Page 71 of The Billionaire's Secret Wife
“You mind if I grab something to eat first? I haven’t had a bite since ten thirty,” Mark said.
She shook her head, amazed her restaurant owning brother went hungry. “Yeah, fine. Let’s get some food and sit down then. I think it’s better I say it when you’re seated.”
Dane gave her an odd look. “What did you do?”
“Nothing,” she muttered.
“Did you hear from Shane?” Iain asked.
“No. But I saw Ginger with some other guy.”
A stunned silence filled the room. Then Dane erupted. “What?”
“Justin was there too.”
“That bitch.”
“I wouldn’t be too quick to judge,” Justin said dryly. “She said Shane dumped her.”
“She’s lying,” Dane said. “That boy’s been whupped since high school.”
“Maybe he became un-whupped,” Vanessa said. “Regardless, if he decided he no longer wants her and broke it off cleanly, it’s all good. They’ll be spared the expense and hassle of a wedding.”
Dane’s cold look said he still held Ginger in the wrong, but Vanessa ignored it. He’d think whatever he wanted, and the issue between Shane and Ginger wasn’t something she wanted to talk about.
“So is that why you wanted to have us here?” Iain asked.
“Dane’s sort of right about this one. You could’ve just texted us,” Mark said.
“No. Ginger is actually kind of…minor news. Please sit down.”
They did, including Jane and Hilary, who were looking at Vanessa with concern.
Vanessa stayed on her feet and clasped her hands together. “There’s no easy way to say this, so… I met my half-sister recently.”
Everyone except Justin and Dane froze. Dane sighed and said, “Do you suppose we can sue the condom company Dad used? This is getting ridiculous.”
“Is this half-sister for real?” Iain asked.
Mark gulped down some water. “Does she want fifty million bucks too?”
“No. She’s actually, um, not related to Salazar at all. Or…you.”
“Huh? But if she’s your half-sis—”
“She and I share a father. And it’s not…Dad. Mom took a lover back in the day and she’s his daughter.” Vanessa looked around. “Just like I am.”
Dane’s expression twisted like he’d just eaten a bug. “Let me guess. Now that she found out you’re a rich man’s wife, she wants to share in the bounty.”
She flinched. That was the first thing Dane was worried about? “It wasn’t quite like that. She said her mother had cancer.”
“What does that have to do with you?” Dane asked.
“She asked me to help pay for her mother’s treatment.”
Dane laughed. “Don’t tell me you fell for that line. You’re a lawyer!”
Vanessa scowled. “What does being a lawyer have to do with this?”
