The Love Of Money - Episode 200
30-07-25 (11:38)
"Everything okay?"
"Hello, Mr. Upton," a voice said behind me. My hackles
immediately raised, but before I could process why,
Roger VanCamp joined his wife and handed her a drink
while holding one for himself. "Your home is
remarkable."
He wrapped an arm around his wife's waist and pulled
her possessively into him while offering me his free
hand. I glanced at Helen, who kept staring at the dance
floor, then at the proffered hand and considered leaving
him hanging. Instead, I grabbed and shook it, squeezing
slightly more than usual as we shook hands.
"Thanks, Mr. VanCamp," I said. "Your wife helped me
pick it out." Helen's eyes immediately flashed toward
me, and I could feel the air tense around her, she didn't
like that. Roger's grip on my hand tightened a little
more. He didn't like it either.
"She has good taste," he said. He released my hand and
grabbed his drink from the hand pressed against his
wife's midsection. "She married me, after all."
The more he talked, the more uncomfortable I got. It
was probably because this was the longest
conversation I'd ever had with.
someone whose wife was actively sleeping with... and
he knew about it, too. Fuck why did he have to come?
He'd been happy to stay out of almost every other
facet of my life, including doing his job and managing
my estate. Of all the events and meetings I'd been to
that involved YPV, the only one he had been to was
my first meeting, and he'd barely said anything. I
wondered if his sex life was about as active as his
professional life. The more I thought about it, and the
more bothered by his presence Helen looked, the less
uncomfortable and the more irritated I was getting.
"I couldn't tell," I said before I could reign myself in.
"Lately, it feels like I spend more time with your wife
than you do."
Helen's gaze Immediately jumped to me, wide with
alarm.
Roger's eyes tightened a little around at the corners as
he sipped whatever he was drinking. His mouth was
barely more than a thin line of disapproval when he
lowered his glass. "I'm afraid that's my fault," he said a
moment later. "I've been dealing with our Middle
Eastern clients lately, which requires me to leave for
weeks at a time. It's unfortunate, but it's the price we
pay for success." He pulled Helen a little tighter against
him and looked at her. "That'll all change soon, though.
We're training someone to take on some of my
workload. Soon, I'll be able to pay more attention to
my wife."
"Take your time, man. She's in good hands." Helen
brought her drink to her lips but kept her eyes fixed on
me, and I could see her practically screaming at me to
stop.
I didn't want to. Hearing the way Roger had been
treating his wife annoyed me. Seeing it in action
annoyed me even more. That wasn't all, though. I was
self-aware enough to realize that was feeling territorial.
Helen was mine - not his, and seeing his hand around
her waist made that green monster in the back of my
mind stomp around and flip proverbial tables. I hated
seeing Roger here with her. I hated the smug look on
his dumb face, and his voice irritated the crap out of
me.
My comment wiped the smirk off his face, and I felt a
sense of satisfaction as he looked back at me with
contempt. "Oh, I know. I've always ensured that
someone is around to care for my little kitten." He
removed his hand from around her waist to stroke her
cheek with the back of a finger."
Calling her 'Kitten hit me like a ton of bricks; no wonder
she treated Bobbi that way. It was the way Roger
treated her.
"My drink isn't mixed properly, Helen said. "I think I'll
get it freshened." She backed away from Roger and
then turned to head to the bar. I thought about
following her, but I didn't want to risk causing a scene
with Roger, who already looked like he was on the
verge of starting something. I wasn't sure if fighting
with my lawyers was a good move just before trying
to win over the board's confidence.
Roger started to follow his wife, but before he left, I
asked, "Do you know if Ashlee will be here tonight?"
"I haven't talked to my daughter since I returned," he
said, leaving.
I watched him disappear and wondered how much it
would cost to hire someone to drown Roger VanCamp
in my pool.
"Hey," Vikram said, stopping beside me. I glanced at
him and was surprised to see him dressed down so
much- I was used to seeing him in a suit, but now he
was wearing a pair of loose khakis and a white button-
down. He almost looked like he belonged on a beach. Don't forget to leave a Comment 
