Page 138 of An Inconvenient Marriage
His gaze shot to his computer screen and then back to me. “If I listen, you’ll make these go away?”
“No.” I shook my head. “It only goes away when you do everything I tell you to do.”
He nodded so furiously, his glasses slid down his nose again. Pushing them up, he mumbled, “What do you need?”
It took a bit of effort, but I sat up straighter and pulled a check from my pocket. Gritting my teeth, I leaned forward and placed it on the desk. “You’re going to pay off Trent’s debt, then you’re going to take what’s left and put it in an account for Natalie.”
Roderick lifted the check, looked at it, then at me. Scratching his gray beard, his brows dipped. “Youwantto pay off Trent’s debtandleave money for his daughter?”
Since I wasn’t about to repeat myself, I just glared at the man. It didn’t take long for him to shift uncomfortably.
“And what would you like me to tell Ms. Stevens?”
“She’s Mrs. de la Fuente,” I ground out. “And you’ll tell her absolutely nothing.”
“Surely she’ll want to know where the money came from.”
I got out of my seat and buttoned my jacket. “Then tell her this—” Bracing the tips of my fingers on the wooden surface, I informed Robert of the little discovery I’d made not too long ago. And since he didn’t have much of a reaction, the slippery bastard must have already known the truth.
When I was done, I retrieved a business card from my wallet and tossed it in front of him. “Once your business with my wife is concluded, you’ll refer her to this attorney.” I turned to walk out but remembered something else. “If there is so much as a cent missing from her money, I won’t hesitate to send everything to your wife. Then you can kiss your little goldmine goodbye.”
With that, I spun on my heel and headed for the door.
Now I just had to wait. Give Natalie enough time to come to terms with everything that’d happened before I reclaimed what belonged to me.
And Natalie de la Fuente was mine.
34
Natalie
“Thisplace…”
Spinning in a slow circle, Everlee blew a low whistle over her lips. When she faced me again, her mouth curved into the biggest smile. “It’s perfect.”
It really was. I’d searched for weeks to find the right apartment. One that made me feel the way I had in Spain. And the moment I’d stepped foot through the front door, I’d just known this was the one.
Maybe it was the pale-yellow walls or the dark hardwood floors. Or maybe it was the gigantic windows. Or maybe it was as simple as being on my own.
Whatever it was, I knew on the spot that I had to make this place mine. And with my rent-to-buy agreement in place, that might just happen soon.
The only thing that was missing was—
Nope. I stopped the thought dead in its tracks. We were almost divorced for goodness’ sake. But it was too late. A sharp pang shot through my chest and my nose burned with the emotion I tried to keep inside. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t seen or heard from him since that horrible night four months ago, my heart still ached.
And I missed him.
Gosh, I missed him so much.
I’d probably still miss him long after this “cooling off” period was over and they finalized the divorce.
“Earth to Natalie.”
The sound of Everlee’s snapping fingers startled me back to the present.
“Sorry.” Pursing my lips, I scrunched up my nose. “What did you say?”
She narrowed her eyes, more than likely trying to figure out where I’d disappeared to. It would have been so easy to admit the truth to her, but I didn’t want to. Not because I had no trust in her. It was the opposite.
