Covet: Trusting the Billionaire (The Trophy Wife Book 4) (9 page)

“What letters?” Daniel asks, surprised.

“What’s wrong with you?” I yell as I grab Julian’s arm and try to pull him back. I lose my footing, stumble back clumsily, and nearly topple to the floor. Julian turns around just in time to grab my arm. I see malevolence blazing in his eyes.

He turns back toward Daniel, who is raising his head and pinning his nose with one hand to stop the bleeding.

“If you touch my wife one more time, I will kill you,” Julian hisses. “Stay the fuck away, I’m warning you.”

Daniel appears surprised and embarrassed.

“Oh, and you’re out of the deal,” Julian snarls.

Julian intertwines his hands with mine and leads me through the crowd of people, who appear amused by the show we put on for them. We walk toward an elegant, sophisticated lounge area with rectangular black couches and cube-shaped black tables with red electric candles. Julian doesn’t seem to care that we’ve made a scene in front of everyone he knows.

He leads me to one of the black couches. “Sit,” he orders, his eyes feral and primal.

He sits beside me, waves over a waiter, and orders a bottle of water.

Julian doesn’t look at me; he simply studies the crowd of people, who have resumed their socializing and drinking as though nothing had happened.

The waiter comes back and hands Julian a bottle of water. He takes the water, retrieves a hangover pill from the inside pocket of his suit, and hands it to me.

“Take the pill,” he instructs, finally making direct eye contact with me. “Now we know who sent the letters. If he comes near you or tries to contact you, you need to let me know right away.”

I nod and swallow the hangover pill.

“Did you flirt with him at all?” Julian’s voice is laced with possessiveness as he scrutinizes me. 

“I don’t remember,” I reply. “He made a move on me. I was tipsy.”

“Did you find him attractive at all?”

“No, not at all,” I reply.

“I was keeping a watchful eye on you, though you may not have noticed,” Julian explains. “You appeared to be flirting with Daniel.”

“Well, maybe I liked that he paid attention to me,” I blurt out.

“You want to know why his wife left him?” Julian sneers.

I take a few sips of water. I’m starting to feel less tipsy; the hangover pill is working its magic.

“He’s an alcoholic, Cheryl.”

“I saw that blonde woman smiling at you,” I bark.

He frowns as a trace of irritation flashes across his face. “I have no intention of fucking any girl except you. I told you I want you forever. I’ve made that very clear from the beginning.”

We are silent for a while, both overcome with jealousy. Several minutes later, Mark and Phillip approach us. Julian wraps one arm around my shoulder and pins me protectively to his side.

“Everything alright?” Mark asks.

“Daniel is out of the deal,” Julian responds.

“He asked for it,” Phillip sneers and chuckles.

“Daniel has had too much to drink tonight,” Mark explains.

“I never trust that guy around my wife,” Phillip says. “He will take any opportunity he can get.”

I listen as the men discuss the business acquisition—their future plans now that Daniel is no longer a part of it.

We excuse ourselves and Julian intertwines his hands with mine as we make our way through the crowd. We are stopped repeatedly by people who want to converse with us. I realize that we really are a celebrity couple, at least within Julian’s inner circle of friends and acquaintances.

The valet arrives with our orange McLaren P1. Julian opens the passenger’s-side door and I slide into the low sports car as gracefully as I can in my tight pencil dress. Julian slides into the driver’s seat. He gently raises my hand to his lips, kisses the back of my hand, and gazes at me affectionately.

He starts the engine, which powerfully roars to life. I glance at the two doormen at the front of the nightclub who are eying us. The engine growls loudly as we speed away.

“Did you ever fuck Milana?” I ask as I gaze at Julian’s handsome profile. His sculpted lips part as he throws a sideway glance at me.

“Of course not,” he says definitely.

“I mean
ever
, like even before you married me?” I ask firmly.

“No, I never fucked her. I maintain a strictly professional relationship with all who work for me,” he responds as he makes a left turn onto another street, nearing our home.

“I don’t feel comfortable having her work for you.”

