Cruel Fortune (Cruel 2)

My smile widened at the story. “What a great story.”

“True love,” Nina said, reaching for Edward’s hand and squeezing.

I was still thinking about that heartwarming story as the conversation shifted to the girls. Etta taking a gap year before going to Harvard next fall. Charlotte’s business classes at Harvard. She’d finished exams earlier this week, and she was pretty certain she’d aced them.

“All that, and we have such a busy Christmas. Between your modeling debut at the Trinity club opening, the wedding, gingerbread houses, a handful of charity functions, and Christmas, I don’t even know when I’ll find time to work,” Nina said. “Natalie, I hope that you’re coming with Lewis to the wedding?”

“Um…wedding?” My eyes shot to his.

“I was going to talk to you about that,” Lewis said across the table.

Nina raised her eyebrows. “I assumed you were bringing her as a plus-one.”

“I do intend to bring her. But I haven’t asked her yet.”

“Sorry, whose wedding?” I asked.

“Katherine Van Pelt and Camden Percy,” Nina said with a wide grin as if those two names didn’t send acid through my stomach.

“Oh.”

Of course.

No wonder Lewis hadn’t brought it up. Not with how I felt about the pair. That was the furthest thing from taking it slow in society. The furthest thing from what I wanted to be doing with my life. The epitome of the Upper East Side. An arranged marriage between a deceptive, penniless, scheming bitch and her cheating, addicted, asshole groom. Count me out.

I didn’t know what anyone said after that. I was still stuck on that one point. And how I knew for certain that there was no way I was going to Katherine’s wedding. No way in hell.

Natalie

22

After dinner ended, I thanked Nina and Edward for their hospitality and promised to come back again soon. Lewis kissed his mom good night and then whisked me out of their mansion. He breathed out in relief as soon as the elevator doors closed.

“Well, that went as well as could be expected.”

I arched an eyebrow at him.

“I was going to tell you about the wedding.”

“When? When it happened?”

“You’ve been so anti–Upper East Side. You don’t even want to go to Jane’s club opening after what happened at Harmony’s. And Jane is probably your closest friend here.”

“I have good reason for feeling that way,” I reminded him.

“I know. So, why would I burden you with the knowledge that Katherine is getting married?”

“Because apparently, everyone already assumed I was going with you. And then I looked like an idiot because I didn’t even know it was happening.”

“You didn’t look like an idiot,” he assured me as we exited the elevator and strode out to his waiting Mercedes.

I had to admit, it was nice, having a driver waiting for you wherever you went. Especially with the frigid temperatures bathing New York City this weekend.

“You could always go with me,” he said with a cocky grin.

I laughed in his face. “Not going to happen.”

“Wouldn’t it be a victory for you?” he offered. “Seeing Katherine be miserable for the rest of her life.”

“There is no victory in that. Victory implies that there was a competition, which I was never a part of,” I coolly told him. “And I don’t care if Katherine is happy or miserable. I just don’t want to have to deal with her.”

He sighed. “Fair.”

We were out of the car and in his apartment again when fresh anger hit me at the situation. “Didn’t I just see Camden with someone else? Tracey?”

Lewis shrugged. “It is arranged.”

I huffed dramatically and tossed my coat on the couch. “They disgust me.”

He chuckled softly and then stepped into me, tilting my chin up to look at him. “I like when you get all fiery.”

“You like when I’m angry?” I asked with a disconcerted look.

“Not angry. But passionate. It’s like when you discuss your book. Or when you talk about swimming. Or how you talk about any topic that you have strong opinions about.”

“So…everything?”

“It’s my favorite thing about you. Your passion. Most people around here lose it, learn to contain it, leash it. You set yours free. And it lights you up.”

A smile came to my lips. My irritation over Katherine’s impending wedding melting away. What did it matter if she got married? I wasn’t going. I didn’t need to ruin a perfectly good night because of it.

“Well, I had a good time with your family otherwise. Your mom is the best.”

“Isn’t she?”

“Your dad is kind of intimidating though.”

“He has that perfected.” He threaded both of our hands together and kissed me once. “He was kind of terrifying when I was growing up. But I get it now. He was preparing me to take over.”

“And you wanted that?” I asked, slipping my hands out of his, up his chest, and around his neck.

He breathed out a laugh. “Not always. I wanted to play baseball after high school. We fought about it a lot. But in hindsight, he was right. I wasn’t good enough for the majors, and I would have wallowed in the minors when I should have been at Harvard. So, Harvard was where I ended up.”