Page 44 of Bitter Confessions

“Minnie.”

Jasmine turned her head as Lyle approached. Although she wasn’t happy with his words or behavior in Lisbon, the kids’ happy, infectious mood made it hard to hold a grudge.

“Happy Thanksgiving,” she said and gave him a hug.

“Glad you could make it,” Lyle said, extending his hand to Roth.

Clearly, her family were expecting Roth and had collectively decided to handle this in a civilized manner. As always, Roth had been right to brazen this out and face her family head-on.

Colette waved from the couch, where she was cradling a small bundle. Jasmine rushed over to get a look at Polara, who was fast asleep. Polara was no longer a newborn. Her cheeks were rosy and full, and one chubby fist gripped Colette’s finger. Jasmine had to clap her hand over her mouth to stop herself from shrieking like Bailey. Polara was dressed in a cream-colored lace and tulle dress, with a matching headband that fit the Nutcracker theme.

“She’s gorgeous,” Jasmine whispered.

“And she’s the most well-behaved baby in the world,” Colette said proudly.

“Wait until you have two.” Ariana’s eyes followed her children, who chased one another around the room and narrowly missed knocking over one of the ballerina statues.

“I’m not planning on having more.”

Ariana looked at Colette with raised brows. “You think Lyle will be satisfied with one? He’s always wanted a big family.”

Colette gave her a flat stare. “It’s not up to him, is it?”

“Does your marriage contract mention how many children?”

Jasmine stiffened.

“I don’t think so. I think it just mentions an heir. I was lucky to get pregnant naturally at my age. I’m forty, not twenty.” Colette glanced at the men, who were talking in a loose circle. “Maybe I should review the contract.”

“You should definitely look into it.” Ariana turned to Jasmine and gave her a once-over. “You look great. It seems your honeymoon did you both good.”

As they went through the expected pleasantries, Jasmine was very aware of the fact she’d hugged or kissed everyone but her sisters. They’d never been affectionate, but she’d assumed their frequent communication over the past weeks would have broken through that wall of reserve. Apparently not. Her sisters were still playing the part of the formal hostesses, making polite, inane conversation instead of voicing the questions swimming in their eyes.

She took in Ariana’s skirt suit with black tights and pumps and Colette’s black culottes and loose sweater. Their roles had switched.

Determined to interrupt their routine, she asked, “Did you go into the office?”

Ariana looked taken aback by the abrupt question, but she recovered quickly. “Yes. I went in for a few hours.”

Colette’s brows came together. “A few hours? I thought you just had to double-check something.”

“One thing led to another. You know how it is.” When Colette continued to stare at her, Ariana waved her hand. “It’s nothing. Everything’s under control.”

During the awkward pause, Jasmine took the opportunity to examine her sister. Ariana’s glacial blue eyes were clear and alert and showed no sign she was under the influence of any drug. Her sister looked competent and polished, which was a relief considering what she had read in her file. She wanted to believe the whole thing was one big misunderstanding. Seeing Ariana looking healthy and normal put her mind at ease and reassured her she could put off the intervention for another time.

Determined to keep the conversation informal, she asked Colette, “How are you settling into mommy life?”

Colette reluctantly took her eyes off Ariana. It was clear Colette wanted to question her sister about work but knew this wasn’t the time or place. “It’s been good,” she said. “Believe it or not, I actually have a lot of spare time, so I decided to tackle Dad’s apartments.”

As one, they all looked up.

The top two floors of the building had been Maximus’s primary residence before he retired to Tuxedo Park.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“I’m not sure yet. So far, I’ve just been sorting through things and reading about his first business deals.” Colette shot a furtive look at her husband before saying in a low undertone, “I’d rather put my time to better use. If Lyle gets his way, I’ll be out of the office for six months.”

If Jasmine hadn’t been watching so closely, she would have missed Ariana’s agitated finger flicking at her side.

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