Page 60 of Knocked Up by My Fake Fiancé
"You didn't do anything you shouldn't have done." The regret in her eyes awakens my protective instincts, and for the first time, I feel like maybe there's more to Stephanie than meets the eye.
Maybe her flippant, snobby nature is only a shield, a coating for the guilt she lives with.
Or maybe I'm reading too much into it, and psychoanalyzing someone I don't know.Yeah, stop that.
"So, how did your mother react?"
"Oh, Mom had a fit. She was mad at Marina, George,andGrayson, too."
"Grayson? What did he do but get cheated on?"
"She was mad that he let 'that kind of woman' into their home in the first place. Did the whole we-told-you-so routine on him. NAow, they were stuck with her and couldn't get rid of her. Mom wanted Marina gone, but George insisted. Dad got caught in the middle and ultimately sided with George.
So George took Marina with him to London, and now they're getting married and she's officially joining the family. That's what mom's mad about, that Marina gets her way. You're going to be collateral damage to that anger."
"I don't care about that. My thing is, why is she mad at Grayson? It's not Grayson's fault."
"Yes, but it's easier to blame Grayson than anyone else. She'll tell you that she warned him several times and he should have listened to her, and that's why she's mad. But really, it's because Grayson is the only one who will care that she's mad. George doesn't care what mom thinks, and Marina, well, she doesn't care either." She takes a deep breath. "Anyway, that's the story of my brother's broken heart. Ever since then, Grayson hasn't done anything except bury himself in work, and I know part of that is working to regain my parents' approval. In a way, the fact that he chose Marina shows a lapse in judgment, at least in their eyes it does, and he's never gotten over that. That probably hurts him as much as the heartbreak. Maybe more."
"You think he's not over her?"
"Whether or not he's over her is one thing. It's whether he's over hischoosingher that's more the issue," she says. "Anyway, I'm telling you this because I've heard that George and Marina are moving back from London. Dad is supposedly training George up to take over the CEO role from Grayson."
"Are you serious?" I explode again. "It's not enough that that bastard steals his brother's fiancée, now they're going to hand him Grayson's company on a silver platter too?"
"Yeah. The thing is that my father is old-fashioned and thinks that no matter what, the company should pass from father to son. of course, Grayson's not married, so he doesn't have any son to inherit from him. Whereas George is getting married and he's keen to start a family as soon as possible."
"I see."
She grins. "So you see, for all these reasons, I really don't think you can win over my mother. I think the person you should go after is not my mom but my dad."
"Really?"
"Yes. I think he already likes you, at least a little bit, or at least admires you. Then maybe he can work on mom's approval."
"Why do you think he'll like me any more than his wife will?"
"BecauseIlike you and he and I tend to share the same taste in women." She leans forward, her eyes dropping seductively. "A part of me was hoping this was a date. You know I did briefly consider stealing you from my brother, but given his history, I wasn't sure he could take that happening twice."
I snort and shake my head. "Didn't you just tell me you had a girlfriend?"
"It's an open relationship."
"Yeah, right. I'm gonna fall for that one." I take my wine glass, sipping. "One Wolfe is more than enough for me. I don't think I can cope with a whole pack of you."
At this, Stephanie giggles into her champagne glass, sending her drink cascading down her arm to the table below.
CHAPTER 18
Grayson
Istalk into the room, meeting my father's gaze for a fleeting second. The old man doesn't even look guilty that he ambushed me. He could have mentioned over the phone that this meeting wasn't just between the two of us. He could even have said the other party would be him… George.
He didn't. Why not?
This doesn't look good.
"Grayson," George says, crossing his legs and straightening his tie, before folding his hands together. His classic move when he's trying his hardest not to fidget. "It's nice to see you."
