Chapter 3 3

Arthur crushed the paper against his chest, hiding it from the view of the guests. He looked around wildly, sweat beading on his upper lip.

Everybody out, he muttered. Then, louder. Dianne, Isobel, Eva. Study. Now.

But the guests- Dianne started.

Shut up! Arthur roared.

The room went silent. Arthur grabbed Eva by the elbow. His grip was painful, but she didn't flinch. He dragged her toward the heavy oak doors of his study. Dianne and Isobel followed, looking confused and terrified.

Arthur slammed the door and locked it. The music from the party was muffled to a dull thrum.

He threw the paper onto his mahogany desk.

Explain this, he demanded. He was breathing hard.

Eva rubbed her arm where he had grabbed her. It is a marriage certificate, Arthur. I assume you know how to read.

Isobel snatched the paper off the desk. She scanned it, her brow furrowing. Then she let out a screech that sounded like a braking train.

Baxter Noel? She looked at Eva, her face twisting in disgust. You forged this. You are sick. You are actually mentally ill.

It has a raised seal, Eva said, leaning against the bookshelf. Go ahead. Call the clerk in Nevada.

Dianne looked at the paper over Isobel's shoulder. Her hand went to her throat. This... this isn't possible. He doesn't even know who you are. He is... he is Baxter Noel.

Arthur was pacing. He ran a hand through his thinning hair. He wasn't looking at Eva with anger anymore. He was looking at her like she was a winning lottery ticket he had almost thrown in the trash.

If this is real, he muttered. If this is real, the merger... the debt...

He spun toward Eva. When is he coming?

Eva blinked. What?

To pick you up. When is he coming? Why didn't you tell us? We could have prepared.

Eva realized then how deep the delusion ran in this house. Arthur didn't care about the how or the why. He only saw the profit.

He likes his privacy, Eva lied. It came easily. She needed time.

Dianne's demeanor changed instantly. She smoothed her dress. She forced a smile that looked like a rictus of pain. Well. That explains why you have been so distant, darling. You were... protecting him.

Isobel threw the paper back on the desk. I don't believe it. Jimmy would have told me.

Jimmy doesn't know what color his own socks are, Eva said.

A knock came at the door.

Mr. Mcclain? It was Henderson. His voice was trembling.

What! Arthur barked.

Sir. Security at the gate says... says Mr. Noel's motorcade just pulled in.

The silence in the study was absolute. You could hear the dust settle.

Arthur let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob. He is here. He is actually here.

He turned to Eva. He grabbed her shoulders, his hands shaking. Fix your hair. You look like a ghost. Dianne, get her some lipstick. Jesus Christ, why are you wearing that dress?

Eva felt a cold pit open in her stomach. This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to be here.

Baxter wasn't here for her. He couldn't be. He didn't know she existed. He was here for business. Or for Jimmy. Or to buy the house out from under them.

If she walked out there, and he looked right through her... or worse, if he recognized her name as the enemy combatant in his lawsuit...

But she had no choice. The lie was already out of the bottle.

Arthur threw the door open. Come on! Everyone, look alive!

They walked out into the foyer just as the massive front doors swung open.

The wind blew in, cold and sharp.

Three men in dark suits entered first. Security. They scanned the room with practiced indifference.

Then, Baxter Noel walked in.

He was taller than Eva remembered. He wore a charcoal suit that fit him with surgical precision. He didn't look at the flowers. He didn't look at the crowd. He walked like he owned the oxygen in the room and was just letting everyone else borrow it.

The silence in the hall was heavy. It was the silence of predators entering a grazing field.