C19, PT. 4

“It’s too bad he and Maximus couldn’t put their differences aside to do business together. They could have made history.”

“They should have set their differences aside for the sake of family, not business,” she said tartly and instantly regretted her words.

Thus far, Sullivan was nothing like the tyrant he was reputed to be, but just because he wasn’t showing that side of himself, didn’t mean there wasn’t truth to those rumors. She should be engaging in mundane, innocuous conversation, not arguing with him. But the familiar way he was speaking to her short-circuited her training, so she responded just as candidly as him.

“You’re quite right, my dear. My apologies. I’m a reformed businessman trying to turn over a new leaf. Sometimes, I forget myself and revert back to what I know best. Acquire, conquer, expand, repeat. I thought if I kept doing that, everything in my life would fall into place.”

Although the smile stayed on his face, it dialed down a few notices and his eyes glazed over as he reflected inward.

 “Why is it that we old men only learn what’s important at the end of our lives when it’s too late to change anything?”

She didn’t try to answer the rhetorical question. She sensed the conversation had just taken a turn, and she didn’t know how to steer it back into socially acceptable waters.

“I called Maximus after he disowned you, to warn him the affair wasn’t worth losing family over. He wouldn’t listen.” His mouth tightened, and he looked away. “Neither did I. I didn’t change after I lost my wife to leukemia. It wasn’t until I lost Lily that I realized my accomplishments were meaningless.” A pause, and then he rasped, “You know about my Lily.”

She considered lying out of politeness, but knew he would know otherwise. It had been all over the news. “Yes. My condolences.”

“I was too hard on her. She cracked under the pressure and committed suicide because she didn’t think she could meet my expectations. She saw that as her only way out.” His chest expanded, and his grip tightened before he controlled himself. “Losing Lily woke me up. I’ve been trying to change my legacy, but I can’t reset the course. My son, Nathaniel, turned into the worst version of me after his wife overdosed. He would rather expand our empire than have a relationship with his child. I keep trying to tell him, she is the empire.”

His despair was palpable and stirred up her susceptible emotions. At the moment, he didn’t look like one of the most powerful men in the world or the ruthless magnate her father had admired. He looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. For some reason, he seemed hellbent on confessing his sins as they danced. Although he seemed to know who she was, she still felt as if there was some horrible mistake, and he had her mixed up with someone else.

“Why are you telling me this?” she whispered.

He cocked his head. “I thought you would understand.”

She blinked. “Me?”

“I see Lily in you.” His eyes moved over her face, as if he saw his late daughter in her features. “But you were strong enough to walk away. I know that wasn’t easy.”

“I had no choice.”

“You had a choice. You chose the harder path. You stood up to Maximus and Roth and rejected what they valued most. It’s probably the best thing that ever happened to either of them. It takes someone with character, conviction, and guts to stand up to the force of nature that they are. I commend you for that.”

The paternal approval made her swallow hard.

“My daughter Charlotte’s forgiven me for all the terrible things I’ve done. There’s something about a loving daughter that brings fathers to their knees, even the great Maximus.” His eyes flicked over her shoulder before his smile returned, brighter than ever. “And an otherwise invincible man like your husband to wear his heart on his sleeve. You have his undivided attention, my dear.”

He was probably watching her like a hawk to make sure she was making a good impression. “We’re newlyweds.”

He gave her an arch look. “Way I hear it, you’ve had his attention for seven years.”

“It’ll pass.” The words slipped out before she could stop herself. As his eyes widened, a thunderbolt of fear lanced through her. She was supposed to be playing a lovesick fool, not predicting their end.

He paused to laugh uproariously, which inspired several couples to take the dance floor to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“You really are a Hennessy,” Sullivan chortled. “Keep that up and his attention will never stray. I was overjoyed to see the wedding announcement and your family in attendance this time around. It gives me hope that my kids will be there for each other once I’m gone.” He gave her a sad smile. “Maximus managed to change his legacy before he died. I don’t think I’m going to be that lucky.”

Her intuition pinged. “Are you…?”

“Stage four cancer.”

“I’m sorry,” she said with genuine regret.

“Me, too,” he said prosaically. “I don’t know how much time I have left, so I’m trying to make a difference while I’m still here. Seeing you and Roth overcome your past and take on the world together… That’s what I want for my kids. To find a partner that will stick by them through it all.”

Apparently, he believed their romantic propaganda. Perhaps his illness had made him fanciful. It was understandable that he would want to believe in happily ever afters when faced with death. But the fact that he put her and Roth on a pedestal made her uncomfortable. The urge to confide the truth was so strong, she opened her mouth to confess that next Christmas they would be divorced, but his wistful smile made her swallow the truth.

“If there’s anything I can do…” she said instead.

“There is,” he said immediately. “Charlotte wants to talk to you about something.”

Before she could ask why his daughter would want to speak to her, he halted and presented her to the crowd as if they had finished a choreographed number on a dance show. “Jasmine Roth, everyone!”

There was a smattering of applause, but mostly people’s heads were inclined toward one another as they gossiped. She wasn’t sure what to do, so for the first time in her life, she did a freaking curtsy. She searched the crowd for Roth and was overjoyed to see Colette and Lyle standing beside him. As Sullivan escorted her to them, she took in Lyle’s black tux with a white bow tie and her sister’s eye-catching one-shoulder bronze dress with a caped sleeve. The sheath silhouette complimented Colette’s slim form, while the crystal beading made her shimmer. Colette’s hair was done in soft waves, a distinct change from her customary twist or chignon.

Colette smiled. “Those dancing lessons you took when you were thirteen paid off.”

She was startled by her sister’s playful banter in this setting and with Sullivan Trentham present. The fact that Colette even remembered that she took dancing lessons, much less the age she’d been when she took them, disconcerted her.

Colette didn’t wait for a response, but curtsied just as she had. As Colette and Lyle exchanged pleasantries with Sullivan, she took her place at Roth’s side.

He drew her against him and kissed the top of her head, clearly pleased with the dance she had with Sullivan. She relaxed against him and let go of her insecurities. She could do this.

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

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