C20, PT. 4

Out of the corner of her eye, a man detached from the crowd and started in their direction. She ignored him until he was almost upon her. She mentally braced and turned with a vacant smile that vanished when she saw Daiyu’s father, Shen Wu.

“Mr. Wu.” She bowed her head respectfully and would have done the traditional fist and palm salute if her hand wasn’t captive in Roth’s.

“It’s been many years since we’ve seen one another,” he said in Mandarin.

Since Roth was still speaking to Mikhail, she didn’t have to translate as she responded in the same language, “Too long.” She looked past him. “Is Daiyu here?” If she was, she might be tempted to strangle her childhood friend in the bathroom.

Shen gave her a sharp look. “Of course not. She has no impulse control and her manners are atrocious.” He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have allowed her to spend so much time in the United States.”

Shen was control personified, while his daughter was anything but. “Daiyu’s unique and expressive.”

He grunted and surveyed her dress. “This is hers?” When she nodded, he sniffed. “It’s too revealing, but the tailoring is unrivaled.”

His reluctant respect for his daughter reminded her so much of her father that she suppressed a smile.

“You got her wedding gown in Vogue. That’s been a dream of hers since she was a little girl.”

“She deserves it.”

He gave a dignified nod. “She has talent. I’ll be back for her show in February. I hear you’re walking in it.”

“I didn’t agree to that.”

He cocked a brow. “Why not?”

She resisted the urge to squirm. When she was a kid, she didn’t know who was more intimidating—Daiyu’s father or hers. Both of them had terrible tempers. She was an adult now. Shen wouldn’t yell at her like he had when he caught her and Daiyu beneath the dessert table when they were five. But that didn’t stop her instinctive wariness and compulsion to please, which was disturbingly strong even after all this time.

“I’m not sure I want to walk in a fashion show,” she said, striving for diplomacy.

“Why not?” he repeated.

She resisted the urge to use her hands to talk and was grateful Roth still had a hold of one, so she wouldn’t reveal her nervousness to a man who naturally brought it out in her.

“I’m not a model and I don’t want the attention,” she said a tad defiantly.

He eyed her for a long moment before he said, “I understand that you don’t strive for the spotlight like my Daiyu. While I wish that she had chosen a different profession, I see that she enjoys designing clothes, and it’s led to many profitable opportunities. If you walked in her show, I would be in your debt.”

Mr. Wu in her debt? That was nothing to take lightly. “I…”

“I’ll see you there,” he said as if she had agreed, and shifted his attention to Roth, who was watching them. “Roth.”

“Mr. Wu.”

Mikhail was nowhere in sight.

Mr. Wu glanced at her and said in rapid Mandarin, “It was a pleasure seeing you, but you should plan a visit, so you can brush up on the language. Your Mandarin is lacking.”

She resisted the urge to throw her hands up in the air as he walked away. Her father’s cronies never missed the opportunity to criticize her about something.

“What was that about?” Roth asked.

“He was roasting my Mandarin and emotionally blackmailing me to walk in Daiyu’s show.”

Roth frowned and held up her right hand. He brushed his thumb over the ruby heart that had replaced her first wedding ring. “What the fuck is this?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw several heads turn in their direction at his coarse language. She maintained her bright smile while her eyes shot daggers at him.

“Language,” she warned through clenched teeth as she yanked her hand from his grasp. “Focus. Who else do you need to meet this evening besides Amos Faulkner?”

“Who gave you that ruby ring?”

“It was my mother’s.”

“Why did you take off your other wedding ring?”

Did he really expect her to wear that ring after ordering her to play her part this evening? After the constant reminders that she wasn’t privy to the business he did with everyone, including her family? That he didn’t care one way or another if she decided to break their deal?

After tonight, he would be set for life. How long would it take him to realize he no longer had any use for her? Her track record was worse than her mother’s. At least her mother and Maximus lasted a couple of months. Roth worked her out of his system in a matter of weeks. He liked fucking with her head and dangling her on a string, but she wasn’t a fool. She would play her part in public. She’d smile and stand by his side at any event he wanted, but she wouldn’t wear a ring that represented something he didn’t mean. Wearing his rock on her left hand was all that was required of her, nothing more.

“If you want to get your money’s worth, you need to tell me who you’re targeting,” she said in a flat voice.

She was baiting him, but when his expression hardened into those cruel lines she knew all too well, she immediately averted her face, and stepped back to defuse the situation. This wasn’t the time or place. They couldn’t be seen arguing on their first night in high society.

She was relieved when two men detached from the crowd and stepped into their bubble. She turned with a fixed smile that turned into a genuine one when she registered their faces.

“Julius? Matthew!”

Impulsively, she threw herself into Julius’ arms. A second later, she realized she fucked up when she felt the air around them thicken. But it was too late now. She compounded her sins by hugging Matthew, too. She registered that neither man had returned her hug before Roth gripped her nape in a stinging grip and forced her to step back. Her friends weren’t grinning or laughing. They looked ill at ease and were completely focused on Roth, who buried his face in her hair and took deep breaths. They were waiting for Roth to say something, but he didn’t seem inclined to talk. She decided to fill the void.

“I didn’t know you two would be here!”

Her voice was loud and over enthusiastic. She wasn’t entirely in control of her faculties after seeing Tucker Baldwin and being reminded why she wasn’t wearing her first wedding ring.

“We wanted to offer our congratulations on your marriage.” Julius’ tone was wooden and rehearsed, as if he was reading from a teleprompter. “And make sure there are no hard feelings.”

She frowned and opened her mouth, but Roth’s grip tightened, warning her to stay silent.

“If you remember who she belongs to, we won’t have any problems,” Roth growled.

She stiffened, unable to believe her ears, but neither Julius or Matthew looked surprised, just resigned. Even as she opened her mouth to respond to Roth’s outrageous, uncalled-for statement, Sullivan appeared beside them.

“Dinner.”

**This is a raw draft of Bitter Confessions. Please do not share or distribute.

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