Chapter 48
Gemma
“Hey. Are you all right?” Jace asks.
I think he’s talking about Claire, but I barely said a thing to her. Then I realize he’s looking down at my feet.
My skin is red above the backs of my shoes.
I sigh. “Don’t worry. I’m used to it. Every woman is.”
“That seems criminal,” Jace says in his quiet voice.
I laugh and respond in low tones, “If it’s criminal, I guess that means I fit in here.”
He laughs, and the sound is warm. It’s nice, because I know that joke wasn’t very good.
“What’s funny?” a cold voice asks. “I’d love to be in on the joke.”
I look up and see Cassian. He’s standing there with Reyna trailing behind him, like she was chasing him and just caught up.
I groan inwardly. So, this is what Claire meant when she said she was going to make my life hell.
20:28
Chapter 48
She certainly picked the right person to do it.
Cassian looms over me and lowers his mouth to my ear.
“Do I need to remind you we’re still not divorced? Or that whether or not you get Seaside Manor depends on you not embarrassing me?”
I shove his chest and he steps back. “Do I need to remind you the same thing?” I ask, my eyes cutting to my half–sister. Claire has come up to stand beside them, too.
Why does he surround himself with so many terrible women?
“Gemma,” Reyna says in a voice of infinite patience, as if I’m a stupid child. “Cassian and I are-
“Let me guess,” I say in a mocking voice, “Here on family business? You’re so uncreative, Reyna. Can’t you think of a more entertaining lie?”
She steps back, and I see that for once, I’ve rendered her speechless.
Nice.
Cassian starts to say something else, but the host gets onstag
20:28
Chapter 48
19 min left
and announces it’s time for the dinner portion of the evening.
I still haven’t found that doctor. I’m so frustrated, and my frustration only deepens when I see who’s been assigned a seat
at the same table as me.
Claire.
She harasses me throughout dinner, and I do my best to ignore her. Even afterwards, she’s still trying to talk to me.
I finally whirl on her and say, “Claire. Can’t you tell when someone is trying not to speak to you? You’ve implanted everything else into your body. Maybe you should try a brain next!”
“Bitch!” she hisses at me for like the tenth time that night.
I don’t even care anymore.
“Dinner is over,” I say. “I’m trying to walk away from you. I know you’re used to me being your little punching bag because I was trying to be a good wife to Cassian, but I’m not interested in your abuse anymore.”
I raise my hand and make a shooing motion at her. “So please, go away and don’t bother me.”
Rage turns her face several different colors from pale to red to
20:27
Chapter 48
***** 19 min left
purple. Apparently overwhelmed at last by her emotions, she makes a little angry shrieking noise and storms away.
I stand with Jace at my side and watch her scamper right to
Cassian.
I heave a sigh. “She’s tattling on me again.”
“She can’t tell him anything he doesn’t know,” Jace says in a dry voice. “He’s been watching us all night.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m sorry. This isn’t what you signed up for when you volunteered to come in Zina’s place.”
Cassian walks away from Reyna and Claire to speak to another Alpha. I watch Reyna shoot me a poisonous glance. Then she leans down and whispers something in Claire’s ear.
Suddenly, Claire’s eyes light up, and I’m sure I don’t want to know
why.
“Come on,” I say to Jace. “Let’s hide in the lounge and hope they don’t find us again. Maybe the doctor is there.”
We go to the lounge, where Jace brings me a glass of juice.
“What’s this?” I laugh. “No booze?”
20:27
Chapter 48
19 min 11
He shrugs. “Enemies are all around. Doesn’t hurt to stay sharp.”
I smile and glance around again. There’s still no doctor here.
“Maybe the rumors he’d be here were wrong,” I say. It’s been hours, and I have to admit defeat. “I think it’s time to leave.”
We’ve just entered the lobby on our way out when I hear Claire’s voice ringing plenty loud enough for the people around us to hear.
“There you are, Gemma!” she swoops over and says, “I’ve just heard that you don’t have a job or any savings. And that your mom is crazy, which totally makes sense to me. But she does have those really high medical bills.”
Claire comes to a stop in front of me and says, “So why don’t you tell me, who did you screw to get a ticket to come here?”
Write your comment
tr Gifts
120-27
Divorcing My Alpha King.
19 min 1*1.
