Page 116 of Bitter Confessions

She felt as if she’d been doused with cold water. “Fifty?”

Zoe took in the way the color drained from her face and let out a tinkling laugh. “Don’t be distressed, lieve. Your husband is honoring you, as he should.” She tapped Jasmine’s bracelet. “I’m going to have mercy on you and keep the price of this to myself. Enjoy being spoiled by your husband. That’s your right.”

Before she could digest that, Zoe was nabbed by her husband, leaving Jasmine with Colette, who resumed her briefing. She had trouble paying attention after that bombshell, but it wasn’t long before they were interrupted again, this time by Lyle.

“You’re taking her?” she hissed when Lyle wrapped his arm around Colette.

“Business,” Lyle said and chucked her under the chin. “Behave.”

She seriously considered kicking him, but Colette’s encouraging smile killed the urge.

“You got this,” Colette mouthed before Lyle led her around the dance floor.

Jasmine quelled the initial burst of panic at being abandoned by her all-knowing sister. She glanced at Roth. During the wave of introductions, she’d drifted a short distance from him. Now he was speaking to two men. She wasn’t sure whether to go her own way and allow him to conduct business in private or stand by and be a silent support.

After a slight hesitation, she approached the group. If he didn’t need her, she’d excuse herself and socialize on her own like the other wives. She touched his back to alert him of her presence before coming up alongside him. She smiled graciously at the men, whose gazes immediately fixed on her.

“Sorry to interrupt,” she said, and wasn’t surprised when both men waved that away.

“We met a long time ago,” one of the men said. “I don’t know if you remember...?”

“Barry Pratt? We bumped into each other at that gala at the Waldorf Astoria. Your wife’s name is Renee?”

His eyes widened. “Yes, that’s right. You have an excellent memory.”

“I try. Is your wife here?”

“Yes, she’s over there holding court with some of her friends.”

“Great. Maybe I’ll...” She started to excuse herself until Roth grasped her hand and squeezed. “I’ll catch up with her later,” she finished.

She settled at his side, content to people-watch before she registered that an awkward silence had fallen. Both men were looking to Roth to carry on the conversation, but he was mute.

“Roth recently made New York his base instead of London, so he won’t be traveling so much,” she said breezily. “What about you two? Are you still traveling throughout the year for business?”

It wasn’t the best save, but it did the job. Barry and the other man, Orlando, both traveled often—what billionaire didn’t? It took less than a minute for them to hit on a mutual contact in London that all three of them knew well. Before they left, Barry and Orlando extended invitations to meet up for dinner after the New Year.

She and Roth didn’t even have time to exchange a word before three men who had been waiting for their chance to get an introduction pounced. There seemed to be an invisible receiving line in front of them. The minute one person stepped aside, one or two replaced him. The sheer amount of people vying for Roth’s attention was overwhelming. Her training churned to the surface. Between Colette’s briefing, her upbringing in society, and Roth’s knowledge of the business world, it was easy to find connections and keep the conversation rolling although she had to feed Roth a question or topic when he’d been quiet for too long.

Several wives tried to separate her and Roth so the men could discuss business. This wasn’t out of the ordinary, but Roth wasn’t having it. Like he had on the night they met, he refused to let her go. He had her clamped to his left side so he could shake with his right. When a sports mogul made a joke of it, Roth didn’t crack a smile or loosen his hold. In the awkward silence that followed she admitted, “I had a little panic attack when we arrived, so he’s making sure I’m okay and that I don’t sneak away and abandon him.”

The chuckles that followed were a relief. She didn’t want to risk offending anyone in this crowd if she could help it.

When she turned to the sports mogul’s wife, she was startled by the envy in her expression before it was replaced by a polished smile that wasn’t dazzling enough to detract from her sad eyes.

They were talking to brothers who managed a brokerage firm when she sensed Roth’s rising tension. She didn’t know what was causing it, but when he squeezed her hip, she took a wild guess. She braced her hand on his abdomen and waved at no one in particular before giving the brothers an apologetic smile.

“I’m so sorry. I see someone Roth has to meet.”

“No, of course. It was great speaking with you. Roth, you have our number.”

Thirty seconds later, they parted ways.

“What is it?” she murmured.

“I spotted Mikhail Belikov.”

“The self-made private equity investor worth ten billion?” she surmised, nodding. “Colette thought you might want to touch bases with him. He’s one of the white whales.”

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