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“That Mr. Jones is desperate,” I said calmly.
Desperation often made men more dangerous. I wasn’t sure if Gemma knew it or if she just ignored it, but Parker Jones loved her, and he loved her fiercely. That much I could tell, and his attempts to take her now seemed wild enough to ruin his career. I didn’t care about the case, I only cared about Gemma, who I feared would see the truth in Parker, and that somehow he’dtryand take her from me. And I only use the wordtryas a generous way of showing his efforts. I’d never let him have her, not really, because I needed her like I needed to breathe, and I’d do anything to keep her as mine.
“How desperate?” Lina asked.
“Desperate enough to mention Natalie.”
Lina’s silence grew to the point where I felt uncomfortable. Even if she was joking about up-charging for late night visits, I somehow gathered it would come true.
“You’re kidding.”
“I don’t joke around.”
“Well then, this changes everything.” She pulled out her phone, swiping it open.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m calling the MelBrook Law Firm. This is a complete breach of contract. And in front of the press? No way.” She began to dial.
“Stop,” I slammed my drink on the glass table harder than I anticipated. “I pay you good money to advise me, but I’m the one advising you now. You’re not making this call.”
“Mr. Rivers—”
“You may be good at reading people, Lina, but not as good as me. He mentioned Natalie because Gemma was there, not because of some journalist. He was foolish, but not stupid. I’m certain he’s already instructed that woman not to report anything she heard.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Maybe. But believe me, I understand the logic in how you think. You’re smart, Lina, and this isn’t to say that you aren’t wrong, and in any other circumstance I would agree with you calling. This—for now—is different.”
This wasn’t a battle between men, this was a war for Gemma, but she wasn’t a woman to be won, rather earned. She—whether she knew it or not—carried all the power in the world. I was determined to show her that she was capable of conquering anything, my heart already included.
“So, Gemma knows now?” she asked, assessing how much damage control she needed to do or possibly gauging how many months of work had been compromised. “Have you told her what happened to Natalie?”
“That wasn’t my fault,” I snipped defensively, forgetting that I didn’t need to explain myself to Lina.
“I know that… just wondering what Gemma knows.”
“Gemma knows I made donations to Belmont Hills, and that Natalie is somehow involved with it. That’s all for now.”
“And your relationship with Natalie?” she asked. “Is there anything you told her about you two? To be frank, not even I understood the relationship you had with her.”
I sighed, tucking my cuff closer to the black rose along my hand. Telling Gemma about my relationship with Natalie would never be easy, not because it was wrong, but because of what it represented. Natalie was so familiar, so sweet, and I cared for her in a strange and unmentionable way. It was never romantic, but something I treasured, like an old box in my heart I never knew I’d open again. I could still picture her face, her eyes, and smile, the moment I met her in the garden at Belmont Hills. She was a ghost before she even knew it.
And how could I tell Gemma that with Natalie there was a connection I didn’t want to describe, or how our relationship itself was tied to something bigger and more private? I didn’t know what I was more scared of, telling Gemma about what happened to Natalie Brower, or what she represented to me.
“She was just a friend, Lina. But I have a problem with how the press and thatfuckingattorney’s office wants to use her name in some gossip campaign to earn money. I don’t give a shit what they say about me, but I won’t let them disgrace her like that. I won’t let them smear her name in the tabloids, nor will I give her husband the satisfaction of settling.” I wasn’t ready to accept what happened to Natalie or how the world hurt her.
Lina for once didn’t respond but instead accepted how adamant I was about refusing any settlement.
She finally spoke.
“You know if we don’t settle, we’ll most likely have to go to court.”
I groaned at the idea of ever having to testify, of enduring those truly responsible for Natalie’s hardships.
“I offered to donate to CSAP and to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.”
“They don’t want that.”
