Page 9 of A Diamond Deal
She’d wanted only the things he could give her.
The thingsshewanted.
Security—loyalty—sex.
He’d given her all three in exchange for a marriage of convenience to bolster the image of his business ethos.Family and health first.
The press had torn him apart with her disappearance. The image of her on the cliff. The stolen photograph of his wife in despair.Lost.Displayed for the world to see. Captioned in sensational, vulgar words in gossip and news columns worldwide accusinghimof hiding her away because of his advocacy for mental health, and how badly it would look if he couldn’t support his wife.
It wasn’t true.
He’d made sure she had everything his mother hadn’t.Help.
He walked further into the room, empty but for the sound of his breath leaving his flaring nostrils.
‘Konstantinos,’ a voice called from the doorway.
He turned, and his instinct was to let his gaze linger on the wheelchair, on the legs, smaller now, outlined beneath the grey wool blanket keeping them warm. But he didn’t. He made himself look straight into the eyes of the cruise-liner tycoon, and swallowed down the words of condolence in his throat.
He wouldn’t let himself care for anything or anyone any more.
He’d cared forher, and she’d betrayed him. He’d trusted her to keep her word.
No one would leave him behind again.
Tonight, he’d let himself be everything he’d fought against becoming all his life. His father.
He’d be brutal. Ruthless.Cruel.
He’d make himself enjoy this, because what was the alternative?
It was his reputation or the cruise-liner tycoon’s.
It wasn’t personal.
Thiswas business.
The only personal connection they’d ever had washer.Their meeting three years ago should never have been what it was.A date.It had gone from formal to casual whenshe’djoined them, not as anyone’s employee, but as his wife. Caleb’s wife had joined them too, at Poppy’s request. And she’d joined them with their daughter in tow, who’d fallen asleep before dessert on her grandfather’s knee. Against Léon’s chest.
He snarled.
He was a fool.
He’d known the Durands most of his life. He’d been to boarding school with the tycoon’s son. But they were not friends.
Poppy was your friend.
He stepped forward.
She was nothing to him now.
He stretched out his hand. ‘Léon,’ he greeted in return without inflection.
‘Konstantinos,’ he repeated, wrapping two hands around his. ‘Thank you for coming so quickly.’
‘I was already in Paris.’
He released his hand. ‘I was aware.’
