Page 92 of Bitter Secrets

William chuckled as he chewed on his cigar. “Figured it out, did he?”

“Apparently.” Frederick eyed his father-in-law grimly as he said, “Charon just got off the phone with the Prime Minister.”

Teddy stopped tugging on her arm and looked around as the room fell silent. “Dad?”

She patted his leg. “Everything’s all right. What other sweets do you want to try?”

She tried to keep her attention on Teddy, but William’s wry, “It’s a good thing he’s on our side,” made her mind race.

She understood business and politics went hand in hand. Her father always made a point to befriend powerful politicians who could pave the way for him when he needed it. Maximus was aware of changing laws and regulations well before they went into effect so he could adjust his business practices. Her father took great pride in his vast network of connections. It was something Roth underestimated until banks called in his loans and business partners started backing out of his projects. Apparently, Roth had learned his lesson and created his own network. How had a boy raised in the wilds of Colorado surpassed those who had been groomed to excel in this environment? From William and Frederick’s reactions, it was clear they hadn’t been aware of his connection to the Prime Minister. What else didn’t she know about him?

Shortly after Penelope rejoined them, dinner was served in the formal dining room. Teddy, her new pal, stuck to her like glue. Janis asked about her sisters, while Abby showed the inspiration for her upcoming wedding. Despite the formal setting, there was no talk of business. The men discussed sports and upcoming trips while the women caught her up on mutual acquaintances. Dinner passed in a pleasurable haze of laughter and engaging conversation. Dishes came and went as the staff quickly and efficiently served and cleared plates.

They were on the fourth of five courses when Roth entered the room. The three assembled men straightened, unconsciously puffing out their chests in response to an alpha male intruding on their territory.

It was Teddy who broke the silence, peering at Roth over the back of his chair as he blurted out, “Do you play rugby?”

“Teddy!” Penelope admonished.

Jasmine buried her face against Teddy’s back to smother her laughter.

Roth looked down at the boy for a long moment before he said, “I’ve never played rugby.”

“You should! You’d be brilliant.”

“Maybe I will,” he murmured and reached out to grip Jasmine’s nape.

She swiped at her tears and looked up. She had a smile on her face. She couldn’t wipe it off if she tried. Teddy’s incessant talk of candy and his uncensored observations dissolved her anger, shame, and resentment, and left her feeling carefree and hopeful. Although she tensed when he bent down, she didn’t pull away as he pressed his lips against hers. The light kiss was an appropriate greeting compared to what he’d done at the restaurant. Maybe the presence of women and children forced him to scale back his Neanderthal behavior. She would have to remember that in the future.

“You’re late,” she murmured.

“Business,” he said shortly.

She waited for more, but realized that was all she was going to get. Was the call with the Prime Minister so commonplace that he thought it wasn’t worth mentioning, or did he not want to discuss why it was necessary to call such a high government official in the first place? She ignored the clamoring questions and pointed across the table to the only empty seat, which was between a beaming Abby and Janis. Roth gave her nape a firm squeeze before he rounded the table. She bit her lip as he settled between the women who fussed over him. Janis had all four courses delivered at once so he could catch up and poured him a full glass of wine, even though he declined. She listened with half an ear to Teddy who was explaining all the reasons why he loved chocolate as Janis tried to engage Roth in conversation.

“I’m so pleased you accepted our dinner invitation. You know you’re always welcome,” Janis said.

Roth nodded.

“Now that you’re married, I hope we’ll be seeing more of you. You know we’re very fond of Jasmine.”

He started to nod again before realizing that may come off as rude.

“Yes,” he said.

“You chose well.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Janis pat Roth’s arm, just as Penelope had done to her earlier in the day.

“She’s such a sweet girl. You couldn’t have picked a better partner.”

When Roth made no reply, she peeked at him and saw his eyes were on her. He knew she was listening to every word. She batted her lashes and raised her brows expectantly.

“No, I couldn’t have,” he said quietly. “That’s why I had to marry her twice.”

Abby and Janis clutched their chests as if that were a romantic line, but she knew better. This time, he would reap all the benefits he hadn’t gotten the first time around. She resisted the urge to hurl her bread roll at him and turned to Teddy, but her pal was distracted by something on Jin’s phone. She turned to Penelope instead and leaned in when she saw Mariah was awake.

“She’s precious,” she whispered.

---