Chapter 3

Chapter 3 "Who's dating Wilson here?" My heart slammed against my ribs. I knew that voice before I even turned around. It was unmistakable. I pulled my hand from Wilson's grip and looked up. There stood William Gates. His striking gray eyes met mine, and for a moment his expression changed, as if he were trying to work out where he had seen me before. I couldn't look away from him. William licked his lips, then turned to his mother and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "Hi, Mum." He nodded to Harrison. "Dad." "The whole family is finally together again," Evelyn said warmly and took a sip of her wine. "It's lovely to have both my sons back home." "Anything for you, Mum," William replied. He sat down right next to me. His gaze wandered to me again. "So you're Wilson's girlfriend? That's hard for me to believe." Wilson's grip on my hand had tightened earlier. The animosity between the brothers crackled palpably in the air. I quickly pulled away and gave him an awkward smile. "As I was trying to say earlier: Wilson and I are not a couple." "Aww, and I was hoping someone had finally tamed him," Evelyn murmured. "We're just friends," I clarified, eager to put some distance between us. "Good friends," Wilson added with a wink that turned my stomach. William leaned closer, his head tilted in confusion. "Have we met before? I swear I know your face." "Uh, maybe..." "You've been abroad for years," Wilson cut in. "I doubt you've met her." The urge to slap Wilson right in the face rose quickly in me. I held back. Starting a fight with one of the Gates heirs would only end badly. Instead I stayed silent while the brothers bickered like rivals. "Coming from the man who lied and claimed she was his girlfriend," William shot back. "Why would anyone trust the word of a known playboy?" "At least the ladies enjoy my company," Wilson retorted with a wicked smile. "You, on the other hand, make the public wonder whether you're gay or impotent. Maybe even both." "What did you just say?" A hand slammed onto the table. Evelyn's calm composure vanished instantly and gave way to pure hardness. She smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "We are in public," she warned in a low, dangerous voice. "If I have to endure another scandal because you two can't behave, you will both regret it." Harrison looked at her with obvious pride before turning to his sons. "Listen to your mother." The one-liner had its effect. Both brothers straightened their shoulders and fell silent. "I'm so sorry, dear," Evelyn said, turning to me with a softer expression. "The two of them have always been like this. I hope they're not embarrassing you." "Not at all, ma'am," I answered, still a little intimidated by her authority. Dinner went on. The conversation shifted to business and family matters. I laughed in the right places, but my eyes kept drifting back to William. He was everything I remembered, and more. The real reason I had come tonight. It stayed surprisingly civilized until Wilson refilled my wine glass and rested his arm on the back of my chair. Out of the corner of my eye I saw William's jaw tighten. "So, Jennifer," William said, smoothly cutting into what Evelyn had been saying. "How exactly did you and Wilson meet?" "In a hotel bar," Wilson answered before I could say anything. "She approached me, to be precise." "I did not approach you," I said dryly. "You absolutely did. Not that I minded." Wilson flirted openly. "Wilson," William warned. "What? I'm only telling the truth." "That's enough," Harrison said quietly. Silence fell over the table again. The calm lasted only a moment. William and I reached for the bread basket at the same time. Our hands brushed. We froze. When he didn't pull his hand back right away, heat shot through me. I pulled mine back first and stared at my plate. "You know, I'm absolutely certain I've met you before," William began again, refusing to let it rest. "You really haven't," I insisted. I wanted to tell him the truth, but not here in front of everyone. "You deny it so stubbornly, as if you had something to hide." "Because I'm sure," I replied as annoyance rose in me. "Funny," he said, tilting his head. "That sounds an awful lot like someone protecting a secret." Wilson set his glass down harder than necessary. "Drop it, William. Not everyone needs to be interrogated by you." "I wasn't talking to you." "That doesn't matter. She came here with me," Wilson said, raising his voice. "She just told everyone she's not with you," William shot back. "So what exactly is your point?" "My point is that you've been back in town for five minutes and you're already trying to take what isn't yours." The table turned ice cold. The tension around us became tangible. "Wilson," Evelyn whispered, but he had already gone too far. "I've done nothing tonight but have a conversation," William replied, his jaw tense. "You've been staring at her since you sat down." "I was trying to figure out where I know her from." "You don't know her. She belongs to me." That was the last straw. I slapped my napkin onto the table. "I told you I don't belong to you!" All eyes turned to me. The bickering, the looks, the possessiveness: it was simply too much. It reminded me too much of my own parents' fights. I couldn't stay here a moment longer. "Excuse me, please," I whispered. I pushed my chair back. "Jennifer..." Wilson began, but I ignored him. I turned to Evelyn and Harrison. "Thank you very much for the invitation. Dinner was delicious, but I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow." Evelyn gave me a look of quiet sympathy and nodded. I grabbed my handbag and strode out from behind the partition, through the elegant restaurant and straight out into the cool Chicago night. At last I exhaled deeply. I hailed a taxi, slid inside, and stared out the window as the city lights drifted past. This evening had absolutely not gone as planned. I had come hoping to reconnect with William. Instead I had stumbled into the middle of a bittersweet rivalry between the brothers, and now both of them seemed fixated on me. My phone buzzed in my bag. I took it out. Two new messages were waiting for me. One from Wilson. One from William. The war I had never asked for had already begun