Housewife Gone Wild

Loose 432

My breath caught, a nameless dread flooding through every inch of me.

Edward fixed me with a stare, all traces of warmth gone–he was pure ice now. “Sorry if this comes off harsh, but I did give you a choice.”

“Will you keep your family safe and live in peace, or will you risk everything and step into the unknown?”

“Victoria, your first marriage let you jump from a regular family straight into the world of the elite. You already scored your big break,” he said.

“If you hadn’t crossed paths with Ryan, we wouldn’t be sitting here talking right now.”

“You should count yourself lucky–it’s only because Ryan’s into you that you even get a seat at the table with me.”

Edward rattled off his words, obviously furious. I could tell I’d really gotten under his skin.

I had to admit, he was right. I’d leveraged my looks once to grab a shot at a better life, but if I dared to try for a second time, I’d have to seriously consider whether I had what it takes.

I remembered what Ryan said–if I ever made it to the top, our paths would finally cross for real.

But right now, all I had was my looks and nothing else. No power, no influence. There was an unbridgeable divide between our worlds.

Will there ever be a day when I can walk toward him with confidence? That all depends on what I decide now.

“What’s going on? Why are you sweating bullets?” Edward suddenly got up and came right over to me.

stomach was empty, or maybe it was the way he’d just scared the hell out of me, but I felt like I wasn’t even in control of my

been waiting outside, suddenly stepped in and said quietly,

as he checked his watch. “It’s almost ten–don’t tell me you

not hungry,” I gritted out. After the way he’s treated me–pushing me around, threatening me–there’s

his lips. “What’s this, trying to go on a hunger

now?” I asked, trying to

not letting you go until you

really going to lock me up?” I shot back, my

I’ve got my own,”

do you have pressure?” I sneered, my tone

honor intact? That’s more pressure than

can you? Well, if you want to wear it, you’ve got to deal with the weight. You brought this on yourself,” I shot back, my words

at me, momentarily

a long silence, he suddenly broke into a laugh. “So, this

Ryan, and when he did that, it was

be in my study upstairs. I told them to get you something to eat. Once you’ve made up your mind, just come up and find me,” Edward said, shooting me a look before

a power–hungry beast lurking beneath the polished surface. The

brought in a whole spread—some of the dishes were even hometown specialties. It freaked me out how much effort Edward put into buttering me

itself and my gut ached with hunger.

myself, staring at a table full of untouched food. My heart just kept sinking until

to fate, giving up every time and letting myself get pushed around, I’ll end up

what, you’ve got to hold onto at least a shred of your bottom line–otherwise, you’ll have nothing left