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“Then buy more,” I growled.
“With what money?” she shot back.
I took the pan off the heat and rounded on her, gesturing at the opulent kitchen. “You have plenty of money. You could buy a damn library.”
“You mean you have plenty of money,” she seethed, her eyes sparking. “Everything that was mine is now yours. I have nothing.”
Irritation grated down my spine, and I braced my hands on the island to lean toward her. “I don’t give a fuck about your money, Isabel. I have my own. I don’t need yours. You can do whatever the fuck you want with your wealth.”
“But you’ve moved into my house!” She spread her arms wide to encompass the enormous space. “You’ve married me. You’ll use my fortune for the benefit of the cartel.”
I gnashed my teeth. “And how is that any different than what your family has been doing for your entire life? Yes, Stefano will expect you to offer your resources to him when he asks. But it’s your money. Spend it however you want. I don’t give a fuck what you do with it, just stop sniping at me about it like I’m trying to steal your fortune. As for moving into the house,” I thundered on, anticipating more spiteful comments, “that’s for appearances. Maybe after a while, I can move back into my own place. But for now, Stefano expects us to be married. That means living together as husband and wife.” The last soured my tongue. I loathed the words, but that was the terrible truth. I’d have to get used to saying it.
She lowered her long lashes, hiding those eyes from me. Her white teeth sank into her lush lip, and she didn’t seem to have a response to my short tirade. I wasn’t sure if I’d shocked her or scared her.
Fuck, I didn’t want to scare her. She was infuriating, but I didn’t want her to be frightened of me.
I sucked in a breath and struggled for calm, turning back to the stove. I finished cooking breakfast and plated it, my movements a bit jerky as I set the meal down on the island between us like a peace offering.
“So, you like to read.” I returned to my earlier line of questioning. The less time we spent together, the better. “What else do you usually do with your days?”
She picked up a fork and poked at the eggs, not actually taking a bite. She stared down at her plate as she replied. “Lately, I’ve been focusing on arranging for the house to be repaired. You know, after…” She trailed off with a shiver.
I tamped down the impulse to circle the island and hold her, just like I had on the night of the attempted coup. She looked utterly breakable. She needed someone to shield her from the worst of the world.
“Anyway,” she continued before I could give in to the ridiculous impulse, “I used to help my mother manage the household. It’s a large property, and it’s not the only one my family owns. And when my father would throw a party, I’d help plan it. Especially after Mom died a couple years ago. I took over planning after that. Father and Daniel weren’t interested in it. We used to have a lot of parties, so it kept me pretty busy.”
I nodded, tucking all that information away. “And what about your friends?” I pressed, trying to get a better understanding of her social life. “Do you go out with them often? Have any hobbies?”
Her face fell, her bronze cheeks going too pale. “I don’t think I have any friends,” she mumbled. “We used to go out dancing, but I don’t think we will anymore. I tried to contact them for help with the wedding. No one has taken my calls. Not since…”
Not since she’d betrayed the cartel, and no one trusted her anymore.
“We’ll host a party, then.” I gritted out the words, forcing them from my chest. I didn’t want to host a fucking party. The last thing I wanted was to pose as a happily married couple in front of hundreds of people.
But it would only be for one night, and planning the event would fill her time. It would keep her occupied and away from me.
And if she’d lost her friends, this would be a good way for her to earn back their confidence.
I ignored the slight twinge at the center of my chest. Isabel had brought this on herself. If she’d fallen out of favor, that was on her.
Still, I didn’t like how small and lonely she looked with her arms wrapped around her middle, her eyes shining with fresh tears.
She blinked at me, her full lips parting in surprise. “You want to throw a party? Here?”
I shrugged and tucked into my breakfast. “It’ll be good for appearances. The sooner everyone accepts our marriage as genuine, the sooner we can go back to living our lives as separately as possible.”
