“Too late to change your mind now, Di. Just keep a low profile—the work day is almost over. You can handle some boob spillage until then.”
Margie made it sound so easy… And that’s why she felt a twinge of apprehension brush along the base of her neck. Right?
Chapter 2
David Brenner eyed the man before him, tension coiling in his shoulders.
Fuck. He hated his reason for being there, and he hated more the fact that he had to put his friend through all that shit. It didn’t matter that he was paying him millions to do just that.
“This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen, Rick,” David drawled, reaching up to rub the bridge of his nose where a headache was forming. “Rinna has already stalled proceedings in an effort to drag this out until I give in to her demands.”
Richard Ayers, long-time friend but first-time attorney for him, leaned forward and tapped a document on his desk.
“Schrecther has asked to postpone depositions until the first of June.”
Fucking Schrecther and his dubious strategies. David had done his due diligence with that case, looking into each of the lawyers Rinna had hired in her attempt to milk him for all the money she could.
He sneered. Another two months. Like hell he’d wait another two months to be rid of the bitch who’d dared to lie to him—to everyone—just for a piece of his empire. Fuck her.
“Reject it. I want this done with by the end of this month. Bring in whoever you have to.”
Rick gave a terse nod. “You know I will, though, I will tell you that the PI you suggested is certainly pulling his weight.”
Interest piqued, he replied, “Oh?” Greg Astor, former NYPD blue collar crimes detective, was another piece of the puzzle that was worth every bit of the money he charged for his services. It had been a risk to get him involved—David never liked to dirty his hands with dealing in private investigators who spent their time stalking cheating spouses, but this guy came highly recommended. He hadn’t disappointed David yet.
“Yes. It was one of the reasons I wanted this face-to-face before you left tomorrow.” Rick leaned down, opening the bottom drawer of his desk. He pulled out a large envelope and slid it across the rich mahogany surface. “Inside are photos, statements from medical professionals, close friends, and even her own mother.”
A dark chuckle escaped David’s throat. Of course, Rinna’s own mother was against her daughter’s exploits—Rinna seemed to have spent her adult life creating connections, soaking in the fame, the notoriety, the money, and then using her wiles to make herself seem the most innocent of victims rather than the evil witch she truly was. It had taken him three years to finally see through the façade, and it had nearly cost him his soul.
Not much of that left anymore…
He’d met Rinna at a charity event in Sydney. She was gorgeous with her long, silky black hair, her decadent caramel eyes, and her sultry smile. She’d been dressed as a seductress, and he’d fallen for her act like only a fool could. The sex had been hard and fast, and he’d found himself returning to her bed even after their affair in Australia ended. As busy as he was, Rinna still found ways to infiltrate his world, showing up at the same functions, befriending the same people, drawing him in until he found himself asking her to move in with him.
The biggest damn mistake of his life. And he still didn’t know why he’d done it. Perhaps it was the desire to keep her close, to watch her every move. Perhaps even in the beginning, he’d been suspicious of her, his subconscious wary. Perhaps he’d been a lonely fuck who’d grasped onto her like she was a lifeline in a sea of empty relationships.
Of course, she jumped at the chance to live in the lap of luxury, on his arm, near his wallet. By then, though, she’d already begun spending his money like it was nothing, purchasing clothes, shoes, bags, jewels, vacation homes on the Amalfi Coast and in Bali, and taking herself and her “friends” on all the exotic trips her heart desired.
He’d tolerated a lot from her, thinking that his lack of experience in committed relationships was to blame for the yawning boredom, the suddenly frigid sex, and the utter loss of compatibility. That wasn’t the truth, of course. The problem wasn’t with him, it was with the lying, scheming bitch he’d trusted and allowed into parts of his life where no one else had ever tread.
God, he wished he’d listened to that still, small voice that had hissed in his ear that first night, the night she’d flashed her eyes at him. And now, he was paying the price—literally—for his weakness. In the beginning of the fallout, he’d felt betrayed, and it twisted what he thought he had felt for her. Then…once the truth began to take root, he’d realized that whatever he had felt for her had been as false as what she had felt for him. They’d both been pretending. But at least he’d been faithful to her. Now, all he felt was anger. Bitter, cold rage. And once the legal shit was over, he’d feel nothing.
Nothing.
He would never allow a woman to fool him again.
Never again.
The very first time he’d caught Rinna in bed with another man, he’d left, telling her their relationship was over—he refused to tolerate betrayal, but then…she’d thrown the final straw on the camel’s back, playing her trump card. She’d claimed she was pregnant with his baby, begging for him to reconsider, to take her back, to be one big happy family.
He could clearly remember the bile rising into his throat—not at the thought of being a father, but at the thought of being the father of her baby. No child deserved a scheming, manipulative, gold-digger for a mother.
Unfortunately, that scathing anger had been preceded by
