Chapter 4

On the day of the dinner, Rosalie pulled Mom and Dad aside.

"Mom, Dad, you have to help me. Valerie walked out that day without even looking back. She embarrassed me so badly I had to end the party early.

"And every time we've run into each other lately, she hasn't even bothered to say hello. All I'm asking is for you to introduce her to Mr. Williams. What's the big deal?"

Mom and Dad looked uncomfortable. They clearly knew Mr. Williams was hardly a catch. He was a divorced, overweight, balding middle-aged man with three kids who'd gotten rich fast.

This wasn't about finding me a date. Rosalie just wanted to humiliate me.

When Mom and Dad still hesitated, Rosalie's eyes filled with tears.

"I knew it. Ever since Valerie came back, you don't love me anymore. If all I do is annoy you now, what's the point of me even being alive? I might as well just die!"

Of course, Mom and Dad couldn't stand seeing Rosalie upset.

They had doted on her for more than 20 years. I was the biological daughter who'd only recently come back into their lives. I could never compete with that.

Mom tugged on Dad's arm and finally gave in. "Just agree to it. Valerie's put up with things like this before, hasn't she? At worst, she'll stop answering our calls and stay mad for a while, just like she is now.

"It's not like she's actually going to cut us off."

Dad finally nodded.

Rosalie looked thrilled. Then she spotted Axel approaching the entrance and walked over to him with a smile.

I arrived a little late. Jasper had taken me around to meet his family first, but from the way the conversation was going, they were about to discuss some private family matters.

Jasper had told me, "It's fine. You can stay and listen."

But our marriage was only for show, and I still knew where to draw the line. So I excused myself and headed to the dinner on my own.

The moment I walked in, Rosalie and Axel stepped into my path.

Mom and Dad were coming up behind them with a middle-aged man I'd never seen before. He was potbellied and gave me a sleazy grin as he looked me over.

Rosalie immediately hooked her arm through mine, beaming.

"Valerie, there you are! You and Axel broke up a while ago, right? Since you're single now, I thought I'd introduce you to Frank Williams, a friend of Mom and Dad's. Who knows? Maybe sparks will fly."

Axel frowned, almost objecting on instinct. But the second he saw Frank, whatever he was about to say died on his lips.

Clearly, Axel had his own reasons for going along with this. He probably figured that meeting someone like Frank would remind me how crazy I'd once been about him.

When Rosalie gave Mom and Dad a look, they immediately chimed in.

"That's right, Valerie. Mr. Williams is, well, a bit of a late bloomer. You two should get to know each other."

"I-I heard Mr. Williams is interested in your tech company too. Maybe you could talk for a bit and see how it goes."

Frank looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on me in a way that made my skin crawl. He walked over with a wide grin, showing off teeth stained yellow from years of smoking.

"Ms. Gates, you're really beautiful. Very classy!"

The way he looked at me made my stomach turn. I didn't even want to shake his hand. I tried to pull free of Rosalie and leave, but she seemed pleased by my reaction.

Instead of letting go, she grabbed my other arm and held both of them behind my back, keeping me firmly in place.

Then she smiled at Frank. "Oh, Mr. Williams, look at Valerie. She's too shy to even shake your hand. Maybe a kiss on the cheek would help break the ice."

That was all the encouragement Frank needed. His whole body practically quivered with excitement. A sleazy grin spread across his face as he puckered his thick lips and leaned toward me, his breath reeking.

My stomach churned. I tensed my leg and waited for him to get close enough. The second he did, I was going to kick him straight in the groin.

Even Axel couldn't stand watching anymore. He reached out to shove Frank away, but someone beat him to it.

Jasper rushed past him without a word. He kicked Frank hard enough to send him crashing to the floor, then grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head against the tile several times.

He didn't stop until blood was streaming from Frank's temple. Then he pulled the gun from his waistband and pressed the barrel hard against Frank's skin.

"You fucking dare put your hands on my wife?" Jasper snarled, barely able to contain his rage.