Page 40 of The Wife Deception
"Wow. So why did you agree?"
I scoffed. "My grandfather promised me to take care of my student debt."
"Student debt? Should I ask… you know what? I won't. I've met a fair number of stingy billionaires to know those people love to dole out their money after being kissed in the butthole more than a few times. Let me guess, your parents did something to anger your grandfather, so he cut them off."
It was my turn to be surprised. "How did you know?"
She folded her arms confidently. "There's something different about you. You don't act like a typical snotty rich kid. You certainly don't act like a spoiled one, either."
She was very astute. No wonder she caught me so earlier. "Are you going to tell people?"
"Oh no," she waved me off. "This isn't my story to tell. It's not like I care about Aelin anyway, and Nolan is a big boy. He can take care of himself. I have to say," she sighed. "I wanted to blow your cover today. It's the reason I even attended the race. Not a fan of boats in general. But after I saw you save Lake, I realized you're not the person I thought you were. You are certainly better than Aelin."
Relief washed over me. "Really? I thought you were friends with Aelin."
"Friends! Your cousin doesn't havefriends, but we do see each other at Lake Trenwood. Hugh loves it there, and she's usually around whenever we vacation. Damn it."
"What?"
"Keeping your secret means I've just lost another bet."
***
"Are you okay?" Nolan asked for the third time. "We can have a doctor do a checkup on you to make sure you didn't catch pneumonia or something."
"I'm fine." His concern was touching. "Like I said before, I was only in the water for less than aminute. If anyone you should fuss over is the kid who drowned."
"He has two loving parents. He'll be fine."
"So am I." Minus the two loving parents. "So stop fretting." Nolan and I were standing at the far end of the aft deck of Darcy's yacht. Or should I say, Darcy's friend's yacht. Everyone had somehow congregated here and something of an impromptu celebration party had begun. Levi, Damien, Ivy and Nolan had been fussy when he saw me again. Asking if I was okay constantly. It was odd to have someone give me so much attention. I felt like I was a princess in a storybook. And after my talk with Darcy, my nerves had calmed. Now that I wasn't constantly worrying about her, she was a pretty cool person.
She and Thalia were on the other end of the deck, trying to pop a champagne bottle with a knife. Their attempt finally yielded a result when Thaliapopped the bottle and frothy wine shot out. They ran to Carey, who had his back to them while talking to Levi, and poured it on him. They all laughed at his shocked surprise. He turned on Thalia, took the bottle, and attempted to pour the rest of the contents on her, but she ran away laughing.
Nolan shook his head.
"What?"
"You know he wasn't like that before they were together. Heck, even after they were together."
"Love changes people, I guess."
He scoffed. "Love is a fleeting emotion."
"You think it will fade?"
"He's obsessed with her, that's all. Has been ever since they were kids."
I shook my head. "You're too much of a cynic."
He tilted his head to the side. "And you believe in it? I've never taken you for a sentimentalist."
I've never questioned the concept before. "Everyone falls in love. Everyone has at least someone they love."
"And who do you love?"
"My mother. I loved her a lot."
"What happened?"
