Secrets Of The A-List Complete Collection, Episodes 1-12. Cat Schield

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СКАЧАТЬ Thom she’d just be proving him right. Maybe Rafe knew she wasn’t cut out for this.

      She was the Marshall misfit, and marrying Thom was her way to shake free of that reputation. Even it meant wearing a white dress and pinning a bright smile on her face. “Of course I do.” She impressed herself with how genuine she came across. “I was only thinking we should wait.”

      “Now, more than ever, we need something to look forward to.” Thom visibly relaxed. “If he’s better, he’ll be there. And if not? Your family has something to celebrate.”

      And Elana would be the odd one out—miserable as they cheered.

      “Okay.” Her smile was heavy. “You’re right. Of course you’re right. We’ll get married as planned.”

      * * *

      Casa Cat stood like a proud beacon of normality.

      It was a beautiful home. A place both she and Harrison adored, with its sprawling lawns and glistening swimming pools, the arched walkways that led to the main house and the wisteria that tumbled enthusiastically along one side, giving a burst of green that glowed golden as the sun kissed it.

      She wished she could take courage from its familiar bearing, but it almost seemed to be mocking her on that morning. The happy memories were at odds with the doubts and confusion that dogged her.

      Harrison had trusted someone, someone close to him, to make strange deals on his behalf. Joe? Someone else? Either of her sons could have been working with Harrison in this side enterprise. And her daughter?

      It was the first genuine smile Mariella had formed all day. Elana? A secret genius? A brilliant business mastermind? A problem solver? Please. Elana’s idea of solving a problem was to wrap it in a sparkly minidress, douse it in prosecco and dance with it until the small hours of the morning. At least in her daughter Mariella could be confident that what she saw was exactly what she was getting.

      The ringing of her phone interrupted the direction of her thoughts. For the briefest moment, she imagined pulling it from her pocket and pitching it across the lawn, skittling it into the swimming pool and watching it sink right to the very bottom. Buried by water, would her problems go away?

      It was a weak, futile imagining, one not worthy of Mariella. She braced for whatever news was to come and stared down at the screen. The sight of Gabe’s picture provided a welcome reprieve.

      “Hi, querido,” she responded with genuine warmth.

      “How are you?”

      She fluttered her eyes shut, taking comfort from the inquiry that came from his very good, very loyal heart. With Harrison sidelined and his own actions in all this unclear, she knew without a minute’s doubt that Gabe was the one person she could trust.

      He was hers and always had been. They were kindred spirits, two of the Santiagos who’d both been wounded by the same person. They’d banded together, and she had loved him like her own child.

      “Fine.” A lie. She was the farthest from fine she’d been in a very long time.

      “Good. You have to keep strong, Tía. It’s what Uncle Harrison would expect.”

      She bit back the sharp retort that she wasn’t too sure she cared much about what her husband wanted at that moment. It wasn’t a fair assessment, in any event. She had loved her husband with all her heart for a very long time. Surely Harrison deserved the benefit of the doubt? A chance to explain for himself? Once he was better, he’d fix all this. Wouldn’t he?

      “Gabe? Was Harrison doing any business in China? Hong Kong, perhaps?” she asked.

      There was a long pause, and she imagined Gabe pulling his hand through his dark hair. “Not that I am aware of,” he said eventually. And then he moved on, changing the subject easily. “Listen, Tía, I didn’t want to bother you with this. But she was insistent.”

      “Who? What’s going on?”

      “Veronica Waterhouse,” he said in a tone that Mariella instantly understood. Mention of the woman drove thoughts of the phone number from her mind. The society dame who’d been making their lives a living hell ever since her darling granddaughter had become engaged to Chester Jameson III. “She’s insisting on speaking to you personally. I can handle it, though. I just have to at least look like I’m checking in with you,” he said with a detectable eye roll in his tone.

      The woman was infuriating, but she was also a key player in the social scene, and the wedding of Katherine to Chester would be sensational. The press attention alone made it worth putting up with any number of diva requests. The guest list would be the crème de la crème. It was not the time to risk upsetting such a high-profile client. “No, Gabe. I’ll come down.”

      “There’s no need—”

      “Yes, there is,” she interjected. “You just said Harrison would have wanted us to be strong. Well, he’d sure as hell want to know his business was running as usual.” A fine line formed between her eyes as she mentally clarified, legitimate business. “Now, more than ever, it’s vital that we don’t drop the ball. People will be looking for cracks. I’m going to rely on you even more than usual. Together, we’ll keep this show on the road. Okay?”

      “You know I’m here for you, Mariella,” he murmured, and she smiled.

      “I’ll be there soon. Get her a cocktail. A strong one.”

      Gabe laughed as he disconnected the call. Mariella moved through the grounds quickly, already mentally bracing for the conversation.

      Of course, it would mean delaying her visit to the clinic. Should that have upset her? Worried her? It didn’t. Mariella imagined walking into the room, seeing Harrison, and uncertainty bubbled through her. She loved him, and she wanted him to be well again, but dread accompanied that possibility, too, for they would need to talk when he was well, and Mariella was almost certain she wouldn’t want to hear the truth.

      He needed her, though. Until she knew for sure just what other business he’d been involved in, she wasn’t going to desert him.

      A few more hours, and then she’d go to see him.

      She couldn’t put it off indefinitely. He was her husband, after all.

      * * *

      “Jim Avon?”

      The news anchor was just as expected. Handsome in a Hollywood way, like he spent a little too much time and money on maintaining his look. Caramel pants rolled up to reveal slim ankles and loafers, a shirt tucked in at the waist, and a red string on one wrist. Was it a religious detail or an affectation to a trend?

      The Fixer had never had much time for vanity, especially not in men.

      “Yeah.” Jim was nervous. His voice was thick with adrenaline and anxiety. The Fixer could practically smell it wafting off the reporter. The moment Jim’s eyes landed on Harrison, a sense of anger at the intrusion almost made the Fixer regret this move.

      But it was essential.

      The Fixer needed to take control of the reporting. Harrison would have wanted that.

      “What СКАЧАТЬ