Chapter 32 #2
I concentrated all my will on not chewing faster, on keeping my grip on the fork loose. His next words made my blood boil. “You still sleep in separate rooms. How can you—”
“Ah! About that. Who permitted you to share private information outside the family? I learned yesterday it’s apparently common knowledge—spread by Renier!”
My words took him down a peg.
“What? I didn’t—” The words died on his lips. He took a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling.
“He’s already been lectured about it,” Anne whispered to me.
“I think we’re finished.” Cath gestured at the half-empty dishes. “How about we take a break? Maybe you can show us the house while they blow off some steam?”
I wasn’t sure if leaving Rafa and Viktor without supervision was a good idea, but Viktor gave me an encouraging nod. Besides, Mark was there, and Cath assured me he wouldn’t let the other two kill each other.
Despite the worry in my stomach, I was relieved to get away with only Cath and Anne. Maybe I should have invited only them after all, as I’d initially thought.
But now wasn’t the right time to doubt my decisions. First, we headed to the bathroom through Viktor’s gallery. Then I showed them the offices, the library, before switching to the left wing and ending up on the patio.
“It’s very beautiful here in winter.” A smile tugged at my lips as memories flashed through my mind—me sitting in early mornings with a book while the horizon was painted white.
The smell of fresh coldness that came into the room whenever I opened a window.
Or when Viktor woke me up after I’d fallen asleep annotating the book he gifted. Us, working side by side.
“I can imagine. Bet you never leave that corner.” Anne gestured at my sofa. “I hope this winter you’ll invite us so we can see it for ourselves?”
“I’d love to.”
“Would you mind if I steal the idea?” Cath asked, gesturing at the room. “I was planning to have a plant room on the patio, but I like what you did here.”
I giggled. “It’s actually Viik’s doing. I only enjoyed what he prepared.” I looked toward the terrace through the window. The sky was turning pink at the edges, and the lanterns were on. And all three men had moved to the lounge area.
I couldn’t see what they were doing from here, but it didn’t look like they were fighting. The weight in my stomach lifted.
Maybe the evening could still be saved?
When I turned, two pairs of eyes were looking at me with mischief. I didn’t even manage to ask why when they both echoed, “Viik?”
My cheeks burned. “What?”
“So you’re getting closer?” Anne wiggled her brows.
I puffed out my cheeks, unsure of the answer.
“You never exchanged a word with him at our parents’ dinners. We thought you were still just co-existing.” There was hurt in Cath’s voice.
I felt bad for keeping them in the dark for so long. But as of today, it again wasn’t far from the truth. “If talking about business counts as more than co-existing…”
“And the tension!” Anne turned to my sister. “Did you notice?”
“Oh, and the way he was looking at our Fifi.” She raised a finger. “He’s definitely whipped.”
“He is not!” I cut them off. I wished their words were true. Yet… “Ground floor or up?”
They didn’t show interest in the gym and old kitchen, so we went to the second and third, saving my room for last. I tried to steer the conversation toward design choices, and thankfully Cath was eager about that.
“He gave you the master room?” she said when we walked through my room.
“What do you mean?”
“There are only two rooms in this wing and three in the right. The wings are symmetric. Comparing the sizes, his room must be much smaller—it couldn’t have an attached study like yours does.” Her architecture brain was clearly working.
I’d never even thought that deeply, assuming his room was the same as mine. But now that Cath mentioned it… I knew it meant nothing, but my heart didn’t seem to understand.
“You like him, don’t you?” Anne said.
I turned my head. “Is it that obvious?”
“You dare to drag my husband’s name through the mud, and I’ll make sure your name will be a joke at every event,” Anne repeated my exact tone. She then turned to Cath. “She said that to Edmond.”
“You didn’t tell me that part!” Cath covered her mouth, looking at Anne. “Wow!”
I scoffed. “Only for him to pretend there’s nothing.”
“You mean Viktor or Edmond?”
“Viktor!” I looked at the window in the study. This was actually the first time I’d sat here.
“What if he’s trying to be polite? Or giving you space?”
