Liar Liar

‘N’importe quoi,’ Amélie spits—whatever—throwing down the scrap of silk that I assume is a dress. ‘You need me to keep you away from gold-digging whores—women who are only interested in your money!’

I’m not sure how she can’t see the similarities. Perhaps a professional gold-digging whore might cost less than her. While Rose might cost me everything. But I no longer care. Seeing her so upset, so angry . . . tore me apart. Watching her leave the office so pale and so despondent, yet knowing if I followed her, I’d be playing into Amélie’s hands. It’s time it all came to an end. I’m not proud of my mistakes. Of hurting her and of thinking I could somehow make this right without her ever knowing.

Amélie stomps around the room, muttering insults to my parentage as I consider how different the two women are. Contrary to current appearances, Amélie is cold. She cares for nothing and no one but herself. Rose, by contrast, is full of vitality, and though it’s a cliché, she truly has a heart of gold. While Amélie behaves like an overgrown child threatened with the removal of her most useful possession, Rose behaves like a woman who has had her heart broken.

Her. Heart. Broken. Which means she loves me. Which means I have a chance—I can make her heart whole again.

‘There will be a settlement, as we agreed in the beginning. You can use the house for the rest of the year and keep the credit card.’ For now, at least. With a cast-iron spending limit.

‘I am not moving out,’ she replies with the hauteur of a duchess. ‘I have spent time and money renovating this old place. And for what? So you can move your fat little girlfriend in?’

‘Carry on,’ I answer blithely. ‘I had forgotten how ridiculous you are. And yes, you spent money, lots of my money while an army of decorators spent months catering to your every whim. Where were you again? Gstaad, Milan, and God only knows where else. The settlement will include an apartment. There’s no need to worry about returning to your parents.’

Her expression hardens. She knows this isn’t what her father planned. He may have offered up his daughter like a suckling pig, but he expected her to turn our contract into wedding vows.

‘For your information, I had my own apartment before I moved in with you.’

A rental, the size of a postage stamp, and subsidised by the government as her family is Monégasque; native to Monaco.

‘Regardless, you can’t stay here.’ My tone is one of abrupt finality, feelings, thoughts, and sentiments riot through me, and not one gram of them centred on her. I was wrong. I’ll do better. Her anger will burn away, and I’ll make it up to her. ‘I’m selling the place.’ And with that, I grab my jacket, leaving her to both her tantrum and her unpacking.

* * *

‘That’s fucking classic!’

‘I’m pleased you’re amused. I can’t say I felt the same sentiment,’ I murmur, initialling plans for the land reclamation project for a hotel and residential complex.

‘You can’t be surprised. Two women on the go at the same time?’ Everett asserts gleefully. ‘You were bound to get caught with your trousers down at some point.’

‘I hardly, as you so eloquently put it, had two women on the go. I had one.’ One I don’t intend on letting go. ‘The other was a decoy for the board.’

‘And kept around far too long.’

I shrug. He’s right.

‘Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre.’ His accent somewhat butchers the words but not so much as I can’t understand.

‘My eyes are bigger than my belly? Really?’

‘I don’t know how to say you’re a glutton for punishment. Man, I wish I’d been here to see the bitch’s face when she walked in on you with Rose.’

‘You were too busy eating trans fats and chemicals, pretending to be a potato.’

‘Give me a girl who’ll bring me a burger anytime.’

I frown before my gaze cuts to him. He’s certainly singing another tune, and I don’t think it’s purely the result of yesterday morning’s greasy offering. ‘It didn’t happen like that.’ I decide not to mention that Ben was in the office, or how I mishandled Amélie’s arrival because I’ve fucked up enough. ‘You know you just said something nice about Rose. What’s going on? I don’t think you’ve said anything complimentary about her since she arrived.’

‘I haven’t said anything bad about her, either. Well, not much. But I’m team Rose if I’ve got to be team anyone. I’ll even get the T-shirt and the hat.’ His smile is despicably cheery as he adds, ‘Because I’m not the one that has to worry about her hiding things.’

‘I’m not worried. In fact, I no longer care.’

‘Your fucking funeral, mate.’

‘I don’t think so. The PI has come back with nothing. There is absolutely nothing to tie her to Emile.’ Nothing that interests me. ‘He has examined her work history, her family, her relationships all the way back to high school. Also, she says she has never met him, and I believe her.’