The Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress (The Anetakis Tycoons #1)(45)

A gasp sounded behind Chrysander, and Marley whirled around to see Roslyn standing a few feet away, shock reflected on her face. She recovered quickly, but not quick enough for Marley to wonder what she could possibly have found so shocking about the announcement. As she turned and looked at the others, only the Vasquezes looked congratulatory over the news.

Piers’s and Theron’s expressions both mirrored Roslyn’s shock. Then their surprise turned to outright distaste. Chrysander shot them warning looks, but Marley was at a complete loss. She trembled against Chrysander, and his grip tightened on her hand as if he understood her desire to flee.

How could their engagement possibly be news? They were engaged before her accident, and yet everyone acted as though it was a recent development. An unpleasant one at that.

After the obligatory well wishes from the Vasquezes and more from a few people nearby who’d overheard, the conversation switched to more mundane topics. Marley remained silent, numb to the talk around her. Chrysander loosened his hold on her hand, but he slid his arm around her waist and anchored her firmly against him. There was no escaping, no matter how much she might wish it.

The conversation turned to the possible building of a hotel in Rio de Janeiro, and while Marley remained silent, only observing the others, Chrysander’s arm never strayed from around her waist.

As the evening wore on, more people offered their congratulations on the upcoming wedding, and soon the room buzzed with the news. The constant smile Marley wore was starting to wear on her. As if sensing her strain, Chrysander whirled her onto the dance floor as a slow jazz song floated melodiously in the air.

She sighed as she melted into his arms. “Thanks. I needed that.”

He smiled and leaned down to nibble at the corner of her mouth. “You are the most beautiful woman in the room. The men all look at you with lust in their eyes, and it’s enough to make me want to pound them into the ground.”

“Mmm, as much as I like the macho act, I’d much prefer if you took me home and worked off some of that male arrogance in another way.”

“You tempt me.”

She smiled up at him. “I was very serious.”

He sighed. “As much as I would like to do just that, I’m afraid I am stuck here for the evening. If it becomes too much for you, I can have Stavros take you back to the apartment.”

As if she’d leave him here with Roslyn, Miss Super Assistant.

Despite the fact that Chrysander’s brothers and Roslyn seemed determined to treat her as a pariah, there were many others who went out of their way to be gracious to Marley and include her in conversation. She actually found herself enjoying the festive atmosphere despite the evening’s inauspicious start.

It was growing late when Chrysander leaned in close to her ear and murmured, “I need to speak with my brothers. Will you be all right for a few moments?”

“Of course, silly,” she said with a smile. “I’m going to visit the ladies’ room. You go on.”

He kissed her then strode toward his brothers. Marley took her time in the bathroom. It was a nice reprieve from the endless chatter and the dark glances thrown her way by the Anetakis contingent.

“You can’t hide in here forever,” she said to herself. Squaring her shoulders, she exited the bathroom and walked back toward the ballroom. As she passed one of the smaller meeting rooms, she heard Chrysander’s voice through the open door. She faltered and came to a stop, debating whether to continue or stay and wait for him.

The next words she heard made her decision for her.

“Damn it, Chrysander, there is no need to marry her. Put her up in an apartment somewhere until the child comes. Don’t tie yourself to her and give her access to everything you own.”

Her mouth rounded in shock at Piers’s angry words.

“She is pregnant with my child,” Chrysander said icily. “That I choose to marry her is none of your concern.”

She moved closer to the door, not caring whether they saw her. What right did Piers have to talk to Chrysander so?

“You can’t mean to marry her!” Roslyn’s shrill voice rose. “Do you forget how she stole from you? That she tried to ruin your company? If you need any reminders, just look at the new hotels going up in Paris and Rome. Your hotels, Chrysander. Only they’re going up under your competitor’s name.”

A haze blew through Marley’s mind. Red hot. Like a swarm of angry bees, tidbits of information began buzzing in her head. And suddenly it was as if a dam broke. The locked door in her mind that she’d tried so hard to budge simply opened, and the past came roaring through with vicious velocity.

She swayed and gripped the door frame tighter. Nausea boiled in her stomach as each and every moment flashed like a movie in fast-forward.

Chrysander’s angry accusation of thievery. His ordering her from their apartment, his life. Her abduction and the months she’d spent in hopeless fear, waiting for Chrysander to answer the ransom demands. Demands he’d ignored.

Oh God, she was going to be sick.

He’d left her. Discarded her like a piece of rubbish. The half million dollars, a paltry sum to a man of Chrysander’s means, was an amount he’d been unwilling to part with to ensure her return.

Everything had been a lie. He’d lied to her nonstop since she’d awoken in the hospital. He didn’t love her or want her. He despised her.