“Marriage is based on trust.” Julian glances at me, then back at the road. “There are beautiful women everywhere, but you are the most beautiful of them all. I wouldn’t dare cheat on you.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

In the morning, after Julian and I have breakfast together, Julian goes into his office to do some work. I sit at the kitchen island, sorting through Julian’s mail and sipping a latté. I stack the company mail into one pile. It appears that there is more company mail than usual.

I come across a letter addressed to me. I rip open the envelope and read the single sentence.

He’s hiding something from you.

I glare at the sentence and debate whether or not I should show Julian the letter.
Who the fuck is sending these things?
One part of me desperately wants to show Julian the letter, but the other part decides not to confront him.

I grab my cell phone and call the private investigator.

“I was just about to call you,” Charlie answers. “I have something to show you.”

My heart speeds up. “What did you find?”

“I can’t tell you over the phone; you need to come into my office.”

“Okay, I’ll be there shortly.”

I head upstairs to place the company mail on Julian’s desk. I go back to the kitchen island to finish my latté.

Once Julian has left the mansion, I call my private driver. I head outside, where the black Rolls Royce Phantom is waiting for me in the circular driveway.

Max does not question where I am going or what I am doing. He simply does his job and drops me off at the address I’ve specified.

I make my way into Charlie’s suite, feeling anxious and nervous, but hoping for the best. Charlie is seated at his desk, holding his tablet.

“Hello, Cheryl. Make yourself comfortable,” he says, motioning to the two chairs facing his desk.

“Hello, Charlie,” I murmur, settling into one of the chairs.

“I’ve been monitoring your husband, and could not find any indications that your husband is cheating on you, so I went ahead and hired a woman to determine your husband’s fidelity. I have audio/video footage for you to watch,” he says as he taps at his tablet and hands it to me.

The video footage begins to play. I see Julian sitting with Phillip and Mark at a square table covered in a white tablecloth. They are talking business and having lunch at an elegant five-star restaurant.

Once they have finished eating, the waiter comes to clear their plates. Julian orders an espresso. The waiter rushes off and comes back with the drink. Julian hands over his Black Amex card to pay for everyone’s lunch.

“I’ll get the tab next time,” Phillip says as he stands. “I’ll see you in the office.”

Mark and Julian talk for a while about business, then Mark leaves.

Julian sits alone at the table for a while, sipping his espresso and intently tapping at his transparent glass tablet. The video footage zooms in for a close-up; it appears that Julian is looking at company charts and graphs.

A few minutes later, a very pretty brunette who looks similar to me approaches him. She has long, flowing, dark brown hair curled in loose waves, full red lips, hazel eyes, and large breasts. She is wearing a short red dress that reveals killer long legs and a hint of cleavage.

“Do you mind if I sit with you?” she asks in a sweet voice.

Julian looks up from his tablet and examines the woman.

“I saw you sitting alone, and I thought you could use some company. Do you mind?” She smiles.

“I’m sorry, but I’m happily married.” He turns his attention back to his tablet, ignoring her.

She stands for a while looking at Julian, stunned and humiliated as though she’s never received that reaction from a man before. Finally, she sits down across from him. He turns his attention back to her. She locks eyes with him.

“You are so handsome,” she murmurs. “I can’t take
no
for an answer.”

She wets her lips and leans forward slightly, revealing her cleavage. Julian’s eyes flick down for a second, then back up to her face.

“I go after what I want, and I want you,” she murmurs seductively.

Julian’s face is inscrutable, and he doesn’t say a word.

“Your wife doesn’t have to know,” she whispers. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Natasha.”

The waiter approaches and asks if she would like to order something.

“The lady can order what she likes, but I’m leaving now,” Julian tells the waiter. He takes a last sip of his espresso and strides out of the restaurant.

The woman’s mouth drops in surprise and she sits alone at the table, watching him leave.

I’m elated. I want to clap and cheer as the video ends. I look up from the tablet, smiling. The private investigator smiles as I hand him back the tablet.

