Filed to story: The Hidden Queen: My Husband’s Mistress Ruined My Empire (Serena & Christian) Book PDF Free
Her eyes widened. I didn’t give her a chance to answer. I shut the door and watched it drive away. Humming lightly under my breath, I phoned Timothy. “Send the driver back to the boutique Timothy” I growled “I’ve finished my business here. Make sure my client is ready to receive me when I get back and oh, I want you to organize something for me when I get back.”
I hung up the phone and waited impatiently, my thoughts on a woman with an intriguing blend of brown and blonde hair and the most gorgeous eyes I had ever seen. Tonight I was determined to make my case to her and I wasn’t averse to using everything I had at my disposal to make her say yes, even if I had to use my seductive charms to accomplish it. Another woman would simply not do. The thrill of the chase was just beginning, but I could already picture Serena in my bed and in my home. The notion thrilled me. The woman had no idea what was coming and by the time she thought to resist or to make herself immune to me, it would be far too late and she would be mine, hopefully forever. Lexi would never get her hands on my family’s company, not as long as I was alive to draw breath. The game was on, half-sister and I was determined to win.
Christian POV
The tension in the shop was thick. Lexi was indignantnt. Hysterical. Seething mad. Her mother was almost exactly the same. “What on earth is Grayson thinking, buying her clothes” Karen sniffed, looking at Lexi bewildered “Is this revenge against you for taking Christian from her?” she asked.
Huh? Why would that be revenge? “Lexi?” I asked, turning to her as she continued to angrily rifle through racks of clothes without glancing at them “Who is Grayson to you?”
“No one,” Lexi said touchily “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure that Grayson was just being charitable” she added, glancing at her mother who looked unconvinced “he wouldn’t go that far to hurt me.”
“Why would he want to hurt you in the first place?” I asked frustratedly “I know that was Grayson Oakes. He’s an excellent lawyer and his law firm is a rival to my own. Are you saying that he’s somehow connected to you in some way?”
Lexi and her mother shot each other wary glances. “Wait a minute,” I said slowly, my mind starting to compute “you have a half-brother called Grayson.”
“Fine” Lexi snarled, grabbing a dress and holding it up against herself “Grayson Oakes is my half-brother but so help me god Christian, you let that piece of information slip and I will end you” she hissed “Neither of us likes to acknowledge the other. He’s an embarrassment to the Vance Name.”
I blinked. Grayson Oakes was a wealthy bachelor and often in the gossip magazines. I was in awe of the man. When Lexi mentioned a half-brother, I had never anticipated it would be that Grayson.
“Why?” I asked confused.
Lexi huffed and flipped her hair “Because he’s a bastard” she sneered “Our father never married his mother. It’s a complete scandal. His mother was never good enough for the Vance Name.”
Lexi stomped over to the shoe area in a fine temper. Karen tentatively followed behind. “Honey,” she said anxiously “try to calm down. You’ll get wrinkles if you frown too much” she added.
Lexi glanced at her mother and then obediently relaxed her face. She sat down on the chairs and Karen, in an effort to placate Lexi, began to look at the shoes and bring several to her to try on, while I stood there, amazed that Lexi had kept her half-brother such a secret until now. Had I been so oblivious to when she or her grandfather mentioned Grayson that I didn’t connect the dots?
“I wonder how he met Serena?” I said out loud, causing Lexi to look at me with a scowl.
“They might just be friends” Karen suggested hopefully.
“No, Grayson was looking at her like they were more than that” Lexi sniped, while I stood there listening “Do you think they’re lovers?”
“She wouldn’t dare” I growled and both women turned and stared at me, causing me to blanch and step back.
“Why do you care if they are?” Lexi said to me, raising a brow and placing some shoes back in her mother’s hands “Does that upset you, Christian?” she asked, “because it’s me your marrying not your bitch of an ex-wife.”
“Oh I know,” Karen said suddenly, causing us to look at her, her eyes shining “I bet I know how they know each other” she added excitedly.
Lexi rolled her eyes “Pray do tell mother” she drawled.
“Well, Serena is probably using him as the lawyer to check over the divorce papers. She has no idea that Grayson is your half brother” Karen said and all three of us looked at each other.
“Of course” Lexi breathed, a smile forming on her face “it all makes sense. You said she wanted a lawyer” she reminded me as I began to breathe a little easier “and she wouldn’t want one you’re connected with. I would go to a rival law firm as well” she concluded happily “we have nothing to worry about.”
Looking much happier she began to go over to the handbags. I followed behind, remembering the look on Serena’s face when she spotted Grayson. There had been something there, behind her eyes, that indicated there was more than just friendship. But was I just looking for something that wasn’t real? Was it my jealousy that was showing? I was struggling to hide my feelings. My wife and I were over, but why did it hurt so much to see Serena smile like that at another man? As for Grayson, well, he hadn’t been looking at Serena like a lawyer looks at a client. I felt my throat constrict.
“Christian” Lexi snapped, bringing my attention back to her “stop daydreaming. What do you think?” she asked.
While I had been ruminating, she had stepped into the dressing room located next to the bags and quickly changed into the dress. I made a conscious effort to look at her, raking my gaze up and down, aware that she was beginning to eye me suspiciously. If she knew that I was thinking about Serena…I shuddered to even think what her reaction would be.
“You look absolutely stunning, like a goddess,” I told her appreciatively, caressing her shoulder while Karen nodded enthusiastically “the garment was made for you my love.”
She beamed at me. “Great, then we’ll take that, the bag and the shoes,” she said decisively, stepping back into the dressing room as I exhaled in relief. I wondered how much this was going to cost me. I had a feeling due to my monumental stuff up earlier or Lexi’s anger over Serena and Grayson, I would be footing the bill for everything. I tried not to flinch at the thought. I might be wealthy, but I had never liked unnecessary spending. Or maybe I just hadn’t liked the idea of Serena splurging on herself. There had always been this idea in the back of my mind that if she were to dress up, to her full potential, she would realize how beautiful she was and leave me. Not that it mattered, I thought selfishly, I had decided to leave her in the end, but it didn’t feel as good to me now. In fact, I felt hollow.
“Here,” Lexi said decisively, stepping out and handing me everything as she looked at me in anticipation.
Karen smiled. I glanced down at the small bundle and sighed with resignation. I headed towards the counter, Lexi and Karen following along behind me. As the lady began to ring everything up, I almost choked at the total.
“Isn’t this a steal?” Lexi cooed as I looked at her incredulously.
“Yes, so cheap” Karen agreed.
“5 million is cheap?” I asked, handing over my card and lifting a brow “because to me that’s expensive.”
Lexi laughed. “Oh Christian,” she said teasingly, as the lady bagged everything and handed it to me “that’s nothing. In fact, I’ve spent barely a tenth of what I normally do. I’m too upset to shop properly and it’s all thanks to your ex-wife and my stupid half brother” she pouted.
