C17, PT. 4

He crowded her, forcing her to crane her neck back to hold his burning gaze. The familiar scent of his cologne comforted her, even as she stared in eyes that held no trace of warmth or affection. He was back to being the untouchable tycoon. No compassion, distant, fortified.

“Are you breaking our deal?”

His indifferent tone made it sound like he didn’t care one way or the other. For the millionth time, she wondered how everything had gone so wrong and what she’d done to turn him back into the iceman.

“Are you giving up on your sisters?” he pressed. “You want the board to replace them?”

 He fingered a strand of her wet hair as she stared straight ahead.

“I don’t care either way. I have better things to do than attend meetings on your behalf, vouching for your worthless sisters.”

She blinked rapidly as her eyes stung with tears.

“Are you forfeiting your family’s company because you don’t want to spend an evening drinking champagne at a party?”

His taunt made her swallow the invisible obstruction in her throat. “I’ll go.”

He showed no reaction to her answer. No satisfaction or disappointment, just static. He stayed where he was, mouth an uncompromising line as he surveyed her upturned face. She was sure there was nothing for him to object to because she felt absolutely nothing and knew her face was as blank as she felt.

“Are you planning to make a scene tonight to get back at me?”

That was the last thing she wanted. She shook her head.

“See that you don’t,” he said quietly. “I have important business to see to. If you plan to throw a tantrum and retaliate in public, you won’t like the consequences. You’ll wear Daiyu’s dress and go to the appointments Sarai made for you, no complaints. Tonight, you smile and play your part.”

He leaned down. He was so close, she saw her reflection in those fathomless obsidian pools.

“I expect to get my money’s worth, Jasmine. Don’t let me down.”

He gave her a brief, sexless kiss that made her insides wither before he walked away. She listened to the sound of his retreating footsteps and, although it should be impossible, knew the exact moment he boarded the elevator and she was alone.

Her heart thudded in her ears. If she had any doubts about their relationship, he just set her straight. There were moments when the lines blurred, when she thought they might be building something more. But as he so succinctly reminded her, they had a deal. This wasn’t a real marriage where she could refuse to do something he asked of her without consequences. He valued her for her body and background. And, since it appeared that he had his fill of her sexually, that left business. She wasn’t here to daydream and write in an office with a multi-million dollar view. He married her to leverage her connections and further his gains.

She fulfilled two parts of their agreement—she traveled with him and fucked his brains out, but she neglected the most important part. Seven years ago, Roth was an outsider. This time, he had contacts like Sullivan Trentham, reached the coveted billionaire status, and had the daughter of his enemy on his arm. The Trentham Ball was the ideal setting for an epic comeback. This wasn’t about her, it was about cementing his image in society. She was an expensive prop, nothing more, and he expected to get his money’s worth. He would do whatever was necessary to ensure she complied, once again threatening to pull the plug on Hennessy & Co, even if he lost tens of millions in the process. She had no doubt he would do it. In his mind, she hadn’t paid up. Her capitulation and loving devotion meant nothing to him. All that mattered was business.

She took a fortifying breath and put her shoulders back. Her father’s training would stop her from making a fool of herself. She knew how society worked and how she would be received. She had never been respected, even as a Hennessy. She redeemed herself a little when she reconciled with her father, but reentering the highest levels of society on the arm of the man she cheated with while engaged to Ford Baldwin? It was going to cause an uproar.

Roth was a powerhouse… and a man. Men always got a pass when it came to infidelity. It was the woman who was always shunned. The fact that she married her lover twice wouldn’t make a difference to the prudes in high society. And, it was no secret that Roth was now the majority shareholder of Hennessy & Co. Tongues would be wagging tonight.

The fact that he gave her no warning of this upcoming battle and shoved her back into the spotlight with no warning, really showed how little he cared for her feelings. He knew how much she dreaded her father’s parties and how relieved she’d been to be disowned so she didn’t have to circulate in society. On top of the cold shoulder he’d given her this week, he now expected her to put on the performance of her life in an arena that had always been her version of hell on earth.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been standing there, staring into space, but she came out of her stupor when she heard the distant ring of her phone. She should get that. It was probably Sarai calling to give her a rundown of her appointments for the day. Appointments she desperately needed to be anywhere near presentable for the level of scrutiny she would be under tonight, but she was rooted to the spot.

When the phone quieted, she forced herself to move. She made her way back to her jewelry box and took off everything but the ruby ring and diamond anklet. They would go unnoticed and were a source of comfort when she had no one to lean on.

She stared at her first wedding band, the one he said he held on to as a reminder. Of what, she still didn’t know. For her, it represented a new start—one that ended before it began. He wasn’t capable of giving her the things she needed. She’d always known that and still allowed herself to believe… to her detriment.

She dropped the ring in the jewelry box, along with all the other broken promises from her mother’s lovers. As her phone trilled again, she strode out of the office. Dread and trepidation were replaced by grim resolve. She had been training for a night like this all of her life. She would do her job and ensure Roth got his money’s worth. If she did her job well enough, maybe he would have no further need of her, call it even, and let her go.

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

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