Chapter 2 2

Mrs. Alexander didn't back away. Instead, she leaned in, her nostrils flaring slightly as if she could smell the deception in the air. She was a woman who had survived forty years in New York high society; she could spot a lie from across Central Park. She tried to push the door wider, her manicured hand pressing against the wood.

"Intense?" she repeated, the word dripping with skepticism.

Helena didn't budge. She kept her shoulder wedged against the doorframe, using her body weight to create a barrier. Behind Mrs. Alexander, at the top of the stairs, stood the patriarch, Grandfather Alexander. He leaned heavily on an ebony cane, his face a roadmap of wrinkles and ruthlessness. Beside him stood Charles, the butler, his face an impassive mask, though his eyes darted momentarily to the wet hem of the shirt Helena was wearing.

"There is water on the floor, Helena," Mrs. Alexander said, pointing a sharp finger at a puddle that had seeped out from under the door. "Is there a leak?"

Helena's heart slammed against her ribs. She glanced down. The water from the ice bucket had traveled further than she thought.

"Authur... knocked over the champagne bucket," Helena lied, her voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins. "He was... enthusiastic."

Mrs. Alexander turned her head sharply toward Charles. "Charles? Did you send up champagne?"

The silence stretched. One second. Two. It felt like an hour. If Charles told the truth-that Authur had ordered whiskey and ice, not champagne-the lie would crumble. Helena's grip on the door handle tightened until her knuckles turned white. She met Charles's gaze. There was no pleading in her eyes, only a silent, desperate command. Protect the family name.

Charles straightened his waistcoat. He bowed his head slightly. "Yes, Madam. The young master requested a bottle of Dom Pérignon and a bucket of ice immediately upon arrival."

Helena exhaled, a microscopic release of tension.

Grandfather Alexander grunted, tapping his cane impatiently on the floorboards. "Young people. No discipline. Tell him not to be late for the rehearsal dinner. And fix your hair, girl. You look like you've been dragged through a hedge."

"Yes, Grandfather," Helena whispered, lowering her head in mock submission.

The elders turned. Mrs. Alexander gave the door one last suspicious glare before following the old man toward the stairs. Helena watched them go, waiting until their shadows disappeared around the corner.

She closed the door and leaned her back against it, her legs suddenly feeling like jelly. She squeezed her eyes shut, listening to the shower running in the bathroom.

Suddenly, the bathroom door flew open. Steam billowed out, thick and hot.

Authur stepped out. He was wearing only a towel wrapped low around his hips. His hair was wet, dripping water onto his broad shoulders. His skin was scrubbed red, but his eyes were cold, dark pits of fury. He didn't look like a man who had just been saved; he looked like a man who had been cornered.

He marched toward her. The predatory grace was back.

Helena straightened, pushing herself off the door, trying to regain her composure. "They're gone."

Authur didn't stop until he was inches from her. He reached out and grabbed her chin, his fingers digging into her jaw with bruising force. He tilted her head back, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"You think you're clever?" he whispered, his voice dangerously low. "You think lying to my mother makes you part of this family?"

"I'm saving your inheritance," Helena said, her voice clipped. She didn't flinch, didn't pull away, though his touch burned her skin. "If they saw her"-she gestured toward the closet-"you'd be out of the will before the ink dried."

Authur stared at her, searching for fear. When he didn't find it, a flicker of something else-annoyance, perhaps respect-crossed his face. He released her chin with a rough shove.

"You're doing it for yourself," he sneered. "For your father's failing company. Don't pretend this is about me."

"It's about the stock," Helena corrected, smoothing the front of the oversized shirt. "Now, get her out of here."

Authur laughed, a cruel, harsh sound. He grabbed Helena's wrist, his grip like a manacle. "Oh no, darling. You're the wife. You handle the domestic issues."

He dragged her across the room. Helena stumbled, her heels catching on the wet carpet. He pulled her toward the closet door and kicked it open.

Jasmine was huddled in the corner, wrapped in a fur coat she had pulled from a hanger, looking terrified. The smell of cedar and mothballs was overwhelming in the small space.

Authur shoved Helena forward. She nearly fell onto Jasmine.

"Since you want to be Mrs. Alexander so badly," Authur said, leaning against the doorframe, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. "Show some hospitality. Help her get dressed. Put her shoes on. And then escort her out the back servants' entrance."

Jasmine looked up, seeing Authur's support, and her confidence snapped back into place. She sneered at Helena, extending a bare foot.

"You heard him," Jasmine said, wiggling her toes. "My shoes are over there. Put them on me."

Helena looked at the foot. Then she looked at Authur. He was watching her with a cruel smirk, waiting for her to break, waiting for her to cry or run or beg. He wanted to humiliate her until she quit.

Helena didn't move toward the shoes. She stared at Jasmine's foot. Her eyes narrowed, shifting focus. She wasn't looking at the pedicure. She was looking at the skin.