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I heard the knock on the door to the suite and went to answer it, taking in a deep breath, steeling myself for our encounter.
I removed the chain and opened the door and Mrs. Marshall actually barged in. Did she think I wouldn’t let her inside?
“Where’s Luke?” she said, entering the suite, glancing around. “Where is he? I want to speak to you both.”
“He’s not back yet.”
“He said he’d be back by four thirty,” she said and glanced at her watch. Of course, it was four fifteen. She knew damn well he wouldn’t be there.
“Please come in and make yourself at home,” I said and waved into the living room area.
She might be rude to me, but I would be the perfect hostess to her in the hopes that one day, our relationship would mend and be friendly.
“Don’t pretend to be happy to see me. You know why I’m here.”
“I don’t, actually,” I said and smiled pleasantly. “I expect it’s because you want to congratulate us on our upcoming wedding on Saturday and tell us how excited you are about your future grandchild.”
“You tricked him,” she said. “I know your type. Poor girls who go to Ivy League colleges to find rich young men from wealthy families to marry. You pretend to be all smart and nice and then get pregnant so you can grift your way into money. Well, I won’t let it stand.”
“I don’t think there’s anything you can do about it,” I said, still keeping my cool.
“There is,” she said and took out something from her handbag. At first, I was afraid it was one of those mini-revolvers you could buy to keep in your handbag, but it wasn’t.
It was her checkbook.
She took out her pen and bent down, writing on the check.
“I’ll pay you a million dollars to leave him right now. You just break it off with him and get an abortion. It’s only eight weeks. You can take the money and go off back to Oregon and live like a queen.”
“What??
?? I said, my cheeks heating that she actually thought she could buy me. “I wouldn’t leave Luke for a paltry million. He’s worth a billion dollars. It’s going to take a lot more than that.”
She stood up, her reading glasses perched on the end of her nose, her eyes filled with fury.
“How much more? Tell me.”
She ripped up the top check and started writing another. “How much?”
I smiled. “A billion.”
“What?” Her eyebrows flew up so high, I thought they’d leave her forehead. She sputtered for a moment. “You’re crazy. Give me a number.”
“Two billion.”
She slammed her fist onto the tabletop. “How much do you want?”
“Ten billion.”
“You’re not taking this seriously.”
“I’m taking it deadly seriously. There is no amount of money you can give me that would make me leave Luke. Nothing.”
She stood there staring at me, fuming silently.
“Okay. If that’s the game you’re going to play, I’m forced to play dirty.”
I shrugged. “Do your best.”
