Todos os capítulos de She Was Never Just the Billionaire’s Wife: Capítulo 61 - Capítulo 70

(Chase)The club smells like old wood and older money, which is exactly why my grandfather has been coming here for forty years.He's already at the table when I arrive.Which means he's been there for twenty minutes, because Elias Warren considers punctuality a moral failing and early arrival a competitive advantage.He looks up from his menu without greeting me."You look tired," he says."Good afternoon, Grandfather.""Sit down. I already ordered you the soup. You need something warm, you look like something the cat dragged in and then thought better of."I sit down and manage to suppress my sigh.Letting him hear it would be more trouble than it’s worth.The waiter appears with a bottle of wine.My grandfather takes it from him then waves him away. The poor man looks utterly bewildered.“Thank you, we’ll pour for ourselves,” I say with a nod.Then we’re left alone with the bread basket and the particular quality of silence my grandfather deploys when he’s gearing up for something.

(Julian)I call her on a Thursday because Thursday is the best day to catch people off guard. Monday they're defensive. Friday they're already halfway out the door.Thursday, they're tired enough to say yes to things they'd normally think twice about.She picks up on the third ring."This is Julian Morton," I tell her. "Don't hang up."A pause. "How did you get this number?""I'm resourceful. Are you free this evening?""No.""Tomorrow?""Julian-""There's a bar on Sixth that makes an exceptional Negroni and I have information about your husband's business partner that I think you'll find interesting."A small lie, but a useful one."One drink. Thirty minutes. Fifteen if you’re determined. You can hate me afterwards if you want."Another pause, longer this time."One drink," she says.I do love it when people think they're making a reluctant decision.She arrives eight minutes late, which tells me she almost didn't come.She's in a dark coat, her blonde hair loose, and she walks into

(Sonia)I’ve been at the Warren Estate for two weeks.I have cried on command approximately forty times, and Chase has looked at me with genuine feeling exactly once.And that feeling was impatience.Something has to change.I thought that I’d be sleeping in his bed by now.That he’d be making arrangements to get Natasha and that squalling brat out of here. But no!He seems to be turning toward her more and more.I run through my options the way I always do.Methodically, without sentiment, the way my brother does his balance sheets.What do I have? What do I need? What's the fastest route between the two?What I have is Eleanor's sympathy, a guest room, and a man who feels guilty enough to stay in the same building but not guilty enough to actually pay attention to me.What I need is permanence. A reason for everyone in this house to stop treating my presence here as temporary.The answer, when it comes, is almost embarrassingly simple.I pick my moment with the care of a jeweler set

(Nathanial)When I see a private number flashing on my screen, I very nearly let it go to voicemail.People should know better in this day and age than to withhold their numbers.But in business you never know when a call can be important."Nathanial. How wonderful to hear your voice. It’s been so long."I wish I had let it ring out.My mother has called me from the same number for fifteen years.I know the number the way I know my own birthday. Automatically, without thinking.Her voice is doing the thing it does when she's been rehearsing what she wants to say.I wouldn’t entirely be surprised if she has it all written out like a script in front of her.The words are too steady. Too carefully paced."Mother." I put my pen down. "Where are you calling from?"A pause."I'm in Los Angeles."I sit back in my chair slowly, glancing out the window to make sure the world isn’t ending."You're here.""I'm at the Rosewood. I've actually been here since yesterday. I needed some time to compos

(Natasha)Sonia leaves in the late afternoon without explanation.Not to me at any rate. I’m sure she told Chase where she’s going.Sadly she had no luggage, so I’m assuming she’s coming back.Eleanor follows twenty minutes later, dressed for an evening out, trailing perfume and a brief instruction to the kitchen about keeping the roast warm.I go upstairs, feed and bathe Lily, then rock her to sleep before heading down to the lounge.I think this is the quietest the house has been since the first time I moved in.I find Chase in the dining room, jacket off, sleeves rolled up, pouring two glasses of wine with a relaxed grin on his face.He looks up. "My mother left out a bottle from her private collection.""That’s probably meant to be opened when she’s here. She’s going to be furious," I tell him with a smile and a shake of my head."That's what makes it the right choice. She’s very fond of preaching about learning from one’s mistakes. She’ll be more careful in the future."He sets t