She Was Never Just the Billionaire’s Wife (Natasha and Chase) novel Chapter 100

(Chase)

I rip the black silk bowtie loose and start over.

The fabric catches on my thumb and I swear roundly at the mirror.

I hate black-tie events.

I hate the foundation gala specifically.

It’s three hours of corporate vultures pretending to care about philanthropy while sizing up each other's market share.

I used to rely on Natasha to get me through nights like this.

She remembers who everyone is and steered me clear of the most heinous bores.

I pull the tie tight. It’s flawless.

I suddenly hate that I know how to tie a perfect bow tie.

Everything is annoying me.

Natasha and I haven’t discussed the custody issue again since her visit to my office.

Nor has she responded to my suggestion that she move in here for the time being.

I grab my watch from the dresser. The heavy platinum band snaps shut against my wrist.

The apartment is dead quiet.

I bought this place because it has no history. No memories.

Now, the silence in the hallway feels like a loaded gun.

Natasha is in the spare room.

Her door is closed. It’s been closed since she walked in an hour ago and I told her Lily was staying with my mother tonight.

She dropped her keys on the kitchen island with a sharp metallic clatter, ignored me completely, and disappeared into the guest suite.

She looked angry.

I walk out of the master bedroom and stop in the hallway.

A thin line of light bleeds out from under the heavy wood of her door.

I know what I should do.

I should knock.

I should tell her the gala is going to be unbearable, and ask her to put on a dress and suffer through it with me.

I should ask my wife to be my date.

The board would love a united front.

I take a half-step toward the door.

The air in the hallway seems to thicken, pressing against my chest.

My lawyer’s voice echoes in my head.

Primary physical custody. Restricted visitation. Full medical proxy.

Mason’s legal team sent the custody petition to her yesterday.

My counsel already obtained a copy of the draft.

It came from one of the most ruthless family law firms in the city.

Of course Mason referred her to them.

The guy probably introduced her to the senior partner with a smile.

It’s a brutal, flawless piece of legal warfare.

It’s exactly the kind of weapon she would commission when she’s angry.

She wants to fence me out of my daughter's life.

My jaw locks. The muscle ticks hard enough to ache.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify