A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 58

Hearing the stark difference in her tone, Fairfax’s anger flared. Starla struggled to pull her hand free, but his grip only tightened as he shot her a warning look. She fought back the urge to smash her purse in his face right there in front of Herbert.

Herbert's gaze was fixed solely on Starla. "Did you catch a chill last night?" The wind and rain had been fierce while she was standing on that bridge.

Fairfax felt a surge of murderous rage at Herbert's gentle concern. "Herbert, I'm not dead yet."

But Herbert ignored him completely. It was Starla who answered Fairfax. "But you could be."

Fairfax stared daggers at the small woman beside him. She paid him no mind, instead turning back to Herbert and shaking her head. "No, I'm fine."

Herbert nodded, said nothing more, and walked away. From start to finish, he hadn't given Fairfax so much as a glance, let alone a greeting.

Fairfax's hand tightened on Starla's arm. "Do you think I'm invisible?"

This was infuriating. What was wrong with Herbert? Fairfax was already struggling to manage the chaos at home, and now his supposed friend was pulling this stunt?

Starla winced in pain. "You and Brinley seem to think I'm invisible, don't you?"

At the mention of Brinley, Fairfax’s expression soured.

Starla tried to wrench her hand free again, but he refused to let go. Enraged, she swung her purse at him once more. This time, he was ready and caught it mid-air.

"Is hitting people your new habit?" he demanded. Where had she picked up this awful behavior? It had to be Tanya's bad influence.

Gabriel arrived, looking exhausted. Dealing with the PR nightmare for the past two days had given him a massive headache. He walked into Fairfax's office and was surprised to see Starla there.

Starla wrenched her arm away from Fairfax and headed for the door, but he grabbed her again, pulling her back into his arms. "You're staying with me today," he said, his voice as gentle as he could manage, though it was still a command.

Starla looked up and slapped him across the face.

Gabriel wished he could disappear. He turned to leave, but Fairfax’s low voice stopped him. "Did the lawyers handle what I asked for yesterday?"

Gabriel froze. He knew Fairfax was referring to the assets the Yelchin family had taken from Starla. He shook his head nervously. "Not… not yet."