C5, PT. 5

Her eyes drifted back to Roth. For a man who saw eating as a waste of time if it wasn’t paired with another task, his motionlessness seemed like an odd phenomenon. Talking about her infidelity pushed him into a violent rage, but her response to Maximus’ allegations caused an unsettling static that pushed him into such deep reflection that everything ceased to exist for him. She should take advantage of his preoccupation and leave the room, maybe arm herself with a weapon, and retrieve her phone from the kitchen. Instead, she sat in a stupor, trying to picture Maximus showing up here in the middle of the night to blackmail his son-in-law.

She couldn’t believe Maximus flew to London the same day she went to him for help. She assumed her father had used a middle man or communicated through phone or even a letter, so there would be no evidence of their deal. The fact that he did a face-to-face on Roth’s turf was ballsy… Then again, cowardice wasn’t one of the things her father had been accused of. She was awed, proud, devastated, and confused by it all. Aside from the night they first met, she had never seen her father and Roth in the same room. Imagining their showdown gave her prickling anxiety even though it happened years ago.

It never occurred to her to ask how Maximus got Roth to sign the divorce papers. She assumed they settled it in a civilized fashion—exchanging money or favors. Would Maximus have confided in her if she questioned him? Why keep that from her? Why had he lied that she begged to get back in his good graces to gain her inheritance? That she had a replacement—someone of her own “class” that made the grade? She had never cared about status. Her father and Roth should know that. Being the bastard daughter meant she barely made the grade herself so why had Maximus…? Oh. She pinched the bridge of her nose as several pieces of the puzzle came together.

Her father’s goal was to irrevocably damage their relationship beyond repair, so there was no chance of reconciliation. What better way to sever those final tendrils linking them together than by taunting Roth with the knowledge that she had a suitor waiting in the wings? Dad could have used her extensive sexual exploits to prove that she moved on. But, to add insult to injury, Maximus concocted a replacement with a background and connections that Roth couldn’t compete with. And with her inheriting a sizable fortune, the wealth Roth was slaving to amass was immaterial. Chalking up their relationship to a rebellious fling was a low blow. Where did her father even come up with this shit? Or, had he really thought that’s what her relationship with Roth was?

Maximus never went into negotiations without extensive knowledge of his opponent’s vices and weaknesses. He plied his target with compliments or disparaging comments, depending on their temperament and his goals. It was no surprise that Dad hadn’t used flattery with Roth. He’d known it would get him nowhere. Knowing how he felt about Roth, she could only imagine the deluge of insults he unleashed. Maximus had identified and ruthlessly targeted an inferiority complex she hadn’t even known Roth possessed. Apparently, he hoped these lies would make Roth despise her enough to forget her and move on. But her father greatly underestimated Roth’s thirst for vengeance.

No man wanted to hear they had been used or an “experiment” that a woman gave up on. That had been a gross miscalculation on Maximus’ part. He had no idea how cunning and patient Roth was. Dad’s condition that she steer clear of Roth made sense now. Maximus couldn’t risk them reuniting and sifting through the ashes of their relationship. Her father banked on Roth’s shattered pride and her promise to keep her distance to keep them apart. It hadn’t been enough.

She focused on Roth, who stood looking out a multimillion dollar view from a building that he owned. He looked every inch a tycoon. He wore his suit with the same casualness he’d once worn jeans, sports jackets, and boots. He was one of the very few who could make dreams a reality. They could have gone their whole lives without meeting, gliding past one another in society and never connecting. For some reason, the moment they met, their paths merged and that had dictated their lives ever since.

Roth had been punished severely for pursuing her. Most men would have surrendered when Maximus went after their business. Instead, Roth made her his wife and, for two years, endured unimaginable trials at her father’s hands. What he truly felt for her, she would never know, but he had dropped his shields, revealing chinks in his armor—his need to know the truth about the dissolution of their marriage stronger than his wounded pride.

She thought Roth played her and thanks to her father, the same seed had been planted in Roth’s mind. What a fucking mess. She couldn’t comprehend how Roth believed those lies. How could he not see the simple truth that she just wanted to be loved and have a life with him? The fact that he thought she’d run to her father to exchange her hard-won freedom for financial security made her grimace. Did he think she possessed so little skills that she couldn’t make a living? That she couldn’t survive without him or her father providing for her? Nothing short of a gargantuan crisis could compel her to seek out her father. And Roth’s refusal to give her a divorce—his insistence that she deal with him one on one—caused her to panic and run home. She was afraid she would fold. That she didn’t have the strength to stand her ground with him. She’d instinctively known she was weak where he was concerned—her current circumstances were proof positive that she was stupidly susceptible.

