Page 72 of Ruled By Rivalry

None of them looked as mortified as I felt, though. Even when I reached for my napkin, about to get out of my chair to wipe away whatever saliva-wine mix had made it onto the table, Elliot just held me by the arm, gently pushing me back into my chair.

His only reaction was suppressing what would’ve been a hearty chuckle. His dimples were showing; that’s all I needed to know.

I’m sorry, I mouthed at Rowen again. I’d probably have to say it fifty more times before I could start forgiving myself.

“We met at the restaurant opening you were too busy for,” Rowen said pointedly, wiping a trace of wine off his cheek as if nothing had happened. I visibly cringed. At least it wasn’t Mariette or, God forbid, Hunter Ashwood.

“Then again at the fundraiser you had no interest in,” Elliot added.

“I’m sorry, Elli. I’m not particularly known for caring about the environment. It would’ve been—”

“Gossip fodder. I know. I’m just saying.” The man beside me shrugged, and I tried to ignore the way his shoulder brushed mine. He nodded toward the head of the table, and I was just glad we weren’t talking about my wine accident anymore. “Are Hunter and his favorite heir not joining tonight?”

“Office,” Alex provided.

At the same time, their mother tutted, “He doesn’t have favorites, Elliot.”

“Important money stuff, I assume.” Elliot again. Irony laced his words, and I was sure he was rolling his eyes internally.

What I wasn’t sure about? When I’d started to internalize his habits. I could tell he was trying to play this cool, but he was as tense as I’d ever seen him. Almost as bad as on the subway.

I’d known the guy for a month—not nearly enough time to learn the ins and outs of a person. And I didn’t know him, I reminded myself. Not really.

I needed to remember that.

The tense silence was interrupted by the elevator’s ding as its doors opened, and every single person around the table froze. Me included. Unintentionally.

Their backs straightened. Elliot moved his wineglass an inch to the right, only to move it back a second later. The air in the room thinned, and I could imagine what the fuss was about: There were only two people missing around the table, if I got my Ashwood trivia correct.

A gruff voice spoke from behind us. Cadence calm; bored, almost. “Hunter won’t make it tonight.”

The entire table sank in relief at Kai Ashwood’s voice.

I should’ve been excited about sitting at the same dinner table as their grandfather. But, truth be told, I’d been terrified and didn’t mind being spared that fate. He probably wouldn’t remember the little intern bombing a meeting weeks ago, but the way his blue eyes had scrutinized me was still engraved in my mind.

And it was not a happy memory.

“No?” Mariette asked, and there was something other than relief in her voice. Disappointment, maybe? Surprise? I couldn’t be sure.

“Board meeting ran late.” The glance at Elliot wasn’t subtle. Kai sat, not bothering to introduce himself, and as if the entire family had been waiting for someone to say it, he rasped, “Shall we?”

Even halfway through the main course, the absurdity of the situation was hard to grasp. Here I was, Little Miss Nobody, having dinner with one of the richest families in America.

Scratch that, one of the richest families in the world.

I listened to familial bickering, first-world problems, and throwaway comments about people I didn’t know, all while managing not to draw attention to myself. The wine incident was completely forgotten. If I used the wrong fork, no one noticed.

Our empty plates were just being whisked away when my luck ran out.

“So, Maeve.” Alex leaned back in his chair, and the way he ran a hand through his dark-blond hair seemed calculated. And charming, so it must’ve been working. “You’re not my brother’s girlfriend, then. You said you work together?”

Okay, so maybe the wine shower wasn’t all forgotten about.

“At Adeline Ashwood.” I wondered if hearing her name like that was weird. If it evoked any emotion from them at all. When there was no immediate response, I felt the need to fill the silence and settled on “We’re working on some Ashwood Annual looks at the moment.”

“Nature something, right?”

“The Spirit of Earth.” I gave Alex a look. “Nature something works as well, I guess.”