Page 3 of Forbidden Mistress

Asshole.

I find him on the far side of the room, standing by the Adonis ice sculpture. Fitting, very fitting. There are half a dozen women surrounding him, hanging on his every word. They must have read the article in Forbes, outing him as a self-made billionaire. That usually brings all the girls to the yard.

What they don’t know is that he’s a billionaire because of my dad’s hard work. Hard work that Liam is passing off as his own.

As I weave my way toward him, I’m stopped several times by extended family members I haven’t seen in ages—asking me about my work, my studies, what I’m doing now. Am I dating? All the typical questions.

I’m thankful for the mask, because it hides my growing irritation.

I’m trapped, listening to Aunt Liz’s play-by-play account of her most recent diagnosis—shingles—when I see my stepmom walk through the door. Lori smiles as she hugs and kisses Lexi and is introduced to Lexi’s fiancé, Ash.

“I’m so sorry, Aunt Liz,” I interrupt. “I see Lori. I’ll be right back.”

One hundred percent not coming back to finish that conversation.

I make a beeline for Lori.

“Hey, honey,” Lori says when she catches sight of me. “When did you get here? Just getting across town took me thirty minutes.”

“I know,” I say. “I’ve been stalking you on the Find My Peeps app.”

Lori takes off her scarf and fans herself. “Where’s the booze? I’m not making it through this without a cocktail.”

“They’re walking around with champagne,” I say. “So, um, you told me Liam wasn’t coming. What happened to that award thing he was going to?”

Her eyes light up. “Oh, is he here? He said he might make it after all, but he wasn’t sure. He’s always so busy, you know?”

“Yeah, I do know.” I was counting on that.

Lori is already distracted, waving at someone across the room. She then takes off in that direction, leaving me alone by the entrance.

Fuck it. I should just head home. I’ve shown my face, I’ve smiled, I’ve said hello to the beautiful host and hostess. My duty as Lexi’s cousin is done, right?

Should I say goodbye? I glance over at my cousin. She’s deep in conversation with someone, so I decide not to bother her. If I slip out quietly, she won’t know exactly when I left, right? I can text her later, thank her for a fabulous time, and yadda yadda yadda.

I pull my phone out and text my stepmom.

I’m leaving. Headache. Call you later.

I don’t even wait for a reply before shoving my phone back into my purse and heading to the coat check. I hand the attendant my ticket and wait as she disappears into the coat room to find my thirty-dollar coat from one of those discount stores.

My phone dings. It’s a text from Liam.

Running away, little sister?

Of course, it’s him. Of course, he knows exactly where I am and what I’m doing. He can’t resist. I grit my teeth and type out a reply.

You’re an asshole.

His response comes three seconds later.

You’re not wrong. Why are you leaving?

This guy is unbelievable. I type something out that I know will piss him off…

None of your business.

The attendant appears with my coat. But before I can reach for it, my phone dings again.

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