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“You already are the unhappy one,” he spat. “And the selfish one, for thinking you need even more.”
“Not more.” My heart hammered in my chest as the words I’d been repeating to myself tumbled out of my mouth. “Just something else.”
He shook his head, as though this were solely his decision. “No. Listen, I’m willing to give this another shot with you. And I think we can both agree that isexcessivelygenerous of me. But you need to keep your head down. We can be insanely powerful together. Don’t you get that? We can make history, Cora. But only if we work together.”
The final pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. He’d never agree to the divorce. He’d never give me the freedom I wanted, because he saw me as his ticket to immortality. Through me and the Margulis empire, he thought he’d secure his position in history. The Margulis-Rossberg collaboration that would change the face of the aerospace and realty industries. He couldn’t do that with Jazz or with the server at Suttons or with any woman he’d encounter at his latex balloon conferences.
Which reminded me…
“Why aren’tyouhappy with what you have then?” I sniffed, rummaging for my briefcase. I clicked it open and removed a different folder. “Why doyouneed more?”
“Iamhappy with what I have.” Theduhtone in his voice made me want to slap him.
“Are you?” I placed the black folder on the table, using my fingertips to slide it across the white linen tablecloth, past the untouched mushrooms. “Peruse at your leisure. They’re copies, so I don’t need them back.”
Eli snatched it off the table, searing me with a look before he examined the contents. Papers rustled as he looked at the evidence of his cheating. Copies of emails. Receipts that Damian had dug up. Declarations of love with women all across the globe.
“Where did you find this?” His voice was a threatening rumble.
“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I don’t plan on backing down from my demands any time soon. I caught you. So let’s quit pretending. Sign the damn papers, Eli.”
His nostrils flared, and he leaned across the table, practically hissing his words. “Tell me where you got this.”
“Looks like it touched a nerve.”
“Was it the Sleazechilds?”
I blinked demurely, sipping my water. The ice paired nicely with the sense of refreshment I felt from serving Eli with the truth. “It really doesn’t matter.”
“This is fabricated,” he spat, tossing the folder on the table. “A complete lie. And character assassination, on top of that.”
“Whatever you want to call it.”
“My lawyer will be handling this,” Eli said, jabbing his index finger at me. “To the fullest extent possible. So whoever has created this shit, passing it off as truth, is going to pay.”
“It can’t all be false,” I said, lifting my brow. “After all, you and my Pilates instructor exchanged alotof texts. I verified that on the phone plan. Makes sense, now, why you never wanted me to have anything to do with handling that account.”
He dipped his head, dark clouds filling his gaze. “What do you want from me?”
“Sign the papers.”
“Fucking dream on.”
I pushed my chair back and stood, smoothing down the front of my dark slacks. “I think it’s time for me to go.”
Eli shot to standing after I took a step away. “Wait.”
I turned to him, shocked he’d actually try to stop me. Especially with an audience around us. Maybe now the negotiations would be turning in my favor. “What?”
“It’s a shame things have gotten so bad with your little lover boy.” He watched me intently, as if gauging my every micro-reaction. “Don’t you want all that drama to stop?”
I stepped closer to him. “What are you insinuating?”
“Come back to me, and I’ll make sure it all goes away,” he said in a low voice, his gaze darting back and forth across my face. He was so close I could taste the tang of alcohol on his breath. “He’s only going to drag you down. And something tells me it’s about to get a lot worse.”
Something tells me.He probably had plenty to do with thatsomething.The mere thought sent a shiver of fear whispering through me. How much worse could it get for Axel? Did I even want to find out? Maybe I should stop trying for the divorce, if it meant I could keep the waters calm.
Going after what I wanted might bring down others in the process.
