Page 97

“I see.”

A tall, lanky blond guy steps onto the stage, his tie undone in insouciant rebellion. The emcee, a young woman in a golden dress, goes on and on about all his positive attributes. He isn’t bad—if you like the cyclist type with lean, ropey muscles and an overbleached smile. I might be tempted if I weren’t already dating Rhys.

“Starting at ten thousand,” the emcee says with a wide grin that screams,Big money,big money!

Three women—two brunettes and a redhead—fight fiercely for a date with him, throwing out numbers and raising the bid to ninety-five thousand in no time at all.

“Going once. Going twice—”

Suddenly, a tall blonde butts in. “One hundred thousand.”

The three glare at her like she’s the scum of the universe. She merely shrugs. “Beat the bid or…”

From the confident smirk, she already knows she won. The emcee says, “Do I hear a hundred and ten?”

The trio stays mute. But their eyes do not.Bitch,you bitch!they shriek silently.

I lean over. “Is that guy really worth one hundred thousand?”

“Well, some women think so, although I don’t think he’s worth much of anything”—Liam gestures at himself—“as long as there’s me…”

I laugh. “Modesty your strongest suit?”

“Always. Modestly confident, that’s me.” He grows serious. “But to answer your question, Phil isn’t bad.” He gestures at the stage. “Not as accomplished as Rhys, but most people aren’t. If he weren’t my brother, I might not like him for being so damn perfect.”

“You think he’s perfect?” This ought to be good.

“Of course. He’s good at his job, very strict with himself. Not only that, he takes care of everyone. He takes care of our parents, which sounds strange. But if you know anything about my family, which you do, you know that’s just how it is. When they made a mess in Japan and France, he’s the one who sent people to clean up after them. And he made sure to keep them away from us, to stop them from hurting us so much. I think he’s more in pain than I am every time Mom and Dad say that I really didn’t do much for them. That they thought it might’ve been better if I hadn’t been born at all.”

That’s just…awful. What he’s saying is horrible enough to slash at anybody’s heart and pride, but his tone is so blasé, like he’s discussing clouds in the sky. His parents must’ve said it openly and repeatedly over the years for him to just accept the situation and decide to live with it.

I feel like I should console him, but I’m not sure what to say, especially when his reaction is so indifferent. “I’m so sorry,” I manage after a few moments.

He shrugs. “I was an accident. Mom didn’t want to have more than three kids.”

“Still, it’s horrible.”

“You get used to it.”

He shrugs again with a carefree grin. But I know better than anyone that a smile doesn’t mean you’re okay. It can hide unimaginable pain.

The blonde claims her prize, and the next bachelor takes the stage.

Suddenly, Liam scoots closer. “Hey, can I ask you a question? Something’s been bugging me, and I don’t know what to think.”

“Sure.” Hopefully this won’t have to do with his parents’ cruelty, because that’s one thing I can’t help him with.

“Why would a smart, confident woman let her fiancé treat her like shit?”

I tap my fingers. Unexpected, but he’s looking at me, his eyes earnest. I choose my words with care because it might be somebody he likes. “Maybe she’s not as smart and confident as she appears.”

He shakes his head. “Give me something less obvious.”

“Why do you think she’s confident and smart?”

“It’s hard to explain.” He frowns. “It’s just the way she carries herself. The way she speaks. Shoulders straight, never avoids eye contact. You know, stuff like that.” He rolls his wrist. “Plus, we were in some of the same classes in college. She was the one who always broke the curve.” A hint of admiration glimmers in his eyes.

“But she lets her fiancé treat her badly? She doesn’t protest or do anything about it?”