Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 24436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
And speaking of people who were worthy of her husband's trust...
Hmm.
"Andrew?"
The older man met her gaze through the rearview mirror. "Yes, Mrs. Harcourt?"
"How long have you been working for my husband?"
"About seven years."
"Then you're familiar with his routine."
"As familiar as anyone in his employ can be, Mrs. Harcourt."
"I'm sure you know about his...emergencies."
She gave him a meaningful look, but Andrew only gazed back at her blankly. Oh wow. Like mob boss, like mob driver, apparently.
But if Andrew thought that was enough to discourage her, ha!
"Andrew?"
"Yes, Mrs. Harcourt?"
"My husband's emergencies at work happen quite a lot, don't you think?"
"I wouldn't really know, Mrs. Harcourt."
"I mean...he should be bankrupt by now at the rate he's having them."
"Perhaps they're not as bad as they sound."
He was so obviously doing his best to protect his employer's secret, and Summerine privately commended him for it.
"Everything alright, Mrs. Harcourt?"
She gave him a bright smile. "Yes, of course."
Everything was alright. Her husband might be a criminal, but she was not going to abandon him. Together, they would figure things out.
Andrew dropped her off at the entrance of the Sixty-Acre Woods Sanctuary, and an employee of the Sanctuary escorted her to the second-floor boardroom. It was empty save for a girl in her mid-teens, and her face immediately brightened upon seeing Summerine.
"Oh hey. Summerine, right? Ryu Harcourt's wife?"
Summerine gave a tentative smile in return. "Uh, yes..."
"I'm Billie," the girl introduced herself with ease. "My sister's married to Logan Hardwall."
Oh!
Summerine briefly recalled Logan and his wife attending her wedding, and weren't they... "You have a very expressive face," Billie remarked with a grin. "You just remembered about my sister being the nanny, didn't you?"
Summerine turned red. That was exactly what she had been thinking, but the younger girl only laughed when she tried to apologize.
"It's fine. It's totally obvious you weren't mentally dissing my sister or anything." Billie curled an arm around Summerine's. "You should totally sit next to me. I'd love to know about your love story."
Love story?
"Oh my gosh, you're blushing again. How cute!"
By the time the other board members showed up in quick succession, she and Billie had already exchanged numbers, and Summerine knew she had made her first friend in life.
"Thank you for attending today's meeting."
Summerine did her best to concentrate as Aryan Hale, the handsome but aloof founder of Sixty-Acre Woods Sanctuary, briefly outlined their agenda for the next ninety minutes.
But it was quite, quite hard...with her thoughts once again consumed by Ryu's secret life.
Why had he chosen to be a criminal?
Did he really earn all of his money...illegally?
Was he not afraid of getting caught?
"Summerine Harcourt, to serve as a proxy for her husband Ryu Harcourt, please raise your hand if you are in attendance."
A turbulent mix of emotions overwhelmed her even as she raised her hand to confirm her presence.
Her parents might not be criminals like Ryu, but they were as cruel to her as Ryu was kind.
He's not perfect, but no one really is.
What can I do to help him?
How do I prove to him I'm on his side?
The meeting was adjourned without Summerine finding any answer to her questions, but she did her best to hide her unease as she and Billie headed down to wait for their respective rides outside the sanctuary.
Billie suddenly nudged her side and gestured for Summerie to come close. "That's Heaven Gaines," she whispered under her breath.
Summerine followed Billie's line of sight. "Am I supposed to know her?" The other woman Billie was referring to was standing on the opposite side of the road. She was astoundingly beautiful, and oh...
Billie clucked her tongue. "You saw it, too, didn't you?"
Summerine gave her new friend a wide-eyed nod. The other woman had noticeably paled at the sight of Aryan Hale driving past her, and equally obvious was the hardened expression on the billionaire's face upon noticing her presence.
"He hates Heaven's guts for some reason," Billie confided, "but he's letting her stay out of respect for Devon's wife Harry, who personally vouched for her."
Summerine was incredulous. "How do you even know these things?"
"Because everyone thinks I'm a kid," Billie answered cheekily, "and so no one really watches their word around me."
"I'll consider myself duly warned."
Billie rolled her eyes. "Like you have something to hide about your perfect marriage. I was at another meeting as Logan's proxy, and your husband happened to be seated next to me when I heard him answer his phone."
Summerine struggled not to laugh at the way Billie perfectly imitated the way her husband would reach for his phone. She couldn't put it in words either, but the way Ryu moved was akin to a nocturnal predator on the hunt—-
"Hello, darling," she heard Billie then say.
And just like that, Summerine suddenly felt she was being hunted by her own stupidity.
Billie looked at her teasingly. "Do you call him 'darling', too?"