Page 22 of Unravelling: Aria & Crispin
"Oh, I'm counting on that. You are a smart girl."
He took the seat beside her, uninvited, one leg crossed neatly over the other, scanning the room with studied disinterest. Then, without looking at her, he said, “You're no match for Helga. She's fluent in five languages, has a double masters from Cambridge, and was featured in Times. You're a high school dropout with soft eyes and no pedigree. You don't even know which fork to use."
Aria stared straight ahead, unflinching.
He gave a theatrical sigh and leaned closer, breath tinged with vintage wine. "Let me know when you're ready for a sugar daddy after Crispin's done. I'm told I'm verygenerousto lost girls."
He stood and smoothed his jacket. "Chin up, darling. The show's about to begin."
Aria sat still, blinking hard, her vision blurring just for a moment. But she didn't cry.
She knew how to keep the tears in.
Chapter 15
Aria
Dinner was announced.
Aria took her place beside Ophelia, the clink of cutlery and the hum of conversation around her like distant thunder. Her hands trembled slightly over the silverware. She'd practised this with YouTube tutorials, but decided to mimic Ophelia's graceful movements as a precaution. Fork in the left, knife in the right, napkin on the lap.
She could feel Crispin's gaze flicker over her from across the table, light and brief, like a butterfly's wing brushing a petal. She didn't look up.
To her right sat Laura, Dorian's mother, in navy blue silk and heirloom pearls that winked with old money. She turned slightly towards Aria with a tight smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"It's lovely, isn't it," she said airily, "how inclusive society has become. Even the help can sit at the main table now. It's all so very modern."
Aria blinked, her fork poised mid-air.
Laura's eyes dropped to the opal necklace around Aria's throat, her smile tightening. "I must say, that's quite a piece. Not what I would've expected from...your sort. I do hope it wasborrowed."
Aria opened her mouth, but didn't get the chance to reply.
Ophelia's voice sliced through the conversation, low and steel-edged. "Do I seem senile to you, darling?"
Laura flushed. "Of course not, I only meant-"
"Good," Ophelia said, adjusting her wineglass with deliberate care. "Then you'll trust I gave that necklace to Aria because Iwantedto. And because in two years, she's shown more intelligence, tact, and integrity than most of the people in this room. Present company included."
A stunned hush fell across their corner of the table. Laura's mouth opened, then shut again.
Aria kept her eyes on her plate, fighting the burn behind them.
From across the table, she could feel Crispin still watching her.
The silence was broken by the delicate chime of silver against crystal.
Crispin's mother stood gracefully, glass held just high enough to command attention, her posture perfect, smile poised. "If I may, for just a moment," she said, and the room obediently quieted.
"Tonight is a celebration, not only of the company's newest chapter, but of those who will lead us forward." She turned slightly, nodding at a broad-shouldered man at the other end of the table. "Please join me in congratulating Thomas Ashcroft on his well-deserved promotion as the newly appointed chief operating officer of the company."
There was applause, polite and polished, a few cheers from younger executives.
But she wasn't done.
"And," she said, holding up her hand again, "there's more."
She paused for effect. Her eyes lingered on Aria before moving on. Aria knew something was coming. Something bad.
