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“Well, that’s going to be fun, isn’t it?” Elspeth smiled serenely.
The room fell silent as Rupert chewed slowly then swallowed. He turned his whole body to face Elspeth and my heart thrummed against my ribcage. She was no match for his beauty but she was still streets ahead of me.
“This is not a game, Elspeth. I know that me walking away from our marriage is inconvenient for you, but I don’t owe you anything. You went into this arrangement with your eyes open and you even said yourself you had no other choice, which suggests if you’d had another choice, you’d have taken it.”
Elspeth’s shoulders weakened but she maintained a bold front. “And I don’t owe you anything either. Remember that.”
Rupert rounded on her. “So why don’t we drop the thinly veiled threats and actually collaborate on what we both need to get out of this arrangement?”
Elspeth sat back and folded her arms. “Fine. What is it you want?”
Rupert didn’t even take a breath. “Vivian. I want Vivian. Above anything and everything else…”
My breath was held stuck in my throat yet my heart raced.
“And I want the Consortium to pay for the damage that’s been done.”
“What does that mean?” Elspeth frowned.
“All these years the Consortium – your family included – has profited from the interest Thorn Pharmaceuticals has brought to the island, and in turn, their businesses. Now that we’re left with some serious shit to clear up, they need to give something back. I want them to help pay for rehabilitation centres. The people we’ve tricked into becoming addicts need urgent help and it’s now our responsibility to provide that.”
“They won’t,” Elspeth said, though her tone was softer.
“And that’s why I need your help,” Rupert replied. “Your father might be able to persuade other members of the Consortium to help.”
“I can’t ask him to do that,” Elspeth said. “Not when he doesn’t know who you truly are. He needs to make that decision himself. And it’s not my place to tell him your truth, Rupert. You know that.”
Rupert sighed heavily. “Fine. Then do one thing for me, please.”
“Go on.”
“Don’t say anything at all to him. I will meet the Consortium myself and make a case for the rehab centres. Then when I’ve got what I need, then I’ll tell them the truth.”
Elspeth crossed her legs and chewed on a pout before answering. “Fine. Yes.” Then she flicked an icy glare in my direction which I did my best to ignore. “Now, what about me? What do I get out of this?”
Rupert leaned against the table. “What do you want?”
She took a deep breath before letting it seep out slowly. “While you are Chairman, will be able to abolish this stupid marriage rule?”
Rupert pushed his hands into his pockets. “After funding for the rehab centres, that’s the first thing on my list.”
Elspeth straightened her spine and lifted her perfectly formed nose. “Thank you.”
“Any particular reason?” Rupert asked looking sideways at her. “I always thought you were a fan.”
She lowered her gaze and laughed to herself quietly. “Outwardly, perhaps.”
Her melancholy tone turned my full head towards her.
“It would just be nice if we could follow our hearts, that’s all.”
We all fell silent, Elspeth almost confirming what some of us had suspected for a while.
Thankfully, Minty spoke up, brightening the mood. “I’m taking Viv back to my place,” she said, then to me, “We should probably get you a change of clothes.”
I suppressed a blush. It must have been obvious I’d been living in these sweats for a couple of days. I felt Elspeth’s gaze interrogate me from the neckline of my suddenly scratchy top to the scuffed shoes on my feet.
“Good idea,” I mumbled.
