I guess I’ll find out tomorrow during our one-on-one time. I will make him talk to me even if it means sacrificing a time that was meant to be romantic, to bring us closer when we’ve never felt further apart.
“I believe in him,” I tell her.
She nods. “I know you do, and maybe that will be his saving grace.”
A waiter comes out to take our plates and make room for our next course.
“Thank you,” I say while he avoids making direct eye contact.
Does he know who she is? Does he know who the man standing near the door is? Does he know who I am—and the men I surround myself with? Is this what it means to be with them? A threat by association?
“Your studies have concluded?” Gwyneth asks me.
“Yes, a while back, actually.”
“I see. And what do you intend on doing now that you’ve finished?” She takes another drink of her wine—so ladylike and pretentious.
Just drink the fucking wine already.
Another waiter brings our dishes but as he walks away, I catch his forearm. “Can I get a bourbon, neat, whatever you have back there?”
“That sounds delightful, I’ll have the same,” she chimes in.
A whistle sounds from across the way. Simon waves the waiter over to him. They exchange a few words that I can’t quite make out.
“I’m sure he’s just insisting he get you the best or he’ll end his life.” Gwyneth winks at me. “That one…he’s always been a wild card, but with you, he’s different.”
“How so?” I ask her even though I know I shouldn’t. I should let it go and avert the conversation back to her trip to Ireland or Finland or wherever the fuck she went.
Italy.That’s right, it was Italy.Silly me.
"Well, for starters, he quite literally gave up his ambitions for you to become a glorified babysitter."
I chuckle. “That’s exactly what I said.”
She smiles, too. “Although, I don’t think he quite minds.”
"He claims he doesn't." I steal a glance at him and sure enough, he's staring directly at me. I shift my gaze behind me just to confirm there isn't something else he's looking at. There isn't.
She keeps her voice lower than it was before. “Simon was born into this life. It’s all he’s known. But after what happened with his sister, nothing was ever really the same.”
“His sister?”
“Tragic accident. They were at the lake, the two of them. She fell in, hit her head under the dock, drowned. Simon went in after her, almost drowned, too. A fisherman pulled him out of the water.”
My heart breaks at remembering him tell me he was afraid of water, that he couldn’t swim. It’s no wonder he has reoccurring nightmares of drowning.
"Anyway, he went from being a loving and sweet child to this closed-off boy I no longer recognized. He was consumed by his dreams of taking over the company. Rose through the ranks quicker than most. But Dom always stood in the way. He had more years, more experience. Dom was always going to be next in line—that's what Franklin had put in place. Didn't trust Simon's new-age antics. Thought he'd never cut it. But when Frank died, it opened up that opportunity for Simon to prove to the council that he had what it took. And I'll be damned, the kid nearly pulled it off. If it weren't for you, he very well could have."
In helping Dominic win, I caused Simon to lose. Both men were deserving, but one of them already had my heart. Had I not interfered, maybe it would be Simon in Dom's place, but then what would have become of Dom, and what would have happened with me? Would Simon have let the guys walk away? And what would he have done with me? It’s clear he’s obsessed, but where would that line have been drawn if he was the one in control?
I guess we’ll never find out because I did step in and threaten Simon’s life with that blade from Gwyneth’s office. Only, isn’t that what she wanted me to do all along?
In the various instances where she and I have gotten together for these occasional chats, I’ve never asked her about that day. But the more I learn about these men and the layers of this world I uncover, revealing the truth has never been more appealing.
“Was it a test?” I ask her.
“What do you think?” She doesn’t bother pretending like she doesn’t know what I’m referring to.