Convenience

Part 34

Beatrice was about to roll her eyes in frustration, "I know you are minting money. I do not want any of it." She told him.

"Tough." Came the response. Her anger bubbled into life as very dark eyes that were presently trained on him conveyed total hostility. He watched the control evaporate.

Beatrice did roll her eyes. She could see he was enjoying this dialogue far more than she was. "Mr Cardoso you are being bloody difficult!"

His eyes practically danced when he heard that comment. Great. Oh that felt so much better. He was back in control of this situation.

Beatrice pursed her lips and grated, "We may share a name, but beyond that, our marriage is not worth the ink on the marriage certificate!"

"That may be..."

"You owe me nothing." She interrupted him before he could complete his sentence. Her eyes flashed. "I want nothing from you." Frustration. Irritation. Exasperation. Raced through her head.

"Too bad!" His lips quirked, happily. Finally. He was in charge. That felt better. No longer tetchy. Or grumpy! He grinned.

She was close to growl at him. "I don't want your money!" Now she was yelling. That really would not do. Beatrice gave herself a stern but silent telling off and tried to calm down. Yelling just gave him the upper hand here. She willed herself not to fidget.

Time to be logical. Calm. Quiet. "No one is going to believe that you turned down a fair settlement. They are going to assume we had a prenuptial agreement and I inserted a clause that prevented you from claiming...."

Her eyes froze into icy chips of ebony. "Mr Cardoso, I really don't give a fig leaf what people believe or think or feel about me!" She knew she sounded as annoyed as she felt. She also knew from the glint in his eyes that he believed he was back in control of this situation. He grinned. Beatrice glared. "If I did, I'd be a mess given they have probably seen or read about the steady stream of women you have dated over the last five years while still being married to me."

His eyes narrowed as he acknowledged the fact his dating history had probably made her life difficult.

Beatrice snapped. "I imagine most pity me!' Then she took a moment before she said, "Some of your more recent acquaintances probably wonder whether I am simply a figment." She was intentionally rude. "While others will no doubt be casting aspersions on my ability to handle you in bed and therefore my inability to hold onto you, hence your need to see other women."

His eyes went wide at that blunt assessment. His wife did not mince her words. Beatrice knew her blood pressure was rocketing. She shook her head and looked away as her thoughts took the slippery route into despondency.

"Most probably just think I am weak and worthless." She said sadly on a slowly expelled breath of air. Then Beatrice lifted her eyes and looked straight at David as she said quietly, "So you see, I don't have the luxury to worry about what people think about me." Maintaining eye contact. "You made sure of that."

"I am not going to apologise for seeing other women." David said equally quiet. "As I've said, our marriage from the outset was nothing more than a business arrangement to me." Her eyes left him in no doubt as to what she thought of his 'business arrangement'. He decided to engage in a bit of blunt speaking himself, "In fact we could simply get the bloody thing annulled, given we never consummated the marriage."

"True. Which once again confirms why my position is sound."

"How do you figure that?" He looked powerful, aloof and completely self-assured.

"No judge is going to recognise that marriage certificate for anything other than a temporary contract. We did not live together. We did not consummate the marriage. We never even had one date let alone one kiss!" She reminded him. "You owe me nothing."

"Yes. I do. We both know that." He adopted his business voice. Authoritative. Resolute.

"You are wrong. I do not want your money."

"You are entitled to receive a share in a divorce settlement."

"I am not entitled to it." She corrected on a sigh of exasperation as she studied the infuriating man. He was being deliberately difficult. Beatrice nearly laughed. Surely they had things back to front. He should be attempting to limit her access to his wealth. And she should be fighting for a decent divorce settlement. But she did not want his money. Beatrice knew that frustration laced her voice as she told him. "In any case, I am doing perfectly well on my own. Leave me with my own assets and I will consider that a fair exchange." There now, wasn't that amicable and adult like. No theatrics. Nothing other than a simple statement of fact that conveyed exactly what she wanted from him.

"Ok, fine." He can play!