“Where were you thinking?” She held it up to the light and watched the rainbows flitter over the ceiling.
“In the window where everyone can see it. I want the world to know what I have.”
What? “Don’t you mean what we’ve built together? I think I had something to do with it you know.” Lena put it down and walked to the kitchen for a drink of water. The bitter laugh made her skin crawl, but she glanced at him anyway waiting for her answer.
“If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be in that dingy little hole I found you in.” He walked closer to the kitchen, giving her a withering look before picking up the trophy. “This place is what it is today because of what I did. Don’t forget I moved you here and built the restaurant up to what it is now. I’ve worked my ass off and finally someone’s taken notice.”
Lena sighed and flicked on the coffee machine. Today was going to be hard in more ways than one; she could see it now. Might pay to keep her mouth shut and just do her job like she normally did, making for an easier life. “Coffee?” Ground glass for free.
“Yes. I’m going to have a shower and get ready for the press. I’ve got interviews booked all through the morning so I want you do go down and do the prepping for tonight. I’m not going to have time.” Cole turned to walk to the bathroom.
You asshole. “Hang about. Why are you doing the interviews, why not me too?” Hurt gripped her chest and she tried to push it back, but it was too much. No matter what he said, she knew deep in her heart that she was the one who created the recipes and the person who started the whole business. Even if it was in the back streets to start with, it was hers. And so is this new restaurant, no matter how much you push me to the back of things.
He glanced at her over his shoulder, a sneer on his lips. “Because they asked for me, that’s why. Face it, Lena, you belong in the kitchen, not as the face of the restaurant. That’s my job and we both know I do it better than you ever could.” He shook his head. “Make me some toast with that coffee would you?”
So tempting to say no. She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. Last night he was ravaging her body as if he loved her. This morning he was cutting out her heart with his disregard for her feelings. Lena found it hard to put it down to pressure considering she was the one that had to do the work. She was nothing but an object that came in useful when he wanted something. It was getting harder to keep up with his moods or show her care factor. It was down to zero and it wasn’t going to get any better any time soon if he kept this up.
Lena took a loaf of bread from the fridge and pulled out two slices before putting them in the toaster. She blessed her father’s decision to stay in a hotel for the night, rather than here with her and Cole. They would be horrified to see the way he treated her and it would be hard to come up with a reason as to why she put up with it. You know you can always walk away if something doesn’t feel right, Lena. Never forget that. Not one to let others push the weak around, he had drummed into his daughters that they had choices. Funnily enough, I forgot somewhere along to way to take notice of your words, Papa.
The scathing remarks were taking their toll and Lena found it harder and harder to give a shit about it either. He was a manipulative prick and she wondered how on earth she hadn’t seen it before. Being needy and alone with a child was probably her undoing. That and the fact she didn’t want to go running home to her parents. Standing on her own two feet had been important to her until she’d met Cole. He’d found it easy to walk into her life and take over without too much fuss from her. You’re a frigging idiot, Lena, you know that, right?
* * *
The events of the last month and that awards night came back to haunt her as she stood in her lawyers office listening to what he had to say.
“I’m sorry, Lena. His latest offer is definitely the last one according to his solicitor. Give him the restaurant, and he’ll give you full custody of your son.” Joel Rifkin looked over his tortoiseshell glasses at her, his expression grim.
“No, that can’t be right. I let him legally adopt Kyle to help protect him if anything happened to me, not to use him as a pawn in his sick games. Besides, I built that business up myself before he was even on the scene. I sweated blood for that place and he bloody well knows it.” Lena stood up, jammed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, walked over to the window, and looked through the rain-streaked glass to the streets of Sydney below. Why did he have to do this to them? The day seemed as depressing as her mood now she’d heard Cole’s terms for the divorce he’d initiated. No amount of pleading or cajoling had convinced him to try and sort things out. Her offer of counseling was rejected, as was her idea of a trial separation. What more is there for me to do?
So much for the façade of the happily married couple he put up in front of everyone at work. Even Lena thought they were doing fine. The shiny new glow had
