C20, PT. 1

Sullivan’s eyes lit when he caught sight of them. “My new favorite couple!” he announced and clapped Roth on the shoulder with a fondness that had Colette’s eyes flaring and Lyle’s narrowing. “Glad you all could make it. Dinner will be announced within the hour. Enjoy yourselves.” Sullivan bowed gallantly to her. “Thank you for the dance and the stimulating conversation. We’ll meet again.”

With that, Sullivan strolled away. He took a few steps before he unceremoniously plucked a man’s glass out of his hand and took a healthy gulp before handing it back and walking away without saying a word.

“Enjoying your time in the limelight?” Lyle drawled.

She switched her attention from the eccentric patriarch of the Trentham clan to her brother-in-law and gave him a baleful glare. He knew damn well she hated being the center of attention. She had the childish urge to kick him.

“What a debut!” Colette gushed.

“I don’t know what the hell just happened,” she muttered.

“Language,” Colette said mildly, but her eyes were sparkling. “Seems to me, Sullivan just gave you his stamp of approval. Bravo.” Colette arched her brows at Roth. “Close friend of the Trentham’s, are you?”

“Colleagues.”

“Colleagues,” Lyle scoffed. “How the fuck—”

“Language,” Colette said again and turned as a woman touched her shoulder.

As Colette did air kisses with a glamorous woman in her forties, a familiar face appeared in the crowd.

She straightened. “Mr. Weinberg.”

The real-estate mogul, Len Weinberg, had aged drastically since she’d seen him last. She prepared to take a step forward to greet him before it occurred to her that he could be one of the men on Roth’s blacklist.

“It’s been too long, missy,” Len said with a kind smile before he extended his hand to Roth. “Welcome to the big leagues, son.”

She let out a relieved breath when Roth shook his hand. Len had been associated with her dad, but apparently hadn’t participated in ruining Roth’s livelihood.

“Beginning of the new year, we’ll have lunch,” Len said to Roth before someone hailed him. “Nice seeing you two. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

And just like that, Roth was in. Seven years ago, Roth and Len Weinberg met at her father’s party for the first time. Just getting an introduction had been an honor and now one of the wealthiest men in the city went out of his way to acknowledge Roth and invite him to a private lunch that was guaranteed to lead to business. Colette was right. Sullivan had given them his stamp of approval, and everyone was following his lead.

As Len Weinberg disappeared into the crowd, he was replaced by Lyle’s boss, Desmond Simons.

“I was hoping to see you here tonight,” Desmond said to Roth before he focused on her. “I wasn’t able to catch you when you visited Lyle at the office.”

“I was just passing through.” What they would have said to each other, she had no idea. They had met only once before, but apparently that was enough. According to Lyle, Desmond had a photographic memory and used it to great effect. He was a master networker.

“My wife, Ginevra, is here somewhere. You and Colette should do lunch with her.”

She knew it wasn’t a suggestion. “That sounds lovely.”

“Excellent.” Desmond’s gaze shifted to her right. “You look stunning as usual, Colette. How’s little Polara? Lyle’s been showing the whole office photos.”

“She’s perfect. It was hard leaving her this evening.”

“Yes, you should enjoy this stage while it lasts,” Desmond said genially before switching his attention back to Roth, who was speaking to two men who looked vaguely familiar to her. Lyle was handling introductions.

When she felt a tug on her dress, she stepped back. Roth’s attention immediately swung toward her. She gave him a reassuring smile to show she wasn’t going far and patted his arm so he would pay attention to the men in front of him.

Under her breath, she muttered, “Ari?”

“Didn’t get an invitation,” Colette said in the same low undertone. “She attended last year. I think they do one couple per family since they know we all do business together. Has Roth told you who he needs to meet?”

“No.” He hadn’t told her she would be attending, much less who he had business with.

“White whales are Christoph Braun, seventy-six, owns the largest sea-freight forwarder. Wife’s name is Elsa, but he’s here with his son, who’s taking over the business. He hasn’t come to a ball in nearly a decade. He’s establishing the son before he steps down. Son may be just as reclusive as father, so it’s worth making yourself known to him now. Mikhail Belikov is a self-made private equity investor. Estimated net worth is ten billion. Made his fortune from digital payments and banking services. He’s thirty-five and extremely private. I’ve heard he knows Igor, so make sure you bring him up if you manage to cross paths with him. Another white whale is…” Colette broke off and straightened. “Octavia! How are you? It’s been ages, hasn’t it? Have you met my sister, Jasmine Roth?”

They chatted with Octavia, who was the heir to a fashion empire. Octavia’s enthusiasm for her dress made her feel better. The fact that she knew about the upcoming Vogue spread for her wedding gown caught her off guard. Octavia shared some helpful tidbits about a few guests before she moved on.

“The Governor’s here,” Colette said, picking up right where she left off in her briefing. “We just saw him at Dad’s funeral, but make sure you introduce Roth. You never know when that will come in handy. There are dignitaries from all over the globe, so depending on which countries Roth’s doing business, you may want to seek them out. Touch base with the tech giants: Azim, David, Andreas. Of course, mention Rami’s name, though I’m sure most of them are aware Roth’s now part of the family. Make sure you greet Art Thomson. The wife had an affair, and they’re going through a nasty divorce, so don’t ask after the family. Pamela, granddaughter of Edward Grand III, is now running Grand Investments. She’s doing excellent work. There are quite a few royals present, religious figures, former Presidents…” Colette went on her tiptoes and gripped her arm. “The bald man with the handlebar mustache standing next to the woman in pink. That’s Amos Faulkner. I’m sure Roth will want to talk to him. He owns…” Colette broke off as two women broke through the crowd. “I knew I’d see you here!”

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

Copyright © 2024 Mia Knight. All Rights Reserved.