Chapter 157

Bertha's approach felt like watching an impending collision in slow motion. Each click of her heels against the marble floor echoed in my ears, matching the quickening rhythm of my heart. She moved with the confidence of someone who had never doubted their place in the world, someone who had always belonged in rooms like this.

The last time we saw each other, she'd warned me off Roman with a secret she thought would destroy us. I had thought she would leave for good as she kept on promising but I guess you can't have everything you wish for when you're as unlucky as I am.

"Roman," she purred as she reached us, her voice honey-sweet but her eyes sharp as glass. "I've missed you."

I felt Roman's hand tighten almost imperceptibly on my waist. "Bertha," he acknowledged coolly. "This is unexpected."

"Is it?" She tilted her head, a practiced gesture that made her hair catch the light. "Daddy always says family should stick together during important business events." Her eyes slid to me, di