Chapter 31

The ride back to the hotel was quiet, but not in a peaceful sense. It was the kind of silence that hummed with unspoken words. Lily sat with her arms folded, her lips curved into the faintest of smiles. She didn't even try to hide it. Watching David fume all evening—his face set in that stone-like mask, shoulders just a little too rigid—had been oddly satisfying. He wasn't angry at her, not exactly. She knew his irritation tonight had been entirely because of Marina. Marina, with her endless parade of men, her strategic laughter, and that final stunt of kissing a stranger right in the middle of the gala. David hated public embarrassment more than anything else. And Marina had handed him exactly that on a silver platter. By the time they stepped out of the car and crossed the glossy marble lobby toward the elevators, Lily's mood had only lifted further. She had played her part perfectly tonight. It wasn't her fault if the other woman couldn't control herself. They reached their floor, w