Page 148 of Vengeful Princess

She looked around, scanning the opulent decor, and then nodded. As I poured us both a Scotch, she kicked her shoes off and padded over to the glass doors. The night was freezing, but she opened them anyway, stepping out onto the stone terrace overlooking the park.

“You’ll catch your death of cold out there,” I warned her, noting the goosebumps on her exposed skin.

“I’ll be fine,” she replied dismissively while staring out across the city. Lights twinkled like pretty jewels, and in the distance, I could hear music and the sound of traffic navigating the streets around the hotel.

“Here, drink this.” She took the glass I offered without complaint and sipped it slowly. “So, are you going to tell me what happened and why Landon is a cunt?” My phone buzzed in my suit jacket pocket, but I ignored it.

For several minutes, she said nothing as she stood staring out into the night, still as a statue.

“I saw him downstairs. With an older woman.”

Ah. It all made sense now. Lan was here with Elaine. I glanced at my watch. If his plan went off without a hitch, she should be well on the way to dream land about now.

“It’s not what you think,” I told her.

Thea’s eyebrow shot up. “Sure, and I’m Mother Theresa.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Of course, she didn’t believe me. Why would she? It was pretty obvious Thea had major trust issues.

“Elaine Jordon is the chair of the Global Whiskey Awards judging committee. It’s a very prestigious organization, and if Rothmore wins, it boosts their reputation and sales.” It wasn’t my place to explain this to Thea, but since Lan wasn’t here, I had to tell her something.

Thea chewed her lip as she ingested what I was telling her, both the words and the subtext. She wasn’t stupid. I knew damn well she’d read between the lines.

“So he’s screwing this woman, all so the family’s distillery wins an award? Does that cover it?”

“Not quite.”

Thea huffed with irritation and gulped her Scotch back. I half-expected her to cough, but she showed no reaction whatsoever.

“Look, let’s go back inside. It’s freezing out here.” If I was cold, she had to be hypothermic by now. Her dress barely covered anything, least of all her breasts. Were her nipples hard? My cock certainly was.

I pushed open the glass doors, and to my relief, she followed me back inside. Someone had lit the fire 30 minutes ago, at my request. Thea perched on the arm of a sofa while I walked over and stood soaking up the heat for a moment.

“I saw him all over the woman, so explain to me how he’s an innocent party.” When I turned around, she’d schooled her face into a blank mask, but I could see the anger in her eyes. And hurt.

She didn’t like the idea of Lan touching another woman. Interesting. Given how closed off she always was, I’d assumed Landon’s obsession with her was mostly one-sided, but apparently not.

It was obvious the girl was in way over her head. Landon might be obsessed right now, but it wouldn’t last.

Lan was a magpie in all but name. He loved shiny new toys that sparkled prettily. Once they lost their allure, he tossed them aside without a second glance.

It was his nature.

“Lan doesn’t get much choice in the matter. His father uses him to get clients and anyone else important on-side. Has done for years.”

Thea looked horrified. “So you’re saying his father pimps him out?”

“In a way, yes. It’s not always sex. Lan’s charming and good company. More often than not, that’s enough. The woman has a nice evening being treated like a queen, which makes her more amenable to doing Stuart’s bidding.”

“And how does Isobel feel about this?”

“She doesn’t know.” We both turned to see Landon standing at the entrance to the living area. Shit. It must have been he who messaged me. Dammit. I should have checked.

“So you’re a whore?”

I winced, as did Landon, but he shrugged like her accusation meant nothing.

“Sex is sex, sweetheart. Meaningless most of the time. The woman has a good time, our family benefits.”

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