Page 49 of Lord of Justice

"That is so painfully cheesy," I say. "Did she get ChatGPT to write that up for her? It sounds like AI garbage."

"Yeah, it's complete shit," she agrees, twisting and turning in the mirror. "Does my ass look big in this?"

I don't even look up from the phone. "Your ass is perfect and you know it, so shut up. And stop fishing for compliments."

"Then this is the one." Rose gives a little twirl before letting me take it off her.

"How many of these posts have you seen?" I ask, hanging the dress back on the rack.

She eyes me in the mirror. "Like… twelve? I mean, I haven't searched his name or anything." By which she means yes, she has been religiously searching for his name.

"Does anyone mention the pearls?"

"Surprisingly, no." she says. "And youknowthat would be the headline if they did." She pauses for a minute. "Do you think he made them sign an NDA before he fucked them?"

"Okay, I don't want to think about who he has been in bed with," I say, busying myself with the dress rack. "Andrey told me now that we're married, I am the only one. He said that even if I refused to touch him, I would be the only one."

"That's really beautiful," Rose sighs, getting back into her shorts. "Also, complete bullshit."

"I think he was being honest." Of course he would've just seduced me anyway, eventually. I would've caved once I saw his dick. Not that I'm complaining.

"So, how's the rest of it?" Rose asks as we pay for the dress. "How's he treating you?"

"We've gone to three fundraisers and a black-tie legal community dinner in the last two weeks," I groan. "There are always more Excel spreadsheets for me to memorize about important people."

"Lucky you've got a good memory," Rose says. "Though all this shit is likely to knock out everything you've learned about marketing. I don't know how much your poor little brain can hold."

"Supportive," I say. "Thanks for that."

"That's what a sister is for, honey." She links her arm with mine. "To both support and humble you, usually at the same time."

"Thatisa special skill of yours," I admit and she graciously nods her head. "So, what about tonight? Are you excited to meet Jeremy's parents?"

Her mouth gives a funny little twist. "Yes?"

"That sounds more like a question than a statement,"I say, watching her expression.

"Well, he's making such a big fucking deal about it," she says. "I kind of thought I would win this round because: Morozovs. But he's acting like the King and Queen of Suburbia are visiting."

"Well, maybe he’s feeling a little insecure because yeah, the whole Bratva empire thing." I squeeze her arm. "So, he wants to show that his parents are important, too." I feel dirty. Ihatebeing supportive of Jeremy in any way but again, this is her choice and I'm here to back her up.

Rose nods firmly. "It's going to be fine."

"Well, I believe this is the new Mrs. Andrey Morozova."

I don't know the voice, but Melina is instantly on alert, which tends to be a warning of just how much I'm going to dislike a person. Turning around wearing my social smile, I see Senator Carlisle Sinclair. I definitely recognize the face. He's a tall man who hides a gut behind well-tailored suits. I'd bet Rose fifty bucks that he colors his hair to get it that silver shade.

"How are you, Senator Sinclair?" I try to add a dash of cordiality to my tone and fail.

"I know we haven't met yet, Iris, isn't it? But I'm a big supporter of your husband. I think he's going to do great things on the bench." His smile is toowide.

"Thank you, Senator. Are you out enjoying a little retail excess today?" He stands closer than he should, and he'd probably be rubbing up on Rose and me if Melina hadn't stepped between us in a way that would make it painfully awkward if he tried.

"Oh, well," he gives a self-effacing little chuckle. "Just picking up something for my little girl, Diana. It's her birthday this weekend." It's then I notice he has a camera crew trailing him, so he must be trying to push the, "I'm just a dad who loves his family," narrative.

"That's so nice," Rose says. She slips her arm around my waist, giving him a sweet smile, tilting her head toward mine.

No no no no, Rose! This is not the time for one of our, "crush their hearts and leave them bleeding" games.