Had her father staged those meetups with her childhood friends? Had she been featured in a long-running episode of The Bachelorette, and she’d been completely oblivious? Maximus made it clear that he wanted her married to a man from their circles, and when he recommended her friends as potential partners, she laughed. If he wanted her safely married, why hadn’t he been more forceful? Or, had Roth fooled him into thinking she was safe? That he’d forgotten her when he’d actually been biding his time, collecting data on her family, and positioning himself to demolish Maximus’ legacy. Roth had been content to wait, knowing that Maximus life span was measured in months rather than decades.

“What else did my father say?”

Her voice was soft, so it wouldn’t startle or incite him. She wasn’t sure he heard, since he didn’t react.

“Roth?”

He stirred, rolling his shoulders before he said in a gruff tone, “It doesn’t matter.”

“I think it does.”

“Maximus mixed enough truth and lies to make them sound like the same thing. There’s no point repeating it.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. The small gesture would have been overlooked by most, but for men like Roth and her father, who controlled their body language so it wouldn’t give away their thoughts or emotions, it was significant. That simple action told her Roth was so rattled that he wasn’t suppressing his tells.

“I have a right to know since I was the main topic.”

He shook his head. “Maximus made a fool of me for the last time.”

He sounded like he was talking to himself.

“Roth.”

He turned. When their gazes locked, she felt as if an electric current rocketed her system. She assumed the danger had passed, but if her father were present, Roth would have killed him with his bare hands.

”Maximus said you realized how much you gave up, marrying a man with no pedigree. No matter how hard I worked, I would never get to where you wanted me to be.”

Her mouth sagged before she snapped, “Where I want you to be? I never had any expectations for you! You accomplished more in the first third of your life than most will in ten lifetimes. Why do you think my dad resented you so much? You surpassed people standing on generations of work. The night we met, I stuck my neck out because you deserved to be in that room. The strength of character it took to stand there and allow yourself to be humiliated and ridiculed to get to the next level floored me. I knew you were destined for greatness, but even I never imagined you’d accomplish what you have. You hold yourself to impossible standards that no one would dream were possible, yet you not only achieve them, you supersede all expectations. The commitment and strength it takes, the sacrifice, they have no clue.”

“But you left me.”

Something about the way he said that made her stomach flip. She looked away. “I left because you didn’t love me, not because you weren’t good enough. You’re married to your career. That’s not out of the ordinary for a man like you. That’s what it takes to make it to your level. I’m selfish. I wanted someone to put me first.” She restlessly spun her ring. “I would have been happy with you even if we struggled and worked two jobs. I would have cheered you on if you walked away from it all. I just wanted you, but you needed…”

Her eyes flicked to their surroundings before she curled her hand into a fist and flinched when the diamond speared her palm.

“Regardless of what happened between us, I was always proud of you for achieving what you did, especially because you didn’t have the advantages I have. It didn’t surprise me to see your face on the news. Your reputation for choosing the right investments still holds true. It’s ridiculous to think I would ever hold you to a standard I would never be able to meet. You’re exceptional, Roth, you always were. You shouldn’t let my dad or anyone else take that away from you.”

She didn’t understand the buzzing silence that greeted the end of her speech or the aggression radiating from him. It seemed his tension had increased. What the hell?

“The things your father said played a part in my treatment of you this time around.”

The confession zipped through her so quickly, she didn’t feel anything but a minor sting in the space where her heart used to be.

“It was easy to believe what Maximus said when you refused to see me. You treated me like a monster and ran to my enemy for help.”

He put his shoulders back, making his shirt gape to expose his chest because of his missing buttons.

“I vowed one day I would be powerful enough to have you at my feet. I promised myself I’d become your worst nightmare.”

She tried to align her thoughts, but they skittered in every direction. But one stuck out like a neon sign.

“So, your mother was right. You married me to ruin me,” she whispered.

“I had plans for you,” he said without inflection. “Plans that are now moot.”

“Is that why you went after Hennessy & Co?”

“I did that to ruin your father’s legacy.”

“But you married me to punish me?”

“Yes.”

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

Copyright © 2024 Mia Knight. All Rights Reserved.