Page 74 of Wintertime Love (Holiday 2)

Time to see if I actually wield any power over my man.

“Finn,” I say, sweetly.

He raises his eyes to meet mine, obviously startled, and looks relieved to see the venom dripping from my eyes.

“Stay,” I state in a soft tone. It’s childish but what do I care?

The delight in his eyes at my sharp order spoken so lovingly makes me wonder if I’ve broken Finn. The alarm I feel is tinged in amusement to see him behaving so subservient.

He doesn’t move from his seat.

Elaine is beginning to look more and more uncomfortable and she shoots me a venomous look.

I just smirk.

“Finn,” she says, softly, elegance in her entire posture. “Why are you being like this?”

People around us are looking over and most of them who have been privy to the rumors flying around, have stopped their conversations, and are now watching the show.

Some of them have

pitying expressions on their faces.

I can’t believe they are buying into the act of a heartbroken lover. I send them a hard look and they immediately avert their gazes. Nobody wants to be at the end of my spiked tongue. Satisfied, I turn my attention my back to my lover.

Finn still’s playing with my braid and I don’t jerk it back from him as I repeat, meeting Elaine’s gaze, steadily, “Would you like to have something to drink?”

It may seem like I’m being cruel but I have met many women like Elaine in my life and I’m not interested in playing her games. The look in her eyes when she looks at Finn is not love but cold calculation. I can bet my diner that she doesn’t even love him but wants something else from him.

The google search on Elaine’s family shows them to be a wealthy family but without any title. Her family has several highly valued investment portfolios that are worth billions. Finn’s family, while it has the Dukedom and lands that go with it, doesn’t compare to the Merington’s vast wealth. Hence, the only two reasons that Elaine wants to invest in Finn’s business could either be that she wanted him to fall in love with her, so she could be a Duchess an attain a royal title. Or that spending time together she could make sure he doesn’t succeed in reviving the family fortune.

I have a strong feeling that it may be number two… she wants her hands on the title

Finn isn’t stupid. The way his mind works, he has to have figured it out. But he hasn’t said anything so I let him hold on to his secrets. But I’ll be damned if I’ll let someone take advantage of my man!

Red is starting to creep into Elaine’s face and she says, her voice tinged with frustration, “Finn, let’s just go somewhere else.”

Finn then releases my braid and there is a look in his eyes that I remember from last night and it stills chills my blood. He turns around on the stool and says, “Clara asked you something. I believe it’s simple manners to respond.”

Elaine’s face flushes and she glares at me but I’m too busy gaping at the transformation that has overtaken the casual Irishman that always has that tinge of laughter at the corner of his face. His accent is smoother, a hint of British in it, with an arrogance that I’ve only seen in him the first time I had met him. His back is straight and I see a person I would never have cared for and I realize that this is the Duke of WestHallor before me.

I don’t like the arrogant Duke and prefer my mischievous Irishman, who drives me crazy rather than this man. But I also trust Finn so I keep my mouth shut, lifting my gaze to meet that of Elaine’s. My attitude is calm and I can see that she is struggling to hold on to her mask of elegance.

Then she says, stiffly, “I don’t have to be polite to someone like her.”

“Oh?”

I can’t see Finn’s profile but his tone is cool.

“So the fiancee of the Duke of WestHallor is beneath your notice? I never knew you had your head stuck up so high in the clouds.”

His calm declaration has Elaine’s skin paling, and she whispers, shaken, “What are you saying, Finn? You know you and I are—?”

Finn waves his hand at her, cutting her off. “And I told you that I don’t intend to carry through with that. That was something our families decided when I was just a kid. I had no say in it. I thought we were very clear on that.”

Elaine’s face is completely red and she presses her lips together in a thin line. Pausing, she studies him and then a smug confidence enters her eyes as she lowers her tone so that only Finn and I can hear, “Don’t be ridiculous, Finn. Your family needs the financial backing that only my family can provide. Without it, your grandmother will be a laughing stock in society. You really think this little slut can provide your family with any of the support that I can? I was tolerant before and I thought that you just needed to get your wild side out of the way by all the women you kept bringing to your bed. But this has gone on far enough. I won’t stand for this.”

I step to the side where I can see Finn’s profile and I see the cold amusement on his face.

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