Page 70 of The Exception

Wow. Okay.Either I had more reach than I realized, or he was more paranoid than I’d ever considered.

“I would never abuse that power. I posted fair and honest reviews. I didn’t lie. I didn’t say anything malicious or untrue.”

“I know.” His expression was unreadable.

“Then why even do it?”

I stared at him, willing him to explain himself. For a man who valued privacy and discretion, he seemed to have very little regard for mine.

He said nothing. Finally, when I couldn’t take it any longer, I threw my hands in the air and turned away. “You had no right to do that. None.” I was beyond annoyed with his interference in my life and my business.

“I—” I heard the rustle of his slacks as he stepped closer. He placed his hand on my arm, gently turning me. “It was wrong.” His gaze was locked on mine, the green the color of the wind-whipped ocean before a storm. Dark. Foreboding. “I’m sorry.”

“But you’d still do it again. You don’t regret it.” He didn’t even seem all that remorseful.

“I regret upsetting you.”

“No,” I gritted out. “You regret that you got caught.”

He said nothing, but he didn’t have to. I took that as his assent.

He’d claimed that he’d wanted to discover my identity, but his actions seemed extreme, even for him. Or maybe— I sighed. Maybe I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did.

I’d always admired Graham’s loyalty and ethics. But in the span of a week, I’d learned that he was willing to commit fraud with a fake marriage scam and hack into someone’s website and god only knew what else.

Yes, I’d told him I’d be willing to exist in the gray with him. But he’d crossed the line.

It made me wonder what other lines he was willing to cross. Did he just think he was above the law? That he had so much money, the rules didn’t apply?

I’d never gotten that impression from him. But tonight, I was seeing a whole different side to Graham, and I wasn’t sure I liked it.

A darker thought occurred to me. If he ever got caught for trying to scam the board, what were the chances he’d take me down with him? The prospect had me feeling light-headed, and his grip on me tightened.

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

“What was done was done. Telling you wasn’t going to help anything.”

So, basically never. He’d never intended to tell me.

I backed away from Graham, forcing him to release me. Was he even listening to himself? Did he really not see how wrong that was?

“You are unbelievable,” I seethed. “You talk about Moretti as if he’s the bad guy, but you’re no better.”

His eyes flashed with anger. “Keep your voice down.”

“Why? Are you scared to ruin everyone’s image of us as the perfect couple?” I lifted my chin, unwilling to back down. “Newlyweds who are madly in love? Because news flash…I don’t think anyone’s buying it.”

I’d done my best all afternoon and evening, but it had been stressful. Not because of anything anyone had said, but everything they hadn’t. Despite their initial shock, they’d all been so nice, so welcoming. Sloan had even taken me aside to apologize for her outburst. Graham’s family’s kindness only made me feel worse about the whole thing.

“What are you talking about?” he snapped.

“We’re supposed to be partners, and you allowed me to be blindsided in front of your family. You mentioned that my blog would be an issue, but you let me think that was because of the reviews I’d posted. Not because you’d hackedmysite and it would mess with the timing of our ‘story.’”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “We’re supposed to be a team, but if this is going to work, we have to be able to trust each other.”

“Idotrust you.” His green eyes swirled with emotions, imploring me to listen.

“No. You don’t.” I shook my head. “If you did, you would’ve come clean about the hacking and trusted that I’d still have your back.”

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