Page 3 of The Perfect Lie
“There is a plan in place for that as well. But that is a discussion for another time. Don’t you have a dinner to attend?”
“Yes, but you already know that. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Have I ever failed you?”
Unable to respond, I was forced to end the call when the door to the bedroom swung open. Delilah stepped out of the room and looked at me with concern. “Crosby, who were you talking to?”
“Just a business associate. You look beautiful.” Delilah was beautiful, even though she didn’t think so.
“Let me grab my purse, and then we can leave. I want to get to the restaurant early so we can visit with everyone before we eat dinner.” Delilah smiled, headed back inside the bedroom, but not without straightening my tie.
Knowing what would be taking place tonight, I wasn’t looking forward to visiting with any Cross family members. I wasn’t sure if I could maintain a straight face knowing that this would be the last night Delilah would see her daughter.
Staring into Delilah’s eyes, I pulled her in for a hug while placing a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”
∞
When we entered the restaurant's backroom, everyone had already arrived. In my opinion, having a pre-rehearsal dinner was a little overboard since we would be doing the same thing in a week. In the beginning, I disagreed even though Davian offered to flip the bill, but now, it really didn’t matter because the scheduled rehearsal dinner would never happen.
Tonight would be the last time Delilah would see Gwen, which broke my heart. I wished I could come clean and tell her everything, but she would never forgive me. The weight of the secrets I had been carrying for thirty years was more than any man should have to undergo. But in the end, it would all be worth it. The Cross name would soon mean nothing, and the Salko name would once again have the respect it so justly deserved. Not only would we have control of Chicago, but Atlanta would also be ours.
As a waiter went around the table to take everyone’s drink order, the vibration of my cell bounced against my chest. Everyone, including Delilah, was engaged in conversation as I pulled my phone from my suit jacket's inner pocket. My eyes focused on the text message, and I knew that before the evening was over, Gwen and Davian's relationship would come to an end.
Placing my phone on the table, I was about to take a drink of my bourbon when Lorenzo stood and address the group. “I couldn’t be prouder of my son. Not only has he increased the profits of Cross Enterprises, but he has also managed to find a lovely lady to be his wife. I wish both of them the greatest happiness and hope soon they will bless me with many grandchildren.”
Base on Gwen’s reaction, she wasn’t pleased with Lorenzo’s toast. Watching everyone lift their glasses in response to the toast, I was well aware of Gwen’s plans for starting a family. Her dream of becoming a lawyer was her top priority, even if it would never happen, at least not in Atlanta. She worked so hard to get where she was, and if anything, I would make certain that she would continue her education no matter what happened. Rui was well aware of this fact.
“I second that.” I heard Delilah chuckle with a happy tone, breaking my thoughts.
After seeing the joy in her eyes at the thought of being a grandmother, there was no way I could let Rui go through with his plan. As soon as the dinner was over, I would contact Rui and tell him to call his plan off. There had to be another way to stop the marriage.
Guilt pulled at my chest, and I could feel the walls closing in on me. Pushing from the table, I grabbed my phone and kissed Delilah on the cheek. “I need some air. I’ll be right back.”
“Is everything okay? We can leave if you aren’t feeling well. I’m sure Gwen will understand.” Concern splashed across Delilah’s face. If only I could tell her the truth. Maybe if I weren’t such a coward, I would. But that would mean I would lose her too.
“I’m fine. I’ll be right back.”
As I left the banquet room, I pulled up Rui’s number and put the phone to my ear. Before I reached the front door of the restaurant, Rui answered. “I am kind of busy, Crosby. Make it fast.”
“I want you to call off your plan. There has to be another way.”
“You are about an hour too late. There’s no way to stop it. It is for the best.”
The line went dead, and I knew I was fucked. Scraping my hand through my hair, I threw my phone to the ground.
“Bad news?” I jumped when I heard a male voice to my right. I’d been unaware that I wasn’t alone.
Turning my head in the direction of the voice, I saw a young man smoking a cigarette and wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie standing three feet from me. “The worst. You wouldn’t by chance have another one of those?” I said as I pointed to the cigarette perched between his lips.
Reaching in his back pocket, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and held it toward me. It had been ten years since the filter of a cigarette touched my lips, but damn if I cared. I promised Delilah I would never smoke again, but just like every other promise I hadn’t kept, one more wouldn’t make a shit of difference.
Taking the offered lighter, I handed the young man his pack of smokes in exchange for the lighter. Already I could taste the flavor of the tobacco before I even lit the cigarette. Twisting the lighter between my fingers, I watched the light hit the sterling silver case.
“Are you going to light the son-of-a-bitch or just stare at the lighter?” the young man said as he pushed the pack of cigarettes into his back pocket.
“Nah.” I handed him back his lighter and the cigarette. “Thanks for listening.”
Shaking his head, he took the lighter and shoved it in his front pocket, but not before lighting the cigarette I didn’t have the guts to light. “You must be an ex.”
