The Millionaire's Secret by Susan Stevens, Jasmine Bowen
Authors: Susan Stevens, Jasmine Bowen
Ads: Link
Spiderman joke to him at the dinner table one night, when Evangeline cleared her throat.
“Who are you boys bringing to the ball tomorrow night?”
Behati continued to cut her steak, her mind thinking about the rehearsal she had tomorrow, as they muttered answers. With their mother back in town, and pushing her way constantly into the office work, it was like they all regressed 10 years. She actually witness Evangeline scream at Liam, who was 3 weeks shy of 26, to go to his room. It would be amusing if it wasn’t so pathetic.
“Adam?” she asked, and the heads at the table split their attention between Adam and Behati. She didn’t expect him to say anything at all. His newest trick was ignoring his mother, which seemed to work. Adam was head of the family, CEO of the business, and had a weight on him that was constantly growing.
“Behati, of course.”
Every jaw at the table fell open, some exposing their food. Not only had they never discussed this, the Katz ball was going to be a highly photographed and published events. In the words of lame tabloids, everyone who was everyone would be there. It would be full of rich and snooty guests, trying to outdo each other with better gowns and bigger jewels, and discussing business in stock market short hand. It was not Behati’s kind of party, and she expected she would need more than one drug to get her through it.
But more than that, she and Adam simply did not go places together that were published. It was an unspoken agreement, from long ago. Neither would benefit Fromm each other’s company in their circles, and so they just didn’t do it. They were used to dates at home, with the bed not far away, or hotel bars that ended in elevator make out sessions, the clothes flying. He didn’t bring her flowers, she didn’t swoon at his touch, that was just the way it was.
And yet, a shiver of anticipation went down her spine when he said that.
“Don’t be stupid,” Evangeline said, and Adam calmly put down his fork.
“And tell me, Mother, which part is me being stupid?”
“You can’t bring her,” Evangeline said, as if Behati wasn’t in the room. She might as well have not been, from the shock that ran through her mind. She felt like she was having an out of body experience, like she was watching herself in this situation. Liam put down his napkin, settling back beside her.
“This should be good,” he whispered.
“Easy for you to say,” she hissed back, and reached under the table to take his hand. If ever she needed the support of her brothers in law, it was now.
Evangeline looked like flames were going to start coming out of her eyes.
“Because, Adam, Behati is not…she…”
“She’s what, Mother? Or rather, what is she not?” Adam asked. “Because you asked who I was bringing to the ball and I gave you an answer. I don’t see what is so complicated about that.”
“Adam!” She sputtered, horrified, and he raised an eyebrow.
“But if you must have a reason, because I, somehow, in my thirties, my late thirties mind you, after running this company for 10 years on my own, and taking care of my brothers, your children, while you jet setted around the world, I must somehow justify my every move to you. So I will give you several reasons and perhaps they will satisfy you. On her own, Behati is a beautiful woman, full of elegance and poise, which she must have, to be a dancer. A very successful dancer, mind you, who is known around the world for her talent and skill. Since I have known her, there is not one stage she has failed to light up, and not one move she has failed to perform, no matter what her personal circumstances off stage. She is a young woman who has overcome great obstacle, when lesser women, and men mind you, would have given up. She has never asked me for anything, outside of one thing. Never money, or fortune or fame, or anything this family could have granted her. Everything that she has, she has because I offered or she
“Who are you boys bringing to the ball tomorrow night?”
Behati continued to cut her steak, her mind thinking about the rehearsal she had tomorrow, as they muttered answers. With their mother back in town, and pushing her way constantly into the office work, it was like they all regressed 10 years. She actually witness Evangeline scream at Liam, who was 3 weeks shy of 26, to go to his room. It would be amusing if it wasn’t so pathetic.
“Adam?” she asked, and the heads at the table split their attention between Adam and Behati. She didn’t expect him to say anything at all. His newest trick was ignoring his mother, which seemed to work. Adam was head of the family, CEO of the business, and had a weight on him that was constantly growing.
“Behati, of course.”
Every jaw at the table fell open, some exposing their food. Not only had they never discussed this, the Katz ball was going to be a highly photographed and published events. In the words of lame tabloids, everyone who was everyone would be there. It would be full of rich and snooty guests, trying to outdo each other with better gowns and bigger jewels, and discussing business in stock market short hand. It was not Behati’s kind of party, and she expected she would need more than one drug to get her through it.
But more than that, she and Adam simply did not go places together that were published. It was an unspoken agreement, from long ago. Neither would benefit Fromm each other’s company in their circles, and so they just didn’t do it. They were used to dates at home, with the bed not far away, or hotel bars that ended in elevator make out sessions, the clothes flying. He didn’t bring her flowers, she didn’t swoon at his touch, that was just the way it was.
And yet, a shiver of anticipation went down her spine when he said that.
“Don’t be stupid,” Evangeline said, and Adam calmly put down his fork.
“And tell me, Mother, which part is me being stupid?”
“You can’t bring her,” Evangeline said, as if Behati wasn’t in the room. She might as well have not been, from the shock that ran through her mind. She felt like she was having an out of body experience, like she was watching herself in this situation. Liam put down his napkin, settling back beside her.
“This should be good,” he whispered.
“Easy for you to say,” she hissed back, and reached under the table to take his hand. If ever she needed the support of her brothers in law, it was now.
Evangeline looked like flames were going to start coming out of her eyes.
“Because, Adam, Behati is not…she…”
“She’s what, Mother? Or rather, what is she not?” Adam asked. “Because you asked who I was bringing to the ball and I gave you an answer. I don’t see what is so complicated about that.”
“Adam!” She sputtered, horrified, and he raised an eyebrow.
“But if you must have a reason, because I, somehow, in my thirties, my late thirties mind you, after running this company for 10 years on my own, and taking care of my brothers, your children, while you jet setted around the world, I must somehow justify my every move to you. So I will give you several reasons and perhaps they will satisfy you. On her own, Behati is a beautiful woman, full of elegance and poise, which she must have, to be a dancer. A very successful dancer, mind you, who is known around the world for her talent and skill. Since I have known her, there is not one stage she has failed to light up, and not one move she has failed to perform, no matter what her personal circumstances off stage. She is a young woman who has overcome great obstacle, when lesser women, and men mind you, would have given up. She has never asked me for anything, outside of one thing. Never money, or fortune or fame, or anything this family could have granted her. Everything that she has, she has because I offered or she
Similar Books
