As Long As I Have You

~ Chapter Thirty Eight ~

"Fiancée!?"

"Ex-fiancée," Evan snapped.

"You're not still holding a grudge over that, are you, darling?"

"What do you want, Victoria?"

"Me?" She batted her thick lashes coquettishly. "I only wanted to see if the rumours were true. Someone told me you got married, which of course I didn't believe for a second—"

"Believe it."

"—and then I heard you bought your way into Travis Enterprises for virtually nothing. Everyone says they closed the deal so quickly because you promised to take Travis' daughter off their hands." She spared Kirsten half a glance. "They say she was running his company into the ground."

If it were possible, his expression tightened further. "And who would 'they' be, Victoria?"

"Really, darling," she admonished lightly, "I would never name names or try to start trouble with vicious gossip."

"Of course you wouldn't."

Her laughter rang through the archway. "Now, don't look at me that way. I only came over to offer my congratulations."

"Then do it and leave."

She smiled smoothly. "Honestly, is this any way to treat the woman you wanted to marry?"

"I honestly don't care what you think about the way I treat you."

The conversation carried on in a blur for the next few minutes, and Victoria occasionally paused to smile her perfectly white smile now and then, but spoke only to Evan and ignored her otherwise.

Even with her anger steadily rising, Kirsten couldn't help but marvel at the woman's tenacity. Insults were hurled back and forth with lightning fire speed, and each one Evan parried was met with the riposte of an expert swordsman. Victoria's assault was dauntless and found her mark more often than not.

Once she was satisfied that she had riled Evan just below his breaking point, she turned on Kirsten with renewed vigour.

"We were the couple. Everyone said so. Parties, private planes, trips to Europe, you name it." She looked to Evan and smiled causticly. "I was just telling Kirsten about the time you took me to Milan and bought me this dress. Do you remember? We were at the fitting and you nearly ripped it off of me when we— oops! Never mind."

Kirsten's complexion was already inflamed from the realization that Evan was the fiancé Victoria referred to earlier, but thinking about him as the man who clothed this vile creature in salacious couture and took part in sexual escapades on exotic European vacations made her turn a furious shade of red. She previously felt unworthy standing next to this woman, but now with the source of her ire towering between them she also felt sick to her stomach and longed to get away.

"Evan darling," Victoria said with practiced breathiness, and chimed into Kirsten's thoughts, "I certainly hope you didn't keep me a secret because you're still carrying a torch. You'll make your poor wife insecure. Isn't that right?"

She was finally being included in the conversation, but chose not to speak. Truthfully, she didn't trust herself to do so much as part her lips for fear of the rampage she would unleash on them both.

"You see? You've left the poor thing dumbstruck by your callousness." She sighed dramatically. "You never were one to think of others, but c'est la vie, oui?"

Evan's response didn't come with words this time, but was spoken through his powerful grip as it bit painfully into Kirsten's side, so much so that she was sure his fingers would tear through the material of her gown and clean into her bruising flesh.