Reign A Romance Anthology - Nina Levine Page 0,378

encouraging me to go to college, get a business degree. And I did. When I finished at the top of my class, I thought I would go work for him, that he would take me under his wing. He was always complaining he never had a son to take over his business, but I thought maybe he was finally seeing I could handle the job. But, no, he kept saying it wasn't the right time.”

“Hang on.” I get up, go to the fridge, and take out the bottle of wine. I open the cupboards. Shit. Why didn't I ever take the time to buy some wine glasses? Now I have literal hotel royalty in my apartment, and all I have is a standard drinking glass.

I pour her a wine and take it to her with the bottle.

“Sorry.” I wrinkle my nose. “I don’t have wine glasses.”

She accepts the glass and takes a sip. “Still tastes the same.” She smiles at me, taking my hand into her lap as I sit down closer to her.

“So, I started an online clothing business. I had the know-how and the means to do it, and it took off right away. Being I didn't want it to be successful just on my name, I never told anyone I was behind the company.”

“Would I have heard of this business?”

“Maybe. Have you heard of Gold Apparel?”

“Actually, I have. You have that catchy ad on the radio?”

“Yes, that’s us.” She squeezes my hand, her face lighting up. “When my father didn’t employ me, my mother had me helping her with her charity events. She was grooming me to be a trophy wife. I did that for a few months, but after a while, I found I needed more. I needed to work. So, I put my business degree to use and started the online clothing store. Online, you can be anonymous, and I used that to my advantage. When the business started picking up, I tried to get out of playing the dutiful daughter and going to all the events with my parents, but they brushed my business off as nonsense. I had to hire a manager to help me out so, that times I couldn't be there, my business was still moving along. When Thomas proposed, my parents were over the moon, and talk of us taking over the hotel empire when my father retired began. But I found out a few days ago that he actually wanted Thomas to take over and not me, his own flesh and blood.”

She shakes her head and drinks the rest of her glass. I lean over and top it off for her.

“I think running has been in my head for some time. I know what you must be thinking, poor little rich gir—”

I don't let her finish and pull her into my lap, her legs straddling mine. Her eyes go wide, so I rub her back, making sure she doesn’t move. Her hands seem to automatically go to my chest, like we’ve done this for years and not only a day.

“I don’t think that at all. Keep going.”

She takes a deep breath, relaxing a little on the exhale. “Growing up, I always wanted to be an adult, to be able to do what I want to, when I want to. But growing up hasn't been like that at all. My mother and father expect me to be just like them. They were the ones who pushed Thomas to propose, and I thought that's what I wanted too. I was so busy this past year, planning my wedding because my mother tried to take over, and it would have been a massive affair if I didn’t step in, and nothing at all what I wanted it to be. Between running my business, keeping up with appearances for my parents at events, and planning my wedding, that hardly left any time for Thomas and me to spend together.” She tenses in my arms, her eyes looking over my shoulder. “Maybe that's why he… and walking down those stairs… I didn’t want to be married to someone who could—”

I gently grip her chin and bring her face down so her blue eyes are on me.

“I know my father has had mistresses, and mother just looks the other way, but I can’t do that,” she finishes in a mumble.

Anger boils inside of me; what drop kick would cheat on a woman like this?

“Babe—”

“We haven't made love for nearly a year. He never touches me,