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Lucian parked the car, and we walked across the grass together. There were more people than I expected to see, and it occurred to me as small children zoomed in and around the adults that this was a family event.
Lucian charged through the maze with purpose, stopping along the way to say hello to a few people here and there. He was all business as he introduced me to Vincent, his other partner at the firm. I shook his hand and smiled and did all the things I was supposed to do, though I didn’t really care. These people weren’t any association to me, and it made no difference what they thought of me either. Regardless, I played the part of Lucian’s obedient wife. When that was out of the way, we went straight for the food and plated up, and it seemed like Lucian was in more of a rush to get out of there than I was.
We found a vacant picnic table and ate in silence until one of the employee’s children took it upon himself to join us. He was a cute little boy, probably only about six if I had to guess, and he was proudly displaying the water gun he’d brought with him. “Lucian, look what my daddy got me!”
I looked at Lucian, who seemed less than impressed and didn’t make an effort to respond. In fact, he’d turned downright cold and irritable as I gave the boy a smile for his benefit.
“You should get back to your parents,” Lucian told him.
The boy’s shoulders fell, and I glared at Lucian after he retreated. “That was rude.”
“It was rude for him to interrupt our meal,” Lucian countered.
I stared at him in disbelief. “He’s just a child. He was excited.”
Lucian’s response was to flatten his empty plate between his hands as he stood. “Finish eating. I need to speak to my colleague.”
I scowled at his back as he retreated and made a point to appreciate every bite of the hamburger and chips I had left. He only ever ate healthy stuff, and I wasn’t sure when I’d be able to enjoy something like this again. Lucian circulated through the crowd and disappeared on the other side of a large cluster of trees. And when he didn’t return after ten minutes, I decided I might as well have a little fun since none of the adults were talking to me.
I joined a group of young girls playing the bean bag toss, and then they challenged me to a game of horseshoes, which I accepted and then purposely lost. They were begging me to play another round when I checked my watch and realized Lucian had been gone for a while.
It wasn’t difficult to spot him in the crowd, considering he was about six inches taller than the average male. But what I didn’t expect to find was the company he was keeping on the other side of the park. A tall, beautiful brunette in a form-fitting pencil dress and heels.
My stomach lurched, and the reaction made no sense to me. I didn’t know what it was I felt, but it certainly wasn’t jealousy. Lucian meant nothing to me. The fact he had discarded me so he could go chat her up should have been a relief. But it wasn’t.
I found myself moving toward him like a lost puppy, only to stop and change my course midway. This was ridiculous. He’d forced me to marry him. He’d forced me to come to this stupid barbecue, and now he’d abandoned me to the wolves. But Lucian forgot where I’d come from, and I was all too happy to remind him.
I knew how to circulate a crowd too, and I already had my sights set on his buddy Vincent.
“ARE YOU SURE EVERYTHING’S OKAY?” Emily asked.
I adjusted my collar and gave her a tight smile. “It’s just a formality.”
My colleague was young and hungry. Still trying to make a name for herself and change the world, and because of that, she didn’t argue with what I asked of her. “I’m happy to take on his case, should it ever come down to that, as long as the client is willing.”
It was a conversation I’d need to have with Emmanuel, but I didn’t want to jump the gun. For now, I was just getting my ducks in a row.
“I should let you get back to the party,” I told her.
She nodded, and I looked toward the picnic table where I’d left Gypsy. It didn’t surprise me that it was empty, but it did surprise me when I found her talking to Vincent.
“Excuse me.” I nodded to Emily.
We went our separate ways, my sights set straight on the little brat who was currently making every facet of my life more complicated than it needed to be. Gypsy was oblivious to the wolf at her back door, and as I drew closer, I understood why. She wasn’t just talking to Vincent, she was working him.
