Trillion - Winter Renshaw Page 0,79
at stake with this deal, that we were to put on our best faces at all times in order to sell Nolan on the authenticity of our relationship—not that it was hard to do. The last thing she’d do is share concerns with him that things were moving too fast.
“Is that right?” I ask, pretending I believe him.
“She said she’d read one of my books,” he says, referring to his pseudo-science books on the “art” of marriage. “Made her think about a few things she hadn’t thought about before.”
Bull-fucking-shit.
I’ve been with her enough the last few months—I’d have known if she were reading his books.
“I guess I can’t help but feel partly responsible for her decision,” Nolan says. “So for that, you have my sincerest apologies.”
“Everything happens for a reason,” Anabelle adds. “And I mean everything. Sometimes the worst moments of our lives happen because there’s something better in store.” Leaning in, she continues, “You know, for the longest time I wanted children. But the doctors said it wasn’t possible. Then Nolan found this young girl, eighteen I believe. Still in high school. Poor as a mouse. She waited tables to help pay her mother’s rent. Anyway, she was pregnant and wanted to find a good home for the baby. He offered and thank the good Lord above, she accepted. That’s how we got our Sasha.”
Anabelle rests her hand over Nolan’s forearm, lips pulling up at the sides as her eyes turn a deep shade of warm coffee. “And then we found ourselves pregnant with Enzo two years later—and it was completely unexpected since we didn’t think it was possible. Sometimes I think having Sasha sort of took pressure off trying to conceive and that’s what allowed Enzo to happen. Sorry if I’m giving you too much information.” She laughs, fingers splayed across her diamond necklace. “But my point is, everything has a domino effect and it’s always darkest before the dawn.”
“Ana, my love, I don’t think Trey wants to be bothered by our family’s journey …” He offers a nervous chuckle.
“No, no,” I say, piecing together their story.
A baby girl born eight years ago to a waitress still in high school …
The instant sickness in the car on the ride there the second I mentioned his name …
Sophie and Nolan talking by the pool Saturday morning …
The way she played with the kids at the beach, never leaving their side once and paying special attention to the little girl …
The hint of barely-there tears in her eyes when she said goodbye to Sasha …
Her sudden and abrupt change of heart after that weekend …
She refused to tell me the name of the man who got her pregnant all those years go, but she once mentioned he was an “older” and “prominent” businessman.
Son of a bitch. The asshole strong-armed her out of marrying me.
I thought his change of heart was peculiar … but he backed his decision up with a myriad of reasons, all of which made sense.
I take a swig of my Scotch, gripping the tumbler so hard it might break.
As soon as this takeover is final, I’m dismantling his fucking business piece by piece. Selling it for pennies on the dollar if I have to, giving every last dollar to Sophie.
God knows she’s earned it after dealing with him.
“Anyway.” Anabelle sips her champagne. “It’s so nice to be back in the Windy City. We lived here temporarily before we got Sasha. I was teaching for the pediatrics program at Northwestern. Nolan would leave every weekend for business, but we made it work. And once we welcomed our daughter, we moved east permanently to be closer to our families.”
Nolan checks his watch. “I hate to cut this meeting short, Trey, but we’ve got an appointment with our personal jeweler at Cartier in an hour and this city traffic is brutal.”
“We can reschedule, can’t we?” Anabelle asks. “I’m sure Monique will understand.”
“I’d rather not.” Nolan forces a tight smile, dabbing his lips with his white linen napkin before rising. His mind is made up.
His wife offers an apologetic smile.
“This isn’t easy for him,” she tells me. “But good luck with everything. We know the company will be in capable hands.”
I rise, extending my hand to Nolan. He gives it a tight squeeze before offering one to Broderick, hardly making eye contact.
Underneath the pomp and circumstance and the annoyingly rigid negotiation tactics, he’s nothing but a goddamned coward.
Whatever he’s holding over Sophie’s head, I’m going to rip it limb from limb.
And