The CEO's Regret: His Lost Wife's Secret Twins novel Chapter 39

The CEO’s Regret: His Lost Wife’s Secret Twins

Chapter 39

Emma specifically requested you be there. Blake cut me off. She made that very clear when she called this afternoon.”

Of course she did.

Before I could come up with another excuse, Emma’s voice rang across the parking lot.

“Aria! Blake! Perfect timing!” She was practically skipping toward us in her heels. “I came to pick you both up myself! Isn’t that

wonderful?”

Great. Just fantastic.

Emma reached us, slightly out of breath. Her perfect blonde hair didn’t have a single strand out of place. Her makeup looked flawless. She looked ready for a magazine cover.

I looked down at my wrinkled work blouse and felt miserable.

“I hope you don’t mind riding together.” Emma looped her arm through Blake’s. “It’ll be so much cozier.”

Blake didn’t pull away. Didn’t say anything. Just stood there.

“Sure,” I heard myself say. “That sounds great.”

I followed them to Emma’s Bentley. She chattered the entire way about the menu and the wine selection and how she’d called in a favor to get the best private room.

Blake opened the back door for me. I slid in. The leather seats were soft. The car smelled of Emma’s perfume. Expensive and suffocating.

Emma got in the driver’s seat. Blake took the passenger side. They looked perfect together. I looked out of place.

The drive to Sapphire Club took twenty minutes. Twenty minutes of Emma talking non-stop. Twenty minutes of Blake responding in short sentences. Twenty minutes of me staring out the window and wondering how I ended up here.

The VIP room at Sapphire Club was packed with the usual crowd. Heavy perfume and aftershave hung thick in the air. Glasses clinked. Fake laughter bounced off the walls.

Nobody looked at me when we entered. Blake and Emma got all the attention.

Victoria and her posse swarmed them immediately.

“Look at you two!” Victoria’s voice dripped with sugar. “Can’t stand being apart for even a few hours?”

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13:50 Mon, Jun 15

Chapter 39

Emma shrugged. “Traffic was terrible, and he was running late. I figured I’d just grab him. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “We’re not completely codependent.”

Right. Sure.

Victoria laughed. “Of course not. But you have to admit, you two are practically inseparable these days.*

“We have a lot of catching up to do,” Emma said. She squeezed Blake’s arm. “So many years apart. We’re making up for lost time.”

1 felt sick. Not from morning sickness. From watching this performance.

I slid into a corner seat, trying to make myself invisible. The table was set with expensive china and crystal glasses. Fresh flowers sat in

the center.

When I looked up, Matthew Redwood was sitting next to me. His face was still bruised. Purple and yellow marks covered his left cheek. But that irritating smirk hadn’t gone anywhere.

I glanced around the room. Everyone was staring at us with wide eyes and open mouths. They were watching a car crash in slow motion.

They’d deliberately placed me next to Matthew. The whole room held its breath, waiting for the drama to explode.

I started to stand, looking for another seat.

“What’s the matter?” Matthew’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Think I’m gonna bite?”

He leaned back in his chair. His smirk grew wider. He looked completely relaxed despite his beat-up face.

I sat back down reluctantly. My face stayed blank, but my insides were doing backflips. Just what I needed. More attention in this shark

tank.

Across the table, Blake’s face went from neutral to thundercloud in about two seconds flat. His jaw tightened. His eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at Matthew and me. The vibe in the room went from cocktail party to funeral in a heartbeat.

All the chitchat died instantly. Everyone felt it. Blake’s sudden, unexplained anger had killed the buzz faster than someone announcing an

IRS audit.

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