I don’t want him to give me space. Besides, walking away when I confessed my feelings? That wasn’t polite at all. But I couldn’t tell them that. They’d hate him the way they hated Edmond. And despite everything that happened today, I didn’t want them to badmouth my husband.
“Ah.” Anne snapped her fingers. “Edmond was avoiding Rafa all day!”
“You told him? About my accusations?”
“Only hinted.”
“That’s why he’s so grumpy?” My throat went dry. “Do you think there is a chance I was right, and that’s why he was avoiding Rafa?”
“Or he could be ashamed to face Rafa after yesterday’s scene he made.” She bit the inside of her cheek. “Did you ask Viktor about that?”
“I didn’t have a chance. I was so exhausted, I fell asleep instantly.” I let out a breath, then straightened as I remembered something I didn’t manage to do yesterday. “By the way! I had prepared gifts for both of you.”
I walked over to one of my drawers under their excited gaze, and couldn’t help grinning at their squeals of delight when I handed the jewelry I had prepared for them.
The joy was still there as we went down for dessert, so when I spotted the men, I couldn’t resist joking. “Seems they didn’t kill each other after all.”
But what caught my attention was Mark’s comment that reached our ears. “You sure you can compensate for the losses?”
If this had been several months ago, I probably wouldn’t have noticed the slight change in Viktor’s posture.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, sitting beside him.
Anne took the seat beside Rafa on the sofa across from us, while Cath settled next to Mark to the right. He cleared his throat as his gaze shifted between me and my husband.
It was Rafa who answered. “Simply put, your husband is pressuring everyone to pull their funding from one of the new companies. One of the ventures refused. Now he wants to sabotage said venture.”
“And he has shares in said venture,” Mark added.
I looked at Viktor. When he didn’t answer, I turned to Mark. He shifted in his seat under my gaze, which surprised me.
“It’s owned by the Durets,” Mark said. “They disguised it under their daughter-in-law, but it was well known.”
I didn’t even manage to process what he said as Cath exclaimed, “Is it because of that old hag’s comment?”
“What comment?” Rafa asked.
“Oh,” Cath said. Both she and Anne looked at me.
They hadn’t told anyone?
“What happened yesterday?” Rafa’s face turned concerned.
After I nodded at Anne, she said, “Well, besides Edmond, we ran into Madame Duret and her daughter-in-law.”
“I gathered that much. What happened?”
“She talked about how Fifi is content with the spectacle our family made.” She waved her hand. “And called her…”
Viktor stiffened but shifted his gaze away.
“Called her what?” Rafa asked.
“Bad names.” Anne gestured for him to drop it. She’d probably tell him later, but I was actually thankful not to be even more embarrassed.
“Did you know?” Rafa turned to Viktor.
Nothing in his expression suggested this was news to him. The bodyguards who were with me must have reported everything immediately.
“I thought it was strange you decided to block them directly today, not sooner when they first started. But now it makes sense.” Mark nodded to himself.
One would think I should be pleased. Viktor was protecting my honor. But was he protecting mine, or his?
I wouldn’t have this question if he hadn’t retreated first thing this morning.
“But did you think about the consequences? The shares? All because of a comment?” My voice was full of fury. “You should have at least talked to me before starting a smear campaign.”
“I—” He finally looked into my eyes. “Everything is calculated.”
“Calculated?” I kept my stare on him. “Hmm.” Of course he would calculate everything himself.
Had me playing with Atlas also been calculated?
Breathe! It wasn’t! I chose it myself!
“Sophie…” He closed his eyes. “Let’s talk about this later.”
I scoffed, wanting to turn away when I noticed the pallor of his face.
Had he looked like this the whole evening? Pale, with dark circles under his eyes.
Did I miss it because of my own feelings?
Maybe I shouldn’t have scolded him in front of the others.
“I suppose even Viktor Rowks has someone he answers to,” Mark murmured to Cath, making her giggle as well as Anne.
And Rafa… He was staring at Viktor. But the usual hatred wasn’t there anymore.