with a hint of anticipation.
Edward put a hand on her arm. He didn’t seem to notice when
she shrank back a bit. “Darling, that is not talk for here and now. Oliver and
I will go over future plans later.”
“There are future plans?” Vivian asked.
Oliver relaxed back. “Eddie and I have talked about a few
business ventures. You know I came into my trust fund recently, and no matter
what Father thinks, I can make my own business decisions.”
A blatant lie, but she suspected Edward wouldn’t see through
it. Oliver had his trust fund for years and allowed his father’s business
manager to handle his investments. All the Knight children did.
Oliver had already told her that Edward had mentioned some
opportunities he wanted to explore.
“What kind of business is your family in?” Vivian asked. She
watched as Mal talked to the bodyguard Edward had called Gerald.
“At bit of this and that,” Edward replied, taking a sip of
his drink. “I think these days you have to have your fingers in a lot of pies.
This wedding is mostly a business affair. I want to introduce Oliver to some
friends of mine, see if he’s a good fit.”
Oliver was an excellent actor. He looked like a bratty rich
kid who was going to show the world how smart he was. “My father will have to
eat all his words when I build something even bigger than MTK. The idea that
you have to have a business to make money is outmoded if you’re already rich.
My father works like a dog and expects the rest of us to as well.”
“Nah, our Ollie knows the way to make money is to invest
it,” Edward replied, his eyes going serious for a moment. “I want you to meet
my friend Kit.”
There it was. It was the invite they’d been hoping for.
Vivian gave him a bright smile. “Oh, what does he do?”
Tatiana finished her drink and called for another. “He molds
the world. He changes reality.”
“That seems like a big job.” Vivian was also a good actor.
She thought she was nailing the dumb blonde routine.
Tatiana’s eyes rolled. “He’s a brilliant coder. Really, it’s
nothing for you to worry about. Didn’t Tarquin say you were a therapist or
something?”
Vivian nodded. “Yes, I like helping people. Feelings are
complex, you know.”
“Vivian is excellent at her job,” Oliver said and pressed a
kiss to her cheek. “She’s easy to talk to, and she knows how to keep a secret.”
“I’m sure she is,” Tatiana replied. “I can’t understand the
need to talk to someone about one’s feelings. Isn’t that what wine is for?”
The table laughed, including Vivian.
“I’m looking forward to meeting Kit,” Oliver said, seeming
to get down to business. “He’s into artificial intelligence, right?”
“He’s on the cutting edge of AI,” Edward answered. “He was a
prodigy when he was younger. A lot of the work being done today is based around
his early work.”
“AI? Like the kind that writes books?” Vivian asked. If
there was one thing she knew about AI it was that the technology was driving
her writer friends to rage against the literal machine.
More laughter. Every bit as derisive as before.
“No, darling,” Edward said, every word dripping with
arrogance. “I don’t think Kit gives a crap about an AI’s creativity. Kit is
building something that could take over all the minor details of living. He
intends to make work a thing of the past for most humans.”
“But then what would we do? How would we make a living?”
Vivian asked.
“Well, that’s a problem for another day, isn’t it?” Tatiana
replied. “Kit’s work is going to change the world.”
“And make us a lot of money in the process,” Edward added.
“And make my father eat all of his words about how useless I
am.” Oliver held up his glass, toasting with the others.
But Vivian was watching Gerald walk toward the lobby. Mal
was at attention, his whole being focused.
“To the future,” Edward said, raising his glass. “And the
men who will make it ours and ours alone.”
She really wanted to introduce this man to the French Revolution,
but Mal was moving.
And then the gunfire started and the world seemed to explode
around her.