“As you can see, your husband didn’t take the bait,” Charlie says. “This could be an indication that he’s not cheating on you. Now, if this still does not satisfy your suspicions, I can continue monitoring him for you. What do you think?”

“Yes, you can continue monitoring him for now,” I respond, though I’m greatly relieved.

In the evening, I hear Julian enter the foyer. I am in the living room with my boy. I pick him up and rush into the foyer.

I feel exhilarated when I see Julian. I love him so much, and even more so after seeing the video footage. His azure blue eyes scan my face and he smiles warmly.

“Cheryl, baby.” He takes me into his arms.

He looks down at our boy, whom I am still holding tightly. Julian smiles and gazes back up at me, fixing his gaze on my face.

My heart squeezes tightly with all the love I have for him. He wraps his arms around me. I have my arms around our boy. The three of us are holding each other in the foyer in a blissful moment of tranquility.

“I’m so happy,” I murmur, pressing myself tightly into Julian’s broad chest.

“What are you so happy about?” Julian whispers, stroking my hair.

“I love you so much,” I gasp, a rush of air escaping my lips as tears fill my eyes. “I’m so glad you are not cheating.”

I didn’t mean for that to slip out.

Julian holds me at arms’ length. “What do you mean, Cheryl?” he prods. “Of course I’m not cheating on you. What makes you say that?”

His eyes flash with concern. He scrutinizes me in quiet deliberation.

“Have you been tracking me?” he asks, his voice deadly quiet.

I swallow hard and blink up at him nervously. He raises one brow, a cold glint in his eyes. He looks very displeased.

I glance down to avoid his scrutiny, but he gently lifts my chin to meet his eyes.

He frowns. “Cheryl?”

I release the air from my lungs. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath for so long.

“Tell me, what is going on?” Julian asks, fixing me with an intent gaze. A lump forms in my throat.

I cave and tell him everything. We are still standing in the foyer as I confess. I’ve never seen Julian look so frustrated with me.

“Fuck,” Julian roars. I cover my little boy’s ears with my hands. “I deal with millions of dollars a day, and handle very important and private business documents
.
Having me watched compromises my privacy and my business.” His voice is full of rage.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry.”

My little boy is wiggling in my arms, restless to be let down. I carry him into the living room and Julian follows. I find the nanny in the kitchen and she takes him from my arms.

“Let’s continue our discussion in the den,” Julian commands.

I follow him for several minutes as we traverse the hallways. Finally, we reach the den.

“Sit,” he commands.

I sit on the plush couch and look up at him nervously.

“I told you to approach me right away when you have doubts,” he growls.

“I know, and I tried at first.”

“Besides the letters, what made you think I was cheating?”

“You were working so much and your behavior made me suspicious.”

Julian places his hands on his hips and paces, looking down at the floor, thinking.

He stops and gazes at me. “I’ll need to meet with the private investigator, go through everything he has captured on audio and video, and permanently delete everything. That will ensure my privacy is protected.”

Julian exhales deeply, appearing to have calmed down. He sits beside me on the couch.

“I’m very upset with you right now,” Julian whispers, his voice smooth and calm, though traces of anger still linger in his eyes.

“I know, I’m so sorry—”

“Shhh.” Julian silences me by putting two fingers on my lips. “If only you told me sooner, we could have avoided this entire mess.”

“I will from now on, I promise.”

Julian exhales sharply, piercing me with his possessive, dominant gaze. “I’m very, very upset with you right now, but I also love you very much.”

“I should have shown you the letters,” I murmur. “I’m so sorry.”

“What hurts me most is that you didn’t trust me,” he says, sounding disappointed.

“I do trust you,” I respond.

“Regardless, promise me you will approach me whenever you have the slightest doubts. Please, Cheryl, I want us to last forever.” Julian raises my hand, placing his lips on the back of it. Then he sets my hand gently in my lap. “I also want you to know that you are my top priority. You are not just an acquisition to me, you are my world.”

Julian is my world.
I’m so happy we got through this rough patch in our marriage. If we got through this, we can get through anything the future may hold.