Page 78 of The Ring Thief
I close my eyes, hating that she’s twisting this into some kind of public relations strategy. “Mom, that’s not why I’m doing this.”
She doesn’t seem to hear me, her eyes turning dreamy. “It’s important that we show up as a united front right now, especially with the way you walked out of Nexus.” A brittle pause as she touches on a subject we’ve been avoiding, then she carries on breezily, “And the way you and Lily walked in together like that, and with your tie…” She reaches up to pat it against my chest, a soft sigh escaping her. “It was an eye-catching image. I imagine you’ll be all over the papers tomorrow.”
“Mom,” I groan, running my free hand over my face, wishing she’d let this go, especially with so many prying eyes still locked on us as we loop the room.
That wish only grows on her next question. “Have you read the letter from your father?”
I curse inwardly, trying to batten down my rising annoyance. “I’m not talking about this now. Didn’t you agree it was our choice if we read it or not?”
Her mouth pinches at my tone. “I did, but I’m curious.” A weighty pause. “I know what he’s done, but he’s still your father.”
“Don’t remind me,” I mutter, making her narrow her eyes at me. Before she can reprimand me, someone calls her name out from just ahead of us. She looks over, her eyes widening almost imperceptibly, and then she smiles brightly, changing our course and heading towards an older gentleman in a black suit. His hair is almost completely gray, and there’s a tidy mustache casting a shadow over his upper lip.
“Richard!” Mom greets happily. “How lovely to run into you!” She steps away from me, presenting her cheek for him to kiss.
“Isn’t it just?” he agrees easily, giving her a wide smile. “My late wifewas a loyal supporter of the foundation, and I still find myself here every year. Not sure if it’s the memories, or just a routine habit now.”
My mother’s expression softens with sympathy. “What a lovely way to honor her memory, continuing to support the foundation and the children they help.” She turns to me. “Declan, this is Richard Vanderbilt. He’s the lead counsel on your father’s defense team. Richard, this is my eldest son, Declan.”
My spine stiffens, but I paste a pleasant smile onto my face, holding my hand out to him. “Pleasure to meet you.”
He grips my hand firmly. “I’ve been wanting to meet you.” I pause, trying to read into his tone, but his expression is guileless. “I’ve heard that you’re in the eye of this storm your family is facing.” I shoot a look at my mother, but she’s focused on Richard, her smile not slipping an inch. Before I can respond, he’s speaking again. “I was hoping we’d run into each other at some point. I wanted to see if you’d meet with me, just so I could pick your brains over your father’s case.” He tilts his head to the side. “Your mother has been reluctant to give me your details and since you’re no longer at Nexus and unlisted, I wasn’t sure how to get hold of you.”
I frown. “I’m not sure?—”
“Don’t worry,” he chuckles, placing his hands behind his back, keeping his stance casual and unthreatening. His eyes are observant, casually assessing every twitch of my expression, making me feel like I’ve been put under a microscope. “I’m not hoping to get you to testify. Somehow, I don’t think you’d help my winning streak.”
At my side, Mom subtly digs her elbow into me, but I’m not sure whether I want to have anything to do with the man responsible for defending my father, and trying to keep him out of jail. Before I can come up with a reasonable response, a couple appears at Richard’s side. The woman, white-blond hair piled high on the top of her head, looks over at us curiously, her eyes such a light blue they remind me of ice. She has one hand on her date’s arm, who has both hands tucked casually into the pockets of his slacks. He’s looking out over the ballroom, expression bored, and I watch him with a frown, noting his dark hair and the shape of his jaw. There’s something familiar about him, but I shake it off, focusing on the conversationat hand.
“Ah, just in time,” Richard is saying. “Abigail, Declan, this is my daughter, Samantha.” He touches the woman’s shoulder as she sends us a close-mouthed smile.
Mom tilts her head. “Samantha! Lovely to meet you. Your father has already told me so much about you, so it’s good to put a face to the stories.”
She lets out a soft, husky laugh, shooting Richard a chiding look. “Daddy’s always chatting me up, which puts a lot of pressure on me to live up to his impossible standard.”
Richard scoffs good-naturedly, watching her with affection. “I only tell the truth, Sam. You’re my only child. I’m allowed to dote on you.”
Samantha just shakes her head, turning to her date. “This is my friend, and date, Caleb Jamison.” He turns to face us fully, his expression impassive and eyes hard.
“Caleb is actually an associate in my firm,” Richard interjects. He looks at my mother, telling her, “He’ll be helping with Donald’s case.” At that, Caleb’s eyes sharpen, sending an assessing look over my mother before shifting his focus to me.
“Nice to meet you both,” he says smoothly. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other over the coming months.”
“How nice.” Mom’s eyes are bouncing between Caleb and Samantha. “And you two make a lovely couple.”
“Don’t they?” Richard agrees, sending a pointed look at his daughter, who scowls back playfully.
“Mom,” I murmur, ducking my head down to say quietly, “I’d like to get back to Lily and Darcy.”
“Of course,” she agrees easily, glancing around. “They’re probably wondering where we got off to. Richard, it was so good to see you.”
He returns her smile with a grin. “Yes, it was. Are we still on for a working lunch next week?” His eyes are fairly twinkling and, honestly, I can’t tell if I like the guy or not. “I’ve even triple checked that my assistant added you to my calendar.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” my mother says brightly. Samantha watches the exchange quietly, just as Caleb leans over and whispers something into her ear. She smiles up at him with a nod, and he pressesa kiss to her cheek before striding away, melting into the crowd of people.
Unbothered by his associate’s disappearing act, Richard turns to me, flicking one bushy eyebrow up. “If you’re open to that meeting, just call my office. Your mother has my number.”
I nod shortly, tucking my mother’s hand back into the crook of my elbow, urging her away as she calls out a final goodbye to them. Once we’re several steps away, an image of Lily sitting in a bar, smiling at another man, flashes through my mind like a lightning strike.
