“Grandmother would’ve staged a heart attack…and probably blamed Mom for it. Mom would’ve been mortified. Dad probably would’ve found another woman to bang so he could pretend everything was fine. And Vanessa would’ve realized soon enough nothing can change the past.
“She’s better off working for the bloodsuckers. They don’t give you false hope or pretend to be something that they’re not. But now that she’s your wife, I’ll let you deal with her.” Dane stopped the car in front of the mansion.
Justin climbed out, and Dane drove away. Was he right about her family’s potential reaction? Given how close she was to her mother, the whole mess would’ve been devastating for her.
It was strange to think Dane had actually done her a favor by challenging her—in his own way—to make partner. He wasn’t the nurturing, caring type.
Shaking his head, Justin looked at the mansion. It was brightly lit, illuminating a garden full of animal-shaped shrubs and a cheery water fountain. But what dark shadows lurked inside.
When Justin rang, it was a middle-aged housekeeper who answered. She was short, with a comfortably rounded face. A polite smile didn’t do anything to alleviate her homeliness, something Ceinlys had undoubtedly taken into consideration. It was one thing for her husband to have mistresses in other cities, something else to have one under the same roof.
“I’m Justin Sterling.” He gestured at Vanessa’s Mercedes. “Here to pick it up.”
“Oh, you’re her husband.” The housekeeper’s smile gained warmth. “Is she all right? I heard glass breaking while she was in Mr. Pryce’s library.”
“What are you talking about?”
Lines deepened between her eyebrows. “I think he might have thrown something against the wall while yelling ‘Get out.’ An awful argument.”
“Are you sure?” Salazar knew Vanessa was pregnant. How could he throw things at her?
“I cleaned up the broken glass.”
Fury like an Arctic storm whipped through him. “Where is Salazar?”
“In his study. The second floor, fourth door to the right.”
Justin took the winding stairs two at a time to the upper level, where the ceiling was as high as a cathedral’s. The study had double doors, and he wrenched them open.
“Justin. What a surprise,” Salazar said from his desk. His rolled up sleeves revealed ropey arm muscles underneath age-thinned skin. He smelled faintly of shower gel, and moisture glistened in his hair.
“Is it true you threw a glass at my wife?”
“Why don’t you ask her?”
“She’ll try to protect you, so she won’t tell me the truth.”
“Why would she do that? She’s not even my child. Didn’t she tell you?”
Tension tightened Justin’s neck and shoulders. The nerve at the back of his head throbbed. He dragged in some air. “Even though you raised her as your daughter, thankfully she’s not like you. But I’m different. Don’t you ever raise your voice or use violence against my wife.”
Salazar’s eyebrow rose with an arrogance that could only have come from a lifetime of living impervious to harm. “Or what?”
“I’ll ruin you.”
“Ruin me? That’s a good one. You’re too much like Vanessa, always too soft-hearted for her own good. That’s why she married you, isn’t it?”
Justin gave him a cold smile. “I’m Barron Sterling’s heir. Not even her pleas would change my mind should I decide to destroy you. Surely you’ve heard why Barron’s wife never tried to know what he was up to.”
Everyone knew the story. Ethel Sterling hadn’t wanted to get involved in her husband’s dealings because her interference or suggestion for leniency would only egg him on to be harsher than he’d intended.
Justin continued, “Vanessa is my wife, not to mention pregnant with my child. You’ll show her the respect she deserves. Do you understand?”
Salazar glared at him, and Justin glared right back. Finally the older man sat back and waved negligently. “Fine.”
Justin breathed in with satisfaction and left the house in Vanessa’s car. Underneath the leather was the scent of her. It was good that he’d come and found out about Salazar’s unacceptable behavior toward Vanessa. But she should’ve told Justin from the beginning. He didn’t want to worry that she was hiding things from him, especially if they were things that hurt her. His parents had always been open with each other, and he had a sinking feeling that without that, their marriage was a house built on a crumbling foundation.
Chapter Twenty-One