Chapter 4

We reached the banquet hall, and a few of the domestic painters standing outside broke off their conversation and came over smiling.

"Ha, our Master Henson has finally arrived. And Miss James too. You'll be the brightest star in the room tonight."

"Thank you!"

Queenie hung on Greg's arm, laughing, delighted.

One of them noticed me and asked, puzzled, "And this is?"

"He's Greg's driver."

Queenie jumped in to answer, then gave me a pleading look.

I understood what she meant. She wanted me to stay calm, keep it together.

She didn't need to worry.

Right then, I was calmer than I had ever been in my life.

The banquet began in earnest.

I watched, cold-eyed, as Queenie clung to Greg's arm, clinking glasses and chatting with one painter after another.

From start to finish, she never once looked at me.

[Mr. Delgado, I'm here.]

The message from my lawyer.

[Good. Come in.]

"Honey, who are you messaging?"

Hearing Queenie's voice, I put my phone away and said flatly, "No one. A friend."

She pressed her lips together and stood in front of me with her head down, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Honey, please don't be angry, okay?"

I shook my head. "I'm not angry."

She didn't believe me. "I know you blame me for introducing you as the driver, but I did it for—"

"For Greg. I get it!"

She froze, and the look in her eyes grew more and more panicked.

It struck me as strange. What did she have to panic about?

She was the one who'd done it. I'd even said I wasn't angry. Shouldn't she have gone back to Greg's side, happy?

"Honey, I—"

"Queenie!"

Greg came over and cut her off, sliding an arm around her waist like it was the most natural thing in the world, then smiled at me. "Job, you don't mind if I borrow Queenie for a while?"

I smiled. "Be my guest!"

At that, Queenie, still trying to figure out how to explain, went blank and stared at me.

Greg frowned. He hadn't expected me to agree so easily.

The next moment, he smiled again and raised his glass to me. "Job, a toast to you. No, my mistake—it should be a toast to your parents. My thanks to them for their help on my road to success."

That last word, "help," he bit down on hard.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lawyer Lambert coming toward us. There was no reason left to hold back. I drove my fist into Greg's face.

"Greg!" Queenie cried out, and every head in the hall turned toward us.

She scrambled to help Greg up, then whirled on me, eyebrows arched in fury.

"You—"

"Miss James!" Lawyer Lambert cut her off. "I'm the attorney Mr. Delgado has retained. Regarding your use of the settlement money from Mr. Delgado's parents' car crash during your marriage, without his consent, the court has accepted the case."

"This is the court's acceptance notice and the summons. Please appear on time."