Page 19 of The Wife Deception
Nolan frowned. "Then why are you here?"
Hunter gestured at someone behind us. "Because the host is my cousin, and I have run out of excuses."
I glanced over my shoulder to see who he was referring to and my eyes locked onto three women talking in a circle. My stomach dropped. I recognized one out of the three. The beautiful, petite, light-skinned black woman with long brown curls was Thalia. Next to her was a tall, statuesque brunette who looked vaguely familiar. I was sure I had seen her face on a billboard before. The three women wore sparkly jewel toned gowns, all different colors and styles, that made them stand out in the crowd. Beside her was another beautiful raven-haired woman unfamiliar to me. They spoke animatedly and looked like friends.
"Gemma can be persuasive when she chooses," Nolan said. "She made me guest-of-honor just soI could attend."
The women must have sensed our gaze because one of them, the tall one, waved at us smiling, then she and the rest of her crew promptly made their way to us.
"Hugh said you weren't coming," the tall brunette said. "I bet five dollars that you wouldn't miss an opportunity to show off your new wife," the tall
"Hi Darcy." Nolan drew me to his side, and I tried to ignore my body's reaction to his hand touching my waist. "Aelin, meet Gemma," he gestured to the raven haired woman, "The wonderful organizer of this gala. I don't know how she single-handedly pulls it off, but she does every time."
Gemma chuckled. "You're such a flatterer," she turned to me, "Don't listen to your husband. There's an entire committee that contributes to organizing all of this."
"Darcy," he motioned to the tall woman, "a family friend. Although I am not sure what she does ever since she retired from modeling."
"She does a lot," Darcy said, "including hosting this event, among other things. Hi Aelin."
"Nice to meet you," I said.
Darcy's eyes narrowed, and she looked like she was about to say something, but she was interrupted by an oblivious Nolan who said, "And of course you've met Thalia."
I said a small hi, wondering what Thalia had told her friends of me. Darcy and Gemma didn't seem to be aware of the brunch revelations, and if they were, they were polite enough not to show it. Darcy, however, seemed to be intensely interested in me. She gawked. Unnerved by her microscopic gaze, I deliberately avoided her.
"We were wondering if you just ask people to write you a check," Hunter said. "Instead of doing," he waved his hand around, "Doing all of this."
"That's because most of you wouldn't cough up your money if we didn't wine and dine you," Gemma tapped her cousin's shoulder. "You billionaires can be stingy if someone comes to you with a begging bowl."
"We need to get you drunk and happy so you can unclasp your purse," Darcy added.
Nolan rolled his eyes. "Is that why you made me the guest of honor?"
"We made you guest-of-honor so you can take the biggest donor crown off of Thalia. It's weighing heavily on her," Darcy said.
"Darcy!" Gemma cried. "That was supposed to be a secret." She lowered her voice when she spoke the last two words. Darcy shrugged and took a sip of her wine.
"She's his sister-in-law. He has to do it for her."
"Take the crown away from me, please. I cringe every time I see my name on that board."
I darted my eyes to a large wooden board with the wordsPlatinum Crown: Thalia Hawthornein gold lettering hanging on the south wall of the ballroom. Other walls had the names of other crown holders. With the gold crown on the north wall, with the silver crown on the east wall and the bronze crown on the west wall.
Why would she not want her name on it if she was the holder of what I assume to be the largest donor to what was a worthy cause? It was a cancer charity, was it not? I didn't have to wonder for too long because Thalia then sighed and said, "I can't believe I made such a stupid mistake. It should be Carey's name up there. I did nothing."
"Sorry," Gemma said. "If I had put Carey's name up, people would have called me a sexist for assuming it's the guy who donated when everyone saw you put your name. And I can't, anyway. Carey said if I put his name up there, he will sue the charity into bankruptcy."
"I'm sorry. What exactly did you do?" I asked.
"I thought I was donating two thousand dollars, instead of two million dollars. And to make matters worse. My husband didn't like me at the time and I was sure he was going to humiliate me by making me admit the mistake to everyone."
"But he paid and made everyone think she was the one who donated," Darcy cooed. "Because he was in love with her all along."
"Carey sounds like a good guy," I pondered
"He has his moments, my brother." Nolan said beside me.
"Thank you once again, Nolan," Thalia said.
