The Love Of Money - S01 E200

Story 2 months ago

The Love Of Money - S01 E200

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 200

"Everything okay?"

"Hello, Mr. Upton," a voice said behind me. My hackles immediately raised, but before I could process why, Roger VanCamp joined his wife and handed her a drink while holding one for himself. "Your home is remarkable."

He wrapped an arm around his wife's waist and pulled her possessively into him while offering me his free hand. I glanced at Helen, who kept staring at the dance floor, then at the proffered hand and considered leaving him hanging. Instead, I grabbed and shook it, squeezing slightly more than usual as we shook hands.

"Thanks, Mr. VanCamp," I said. "Your wife helped me pick it out." Helen's eyes immediately flashed toward me, and I could feel the air tense around her, she didn't like that. Roger's grip on my hand tightened a little more. He didn't like it either.

"She has good taste," he said. He released my hand and grabbed his drink from the hand pressed against his wife's midsection. "She married me, after all."

The more he talked, the more uncomfortable I got. It was probably because this was the longest conversation I'd ever had with.

someone whose wife was actively sleeping with... and he knew about it, too. Fuck why did he have to come? He'd been happy to stay out of almost every other facet of my life, including doing his job and managing my estate. Of all the events and meetings I'd been to that involved YPV, the only one he had been to was my first meeting, and he'd barely said anything. I wondered if his sex life was about as active as his professional life. The more I thought about it, and the more bothered by his presence Helen looked, the less uncomfortable and the more irritated I was getting.

"I couldn't tell," I said before I could reign myself in. "Lately, it feels like I spend more time with your wife than you do."

Helen's gaze Immediately jumped to me, wide with alarm.

Roger's eyes tightened a little around at the corners as he sipped whatever he was drinking. His mouth was barely more than a thin line of disapproval when he lowered his glass. "I'm afraid that's my fault," he said a moment later. "I've been dealing with our Middle Eastern clients lately, which requires me to leave for weeks at a time. It's unfortunate, but it's the price we pay for success." He pulled Helen a little tighter against him and looked at her. "That'll all change soon, though. We're training someone to take on some of my workload. Soon, I'll be able to pay more attention to my wife."

"Take your time, man. She's in good hands." Helen brought her drink to her lips but kept her eyes fixed on me, and I could see her practically screaming at me to stop.

I didn't want to. Hearing the way Roger had been treating his wife annoyed me. Seeing it in action annoyed me even more. That wasn't all, though. I was self-aware enough to realize that was feeling territorial. Helen was mine - not his, and seeing his hand around her waist made that green monster in the back of my mind stomp around and flip proverbial tables. I hated seeing Roger here with her. I hated the smug look on his dumb face, and his voice irritated the crap out of me.

My comment wiped the smirk off his face, and I felt a sense of satisfaction as he looked back at me with contempt. "Oh, I know. I've always ensured that someone is around to care for my little kitten." He removed his hand from around her waist to stroke her cheek with the back of a finger."

Calling her 'Kitten hit me like a ton of bricks; no wonder she treated Bobbi that way. It was the way Roger treated her.

"My drink isn't mixed properly, Helen said. "I think I'll get it freshened." She backed away from Roger and then turned to head to the bar. I thought about following her, but I didn't want to risk causing a scene with Roger, who already looked like he was on the verge of starting something. I wasn't sure if fighting with my lawyers was a good move just before trying to win over the board's confidence.

Roger started to follow his wife, but before he left, I asked, "Do you know if Ashlee will be here tonight?"

"I haven't talked to my daughter since I returned," he said, leaving.

I watched him disappear and wondered how much it would cost to hire someone to drown Roger VanCamp in my pool.

"Hey," Vikram said, stopping beside me. I glanced at him and was surprised to see him dressed down so much- I was used to seeing him in a suit, but now he was wearing a pair of loose khakis and a white button-down. He almost looked like he belonged on a beach.