The Prince's Devious Proposal - Holly Rayner Page 0,46
money?”
Petr hesitated.
“You did know,” she said.
“All right,” he acknowledged. “You’re right about Sir Bozik. He did come to my family after his relationship with an American woman—your mother—ended, and he reported that she would be leaving a small fortune to each of her daughters.”
“I knew it.” Naomi wished she felt as triumphant as she sounded. All she really felt was sadness.
“He was just doing his job,” Petr said. “It was Sir Bozik’s responsibility to let us know about any potential solutions to our monetary problems.”
“And I suppose it was his job to target my mother?”
“He wasn’t targeting her,” Petr said. “The relationship was real. It wasn’t until things ended between them that he informed us of her wealth.”
“Okay, so he waited until they had broken up to start targeting her.”
“I’m not saying he was a good boyfriend,” Petr said.
“There’s a lot of that going around,” Naomi said icily. “I don’t suppose you’re going to try to tell me that you weren’t targeting me, are you?”
Petr sighed. “You’re not wrong,” he admitted. “When I saw that your mother had passed away, I knew that you would soon be coming into your inheritance. It seemed an opportune time for me to reach out to you.”
“And try to con me.”
“Naomi, I could have claimed half of your assets the day I got that ring on your finger,” Petr said. “I’ve had years to research this. I know who your mother’s lawyer is. I knew where the money was before you did, and as your husband, I was legally entitled to half of it. I could have taken my share and disappeared before you had any idea what had happened.”
“As far as I know, you did do that,” Naomi pointed out. “I found out about this money twenty minutes ago. I haven’t spoken to the lawyer yet. I don’t know if anybody has asked him for a check.”
“I haven’t,” Petr said.
“You did disappear, though,” Naomi said. “Which is exactly what a con artist would do at the end of their scheme.”
“But I came back,” Petr pointed out. “I’m sitting here with you right now. Why would I be doing that if I had taken your money?”
“Don’t ask me to explain the way your mind works,” Naomi snapped. “I don’t know why you would do any of what you’ve done. Pretending to be a fan—”
“No,” Petr interrupted. “I never pretended to be a fan of yours, Naomi. That was the truth.”
“How can I believe that?” Naomi asked. “How am I supposed to believe anything you say, knowing that you deliberately set out to trick me and steal from me?”
“I was a fan of your music before any of this happened,” Petr insisted. “When Sir Bozik told me that the woman he had been involved with was the mother of Naomi West, I was thrilled that I might get the chance to meet you in person. That was always real.”
“So I’m supposed to feel honored that you were excited to rip me off because you liked my music?” Naomi felt sick. “That means that all the time I was writing and performing, I was just creating a path for you to infiltrate my life!”
“You don’t understand,” Petr said, sounding a bit desperate.
“No,” Naomi agreed. “I really don’t understand. I don’t know why you would do this to me, and I don’t know how you expect me to respond to it. You made me believe that you loved me, Petr. I really thought we had something special.”
She focused on the anger that fueled her words. If she allowed herself to think too deeply about what she was saying, she knew she would become emotional. She would break down. And that was the last thing she wanted.
Anger was good. Anger gave her the strength she needed to sever this connection with Petr, to drive home to him the wrongness of what he had done.
But was there any chance she could get out of this situation without giving him the money he meant to take? Even if they were to divorce, he would be entitled to it. She would have to consult with the lawyer once she got the name from Sarah.
There must be something I can do, she thought desperately. There must be some way to keep this man from getting his hands on my money.
“Don’t you want to know why I’m here today?” Petr asked her. “Don’t you want to know why I haven’t taken your money?”
“I assume it’s because you weren’t able to access it,” Naomi