The first course came—salads for everyone—and she pushed the lettuce around her plate, taking small bites only when she felt Sean's eyes on her. As the men ate, they began to talk about politics and the latest news in the business world. Bored, she zoned out, stealing occasional glances at them all.

Both Brad and Leydon looked to be about Sean's age, and they both spoke with posh accents. If they knew Sean, she figured they must come from wealthy families too. She scanned her memories, trying to think of anything Sean may have said about them, but she couldn't think of a single thing. She couldn't even remember meeting Brad on the wedding day—she'd been too focused on her escape plan.

​​

"Leydon, where's Clara?" Sean asked. "It's strange to see you without her."

Leydon scowled and shrugged, "She's filming somewhere on the continent right now."

"All by herself?" Brad asked, an exaggerated leer on his face.

Leydon's expression got darker, "It's what she wanted."

"So what? You're her older brother," Brad said. "You're supposed to take care of her, but it seems you can't wait to get rid of her."

Sean chuckled, and Leydon just rolled his eyes. Catherine ran through a list of celebrity names in her head—was Leydon's sister famous? She couldn't think of any actress with the last name Fields.

The entrees came along with five trays of side dishes. The waiters displayed them all to Brad, who pointed at a few. The waiters took those dishes and put them in the center of the table: garlic mashed potatoes, bread rolls, roasted vegetables, grilled half artichokes shining with butter, and green beans almondine.

Catherine focused on her steak, cutting the seared, bloody meat into small pieces. She speared one with her fork and took a bite—it was good, the meat seemed to melt on her tongue.

"It's good, right?" Brad asked. "Our chef is a genius—it cost me a lot to get him, but I can promise you these are the best steaks in England."

Catherine agreed, but Brad was already talking about something else. The men began to chat again about mutual acquaintances and their successes and failures. By the end of the meal, she had decided that Brad was talkative and extremely outgoing, and a playboy. Leydon, on the other hand, was serious and cold but gentler than Sean.

Sean led her to the car and opened the door for her, shutting it gently after she'd settled into the seat. Through the tinted window, she saw Leydon and Brad exchange a worried glance. Sean crossed in front of the car, but his friends beckoned him back, and he strode over to them. Curious, Catherine cracked the window to listen to their conversation.

"What is it?" Sean asked.

"Be careful with her," Leydon said. "She's very young, but she's not naïve. I'm sure she knows what she's doing with you."

"She's my wife," Sean said, a warning note in his voice.

"Sure," Brad said. "And she can just as easily be your ex-wife. She's a pretty girl, sure enough, but that didn't mean you had to marry her. There's no need to buy a cow when you can get the milk for free, right?"

Catherine strained her ears, but she couldn't hear what Sean said. The men laughed, and Brad clapped Sean on the back. Sean turned away from them, got back into the car, and pulled out of the lot, speeding into the night. The drive home was silent, and Catherine was surprised when they finally pulled into the estate grounds.

Sean parked the car at the front door, killed the engine, and opened her door for her. She nodded at him and headed toward the house, but his powerful hand closed around her upper arm and pulled her back. He spun her around to face him, took her chin in his hand, and tilted her head up towards his.

"You will not go out without my permission again," he said. "I don't care who asks you, you will check with me first."

She glared up at him, "You promised me I could move freely and go wherever I want. Are you breaking your promise?"

"That was before you went to see my mother behind my back," he said.

"It wasn't behind your back," she insisted. "She invited me, and I couldn't refuse. She's your mother, for christ's sake."

"Well, if she calls again, you won't answer her," he said.

"So now I can't go out, and I can't even answer the phone?" she asked. "What's next? Will you lock me in a tower or a dungeon? Will you start reading my emails? Will you set a bodyguard to watch me 24/7?"

"I'll help you go to university," he said.

"What?" she asked.

The last time they'd discussed university, Sean had been in a terrible mood. He was furious with her for even mentioning Queen Mary University. Had he changed his mind?

"Which university?" she asked. Feeling defiant, she added, "Queen Mary, I hope?"

Sean's face darkened, "Queen Mary is a second-class university. It's a waste of your time."

"Well, I don't exactly have first-class grades or test scores," she said.

Sean shrugged, "There are ways around that."

"So, where do you want me to study then?" she asked. "What's your bright idea?"

"What about King's College?" he asked.

She frowned and shook her head. She didn't want Sean to choose her life for her. What was the point of having a second life if she still lived as the puppet of someone else?

"I don't have a high enough GPA," she said.

Sean shrugged, "That's not a problem."

Catherine stared at him, speechless. How much money would it cost him to bribe King's College to accept her? Why was he so fixated on the university?

He smirked and asked, "Who said it would be a bribe? There are many people who owe me favors or who want me to owe them favors."

She felt a blush creep up her cheeks—she'd spoken her thoughts out loud again.

"And I want you to go to King's College because the fashion design program there is one of the best in the country," he said. "It's also in London, which means you could easily commute from home each day."

"Hmm," she said. "And I suppose it has the added benefit that Marco won't be there. Though you know, the universities may be on opposite ends of London, but they're still in the same city."

"I'm not worried about that," Sean said.

The tone of his voice chilled her to the bone. Knowing Sean, he'd never risk letting her see Marco again. What had he done? Did she care?

"Good," she said. "You must know that Marco was planning to go to Queen Mary, but my decision to apply there had nothing to do with him. I chose it because I thought I stood a chance there, and my teacher recommended it, too."

Sean raised an eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes and continued, "I'm serious. Do you want to look through my messages now too? You can see for yourself that my teacher recommended it. And as for Marco, I didn't even know that he was planning to go there until Sophia told me."

"I see," he said.

"I hope so," she snapped. Then she took a deep breath and added, "And thanks for helping me get into King's College. I'm sure I'll learn a lot more there."

"You're welcome," he said, releasing her face.