Page 75 of The Billionaire's Rival (Bad Boy Billionaires)

“How adorable. I do enjoy Aspen, though I have found the skiing is better in Utah. I suppose it’s hard for her when the tourists aren’t there.”

I tensed. Making me feel like I was beneath her was one thing, but she wasn’t going to do that to my sister. “She is doing fine year-round. She’s even planning an expansion.”

“Oh…well, good for her.”

“Grandmother, I don’t think Jasper wants to be interrogated while he eats.”

Her eyes widened, and she looked at Ford as if she was shocked by his statement. “I’m hardly interrogating him, dear. I’m just making small talk.”

The interrogation continued until I wanted to tell her how, as a kid, my family had had to scrimp and save and get by on beans at the end of the month just to see how horrified she was.

When the maid had cleared the dishes, Mrs. Wainwright offered us coffee to go with dessert, but I’d had all I could take. If I was going to keep myself from telling off Mrs. Wainwright, I needed to get out of there.

I pushed my chair back from the table. “Thank you so much for dinner. The food was delicious, and I’m much too full for dessert. Please excuse me.”

I didn’t wait for her to dismiss me, I simply rose and headed for the stairs. When I made it to my room, I had to resist the urge to slam the door.

If I’d had any chance with Ford, her humiliating me in front of him had certainly lessened it. Sure, he’d defended me, and I knew he was nowhere near the snob she was, but he had to know I’d never fit in his world.

I flopped down on the bed and draped an arm over my eyes. I longed to fall asleep and forget the whole evening, but every word from the interrogation at dinner replayed in my mind, over and over.

26

FORD

Iwatched Jay walk from the room. If he’d turned, snapped, and put my grandmother in her place, I wouldn’t have been surprised, and he wouldn’t have been in the wrong. Somehow, he managed to exit the room at a normal pace. I couldn’t even hear his footsteps going up the stairs.

I turned and glared at my grandmother. “Why did you do that? There was no need to put him on the spot?”

“I simply wanted to know exactly who this man is if he’s going to be part of your life.”

“He’s a colleague. He’s in danger because of his involvement with a client who is pitting herself against Miles.”

“Well, that was foolish of him to begin with. He should have known he couldn’t win that case.”

“He was assigned the case, and he needs to win to be up for a promotion.”

My grandfather sighed. “Julia, you know how these things work. You don’t always get to make those kinds of choices in your career. For all you know, if they’d had a level playing field, he might be an excellent opponent in the courtroom.”

My grandmother sniffed. “You think he could beat Ford in court?”

“None of that is relevant,” I said. “And it doesn’t matter who his family is. You don’t have to keep pushing for answers.”

“You can sit here and say he’s a colleague all you want. I know there’s more to it. You wouldn’t have brought him here otherwise. You would simply send him somewhere he could be protected.”

She had me there.

Maria, their cook, brought in dessert, and none of us spoke until after we’d been served. I hated that Jay had needed to leave, Maria had made cheesecake with blueberry topping.

As soon as Maria returned to the kitchen, Grandfather picked up his plate and announced he was going to his office. He never stuck around for the arguments between me and my grandmother. I supposed he’d had enough conflict during his years practicing law and being in the Senate. That didn’t mean it didn’t piss me off. I could use his help, but I’d learned to win these battles—or at least negotiate a favorable settlement—on my own.

Grandmother scowled at him as he walked out of the room, but she didn’t bother to encourage him to come back. He usually gave in to whatever she asked, but she knew he would ignore her when she was like this.

I decided to take the offensive. “You embarrassed Jasper and made him feel terrible.”

“I simply asked him some questions.”

“Questions designed to point out ways you think he is beneath us.”

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