ter and garlic wafted up, but her stomach churned violently. She picked up her

ainst the porcelain plate with a screeching sound that made Bethel win

e sharp. She had noticed the tension. She had noticed the way Baron was ignoring ev

ed up, star

you call it? Aid work?" Cla

ork for a non-profit center downtown. We h

and that sported a diamond ring the size of a grape. "Oh, that's so nobl

er grip on her for

at Bethel, but the corner of his mouth quirked up

ing her body toward Baron, effectively cutting Bethel out of t

nsult was thinly veiled, a

d. She looked at Baron. He was the only one who could stop this. He w

ay eyes swept over Bethel's pal

picked up his wine glass again and took a slow,

ed to see her squirm. He wa

atmospheric pressure. "The wedding colors are going to be

a classic. Isn't that from Balenciaga's collection five years ago? It's brave to wear vintage to a place like this." The insult

spiratorial whisper that carried perfectly in the qu

attered against the china, the

chest. She wanted to scream that she was the opposite of a gold digger,

yes narrowed, waiting. He was waiting for her to fight back. He wa

unraveling the lie she had told him five years ago. Sh

in her throat. She lowered

is eyes died, replaced by a profound, withering d

t in a conversation about propulsion systems. The dismissal

hel couldn't breathe. The air in

murmured, pushi

e door. She could feel Baron's gaze burning int

om, gripping the edge of the marble sink. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her skin was gray

opened be

, wiping her mouth wit

at Bethel. She walked to the mirro

him," Clarissa s

ction. "I don't know wha

e looked at you. And I saw the way you looked at him. He's mine, Bethel. And

n the mirror one last time. "Don't ma

eaving the scent of expensiv