Page 73 of Ruin
Well… That wasn’t what I was expecting him to say.
“I-I can’t afford a divorce. And there is no way Joesph is going to just let me go. He owns me, remember?”
He scowls, and I note the tension in his jaw as he holds my gaze. “You belong to no one, Lily St Clair. And definitely not to that monster. And as for money, that isn’t even an issue.”
I raise my chin. “I can’t let you pay for it.”
He smirks, sitting back in his chair. “I think you’ve forgotten how incredibly stubborn I can be. There is no universe where I allow you to stay married to the arsehole simply because you don’t currently have the funds to pay for it. But make no mistake, after that divorce, you will no longer have to worry about money. Yes, Joseph is powerful and has a lot of money… But so do I. And I’ll be making damn sure that you take every cent from that abusive dick.”
God, what must it feel like to be so sure of yourself? To have so much money that you know you can have and do whatever you want?
Knowing that there is no point arguing with him about it, Istudy him quietly for a moment. “Can I think about it, first? I just… I don’t know if I’m ready to face him again.”
He nods. “Of course. It will always be your choice. No one makes decisions for you anymore.”
“Thank you.” I smile at him and move towards the door.
“Always, Lily,” he replies quietly.
And I force myself to keep walking, rather than turn back to see if he’s watching me with that same haunted expression.
33
LITTLE FAMILY OF MISFITS
LILY
Just after 7pm,I head down into the basement, using the stairs this time, which feels strange. A week ago, it was full of people fucking all over the place, so to walk in the door and not be greeted by naked bodies and sexy music has me a little off balance.
The smell of popcorn and chocolate fills the air as I walk down the stairs and enter the long hall, passing all the empty bedrooms as I head towards the open space at the other end.
A bunch of cosy looking armchairs and couches have been grouped together, and a projector screen has been pulled down from the ceiling. Over at the bar, a cinema style popcorn machine has been set up and is full of delicious looking buttered popcorn. Sebastian’s head driver, David, stands on the other side of the bar, mixing up various cocktails while laughing at something Sabrina says in his ear as she stands beside him, cutting up fruit.
There’s a chocolate fountain set up on a table surrounded by other sugary treats, and it all looks and smells amazing.
“Hey, Lily,” Dante says, wandering up behind me and slinging an arm over my shoulder. “Surprised to see you down here.”
The French-Canadian and I have struck up a friendship over the past few weeks, and I have to agree with Imogen’s initial comment about him being a giant puppy dog. One with a very beautiful face and, from what I’ve gathered, a very very high sex drive.
“Figured it was time she joined in on the fun,” Annika says, appearing beside him.
“The boss know she’s here?” Dante raises an eyebrow in her direction.
“Yep,” Annika says, but there’s something off about her tone.
Like she’s trying to get him to shut up.
“Interesting.” He gives my shoulder a squeeze before heading towards the bar and grabbing a frozen purple cocktail.
“Why do I get the feeling that there is far more to this than a simple movie night?” I ask Annika.
She shakes her head. “I mean, sometimes these nights do lead to other group activities, but I doubt that will happen tonight.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Really?”
She shrugs. “I mean, yeah. We’ve all fucked one another more than a few times at movie nights. But I doubt that Sebastian will let anything happen tonight while you’re here. And Cam is coming, too.”
Frowning, I shake my head. “But… why would that matter?”
