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Had she meant to make Adele sound like a sex worker? Considering the narrow-eyed look her mother cast the supermodel, Rowan thought the wording might have been deliberate.
The offended glare Adele shot Rowan's mother said she'd gotten the implication as well.
"Vulgar, or naïve, which is it mother? I'm pretty sure I can't be both."
"Do not let your heart rule your head," her mother said. "You cannot simply ignore the truth of Adele's claim and the proof of those pictures because you want to. You are smarter than that."
"I think you might actually be worried about me and not merely Dad's business relationship with the Andinos," Rowan said with surprise. "Regardless, you are right."
Her mother and Adele both perked up at that.
"I am intelligent. Intelligent to be aware of what a blatant liar Adele Fournier is. Smart enough to know that Cyrus has his own reasons for wanting to drive a wedge between me and Sander, but not one of them is for my benefit."
She stood up, done with this farce. "After living for most of my life with liars, I am savvy enough to recognize an honorable man. Sander promised me fidelity for as long as we are together and when he makes a promise, he keeps it."
Adele's tinkling laugh was mocking. "He's not a saint."
No. Lysander was no saint. He could be cranky and demanding. His pathological need to keep things tidy would be really annoying if he didn't have household staff. He was a workaholic and terrifically competitive. Possessive. Even jealous.
And she loved him with every fiber of her being.
"No, but he is a man who keeps his word."
"You're so sure?" Adele asked with more mockery.
There was nothing but certainty in Rowan's answer. "Yes."
Adele looked pityingly at Rowan. "You're a fool."
"Please, Rowan, I don't want to see you hurt," her mother pleaded.
Where was that concern when Rowan's father was feeding Cyrus information to make her fall for a man who had never existed? Where were those pleas when Cyrus cheated, and her parents were so adamantly opposed to Rowan filing for divorce?
Rowan shook her head. "I'm not the dangerously reckless one here, that would be you three."
Despite the immovability of her Botox treated face, her mother managed to look hurt. "For trying to protect you?"
"Let's leave the fact you're actually trying to make Sander's lover leave him and just address the reality that you two and Cyrus have conspired to slander a very wealthy, very powerful man who holds grudges."
"It's not slander! He is my lover," Adele claimed passionately.
"When was the last time you had sex with him?" Rowan asked. This was almost fun.
"Three nights ago, before I returned from Tokyo." Adele was cockily sure of herself.
"Let me be absolutely sure I have this right. Ms. Fournier. You are saying that you had sex with my lover, Lysander Baros, three nights ago in Tokyo?"
"Yes!"
Well, that was unequivocal. And Rowan was done. She picked up her phone, sent another text with attachments copied to Lysander and Klaus. Then she texted her bodyguard again, happy to see him materialize near the table within seconds of her sending it.
Her first text had been to tell him to come inside the restaurant and be close by in case she needed him.
Rowan stood and frowned down at her mother. "I don't know if you believe this charade, or if Cyrus has duped you into playing the part of concerned parent, but I hope for your sake it's the latter. It might save you from Sander's wrath."
"Those pictures! Rowan. You can't ignore them."
"Oh, I haven't. And neither will Sander." She glared at Adele. "I don't know if AI or CGI, or just plain photo manipulation was used, but Sander has the best tech experts on the planet working for him and they will find out."
