Chapter Fifty Four
Not once did he speak of loving her, and Kelly could not bring herself to admit to the feelings had about him. She was the mother of his child. That was what their marriage was based on. And Dimitri certainly did his best to be a husband she could be happy with.
And she was happy for the most part. When they returned home, she moved to Dimitri's place. Dimitri threw himself into work, coming home to her each evening with the air of a man well satisfied with jobs done. Sometimes he even worked from home so he could help her, especially when she was a little sick, he tired his best to be there for her.
She couldn’t fault his commitment to their partnership. Things seemed to be going well, and Kelly hoped that it would continue to be that way. That even if he didn't love her, he understood her and wanted the best for her and her baby. But her hopes were short lived when she checked her email one afternoon.
A week before she found out that she was pregnant, she had sent an email to LeBron industries, trying to follow up, hoping to get the contract she badly needed before Dimitri had come up with a solution. She had gotten no reply from them... Well, until today.
She was in her room, working on her laptop when she saw the email notification, and she hurriedly left what she was working on to click on it. Nervous and excited, her eyes ate up the words, but what she read didn't please her at all. According to the email, the contract was now buried in appropriations committee. The reasons were ridiculous.... Appaling lack of purpose..... Absence of Positivity in the Proposal....
Scanning through the rest of the email, Kelly got to the part addressing the company's financial problems and she immediately knew who was responsible. The one person who wanted the company so bad.... The one person who had the connection and influence to pull something like that.
Kelly shut the laptop with more force than necessary. She had read enough. She should have known, she thought as she stood up. She should have known that he was the reason why they didn't get the contract. Should have known that helping her get the company out of debt and getting married was just another way to get what he wanted. What had he said back then?
'You could have access to all I could provide, if you married me'. That went both ways too. Coupled with the fact that he had paid off the mortgage for her, he had the access he wanted already.
She marched out of the bedroom. Dimitri was in his home office, having a meeting with two of his business associates. He wouldn't like to be disturbed at this moment, but Kelly didn't give a damn.
The walk from the room down the corridor was sufficiently long for her to examine the facts. Sufficiently long to ensure that by time she finally reached the door to his office, she had reached boiling point. For the first time in her life, she contemplated violence. Shock had given way to anger. She felt outraged and affronted and so blistering angry that she wanted to kill someone.
She wanted to kill him.....with her bare hands.
Their marriage was a sham. A way for him to get what he wanted. The baby had just come at the right time....a bonus for him. Nothing had been real. She almost felt sorry for Dimitri. He had no idea what was coming to him, she thought grimly as she pushed open the door and walked into the room, head held high. If he had known then he would have run for the hills. She didn't care one bit about the other two men in the room.
His dark glossy head was bowed over a set of papers but he looked up with a frown of irritation at her surprise entrance. Astonishment was replaced by caution.
"Something is wrong?" he asked her.
"You are quick" she said sweetly. "I need to speak to you and I need to speak to you now"
Dimitri threw down the pen he was holding and sat back in his chair, his expression falling a long way short of encouraging. "Kelly, I'm in the middle of a very important meeting.... I don't..."
"What I have to say could be said in public" she interrupted, working hard to keep her tone well modulated, "And it probably should be. But in the interest of diplomacy I will allow you precisely Sixty seconds get rid of your guests and save yourself public humiliation"
With a sharp indrawn breath, Dimitri rose to his feet, his eyes never leaving hers. "Gentlemen, if you will excuse me for a short time," he said, "We will resume this meeting very shortly. You can help yourselves with drinks from the bar"
Clearly riveted by the scene playing out in front of the, the men rose to their feet, abandoned the pile of papers in front of them and slid silently out of the room.
"For your information, I hate scenes. And In particular I hate public scenes" Dimitri said to Kelly after the door closed behind the men. He sat back in his chair, dark eyes glittering with anger, his long fingers drumming a steady rhythm on the polished table. "Whatever you want to say could have waited. I don't appreciate being disturbed in the middle of an important meeting."
"And I don't appreciate discovering that you are the reason why I didn't get that contract with LeBron industries. Or the fact that our marriage was just another way to get what you wanted. Allow me to say that I find your romantic streak lesss than overwhelming, Dimitri"
The atmosphere in the room changed in an instant.
"You are not making sense" he uttered the words in a bored tone but his fingers stilled, his eyes narrowed and she could see his sharp brain shifting through the gears. It was the final confirmation that she needed.
Rat.
"Oh, I'm making perfect sense. And if you hate scenes then you married the wrong woman because I'm not prepared to stand by with my head bowed while you walk all over me" she replied.
