Chapter Ten

Greta could not believe when an hour had already passed, and she had yet to hear from Philippe"s American wife. Was it possible that the other woman was so desperate to stay with the French billionaire, she would rather turn a blind eye to the fact that Philippe was having an affair with his own sister-in-law?

The thought made Greta furious and disgusted, and with her temper once again getting the best of her, Greta"s plans for making a splashy grand entrance in tomorrow"s launch were all but forgotten.

She had tried to play nice, but it was now time to unsheathe her claws and teach the other woman her place.

The drive up to Foxtown took over an hour, and since the establishment also operated as a Regency-themed park, there were horse-drawn carriages waiting alongside expensive sports cars and chauffeur-driven limousines like the one she was in. A valet came up to open her door, and Greta took her time as she stepped out of the backseat, wanting to make sure that the people around her were able to have an eyeful of her long bare legs - Merde!

Greta"s teeth started to chatter as soon as she was out, and her cheeks turned red with rage at the way some of the guests were silently laughing at her sparkling silver gown with thigh-high side-splits. Why the hell had no one told her that the stupid weather in Foxtown was a lot colder than the rest of Jackson Hole?

Greta was used to having people fawn all over her wherever she went, but with the exception of hotel employees warmly welcoming her to Foxtown, the only ones who cared to look their way were people interested in her choice of outfit.

Foxtown"s circular lobby was more palatial than she expected, and Greta was grudgingly impressed at how tastefully decorated the whole place was. A small crowd seemed to have gathered just outside one of the hotel"s in-house boutiques, with both men and women clearly excited as they asked for selfies with whoever local celebrity—-Merde!

Greta"s jaw dropped as the small crowd gradually dispersed, and she found herself face to face with Philippe"s American wife. Were locals here so desperate to rub elbows with someone famous they had settled for a former local beauty queen? That woman was not even from Wyoming, for God"s sake!

So this was the infamous Greta, Charlee-Mae mused. The other woman was stunningly beautiful. Long, silky black hair. Olive skin. About a half foot taller than her, but likely several kilos lighter as well. She also had an air of icy sophistication about her, icy being the operative word since Greta was severely underdressed for Foxtown"s sub-zero temps.

Philippe"s sister-in-law suddenly stalked forward, and Charlee-Mae saw the other woman sneer as Charlee-Mae was forced to crane her neck all the way up to meet her gaze.

Greta struggled to give her ridiculously oversexed rival a frosty smile even as she was feeling frosty herself. "Bonjour."

Charlee-Mae smiled back. "Bonjour."

Greta"s lip curled. Mon Dieu! She had never heard someone speak their language so horribly! How could Philippe bear listening to such a thing nearly every minute of the day?

Charlee-Mae couldn"t help feeling bad as Greta"s lips started turning a little blue. "Would you like to go somewhere warm?"

In minutes, they were inside the heated comfort of the hotel"s cafe, and Charlee-Mae couldn"t help but watch in silent fascination as Greta"s beautiful face, originally pale and looking close to death"s door, gradually gained color and consequently transformed into the catty features of a world-class...bitch.

"I thought we could have a little chat."

Charlee-Mae blinked. "But...I don"t have anything to say to you."

Greta nearly sputtered in her anger. Cette salope! This bitch! Leaning forward, she hissed under her breath, "Philippe and I have been lovers for a long time."

"Two years," Charlee-Mae said gently, "isn"t really that long, you know."

"Maybe not for other men," Greta sneered, "but for Philippe, it is his longest relationship—-"

"So why then did he marry me?"

Enfin! Finally! Greta"s lips slowly curved in a smirk. "Do you not know—-"

"That his mother dislikes you so much—-" Charlee-Mae silently thanked Charlotte for being so thorough when it came to conducting background checks on prospective matches. "—-she would rather donate her shares to charity?"

Greta could feel herself shaking in anger. This woman had let her think she knew nothing about Philippe"s reasons for signing up for that stupid mail-order marriage, and now—-

"If you think for one moment," she spat out, "you can play games with me and win—-"

Charlee-Mae couldn"t make herself lie. "I do, actually."

Greta struggled not to throw the mug of hot chocolate at the other woman"s face. Fuck this bitch! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Charlee-Mae was doing her best not to stare. Just like Ne-Yo, she had always believed that girls were sexier when they were mad, but the scary transformation of Greta"s face as she went from annoyed to outraged was proof that there were also exceptions to the rule.

Greta took a deep breath. "Sandra—-"

"Adores me, by the way."

Greta nearly screamed. Why was this woman so good at pushing her buttons?

"Are you okay?" Charlee-Mae couldn"t help feeling concerned again. "You look a little..." Tomato-like? Frightening? Ugly? Oh dear Lord, Charlotte was right! She really did have the vocabulary of a sixth-grader.

"Stop faking things, you bitch!"

"Hypertensive," Charlee-Mae burst out at the same time, and she couldn"t help but give herself a congratulatory little pat. "Hypertensive" was a big word, and Charlotte would be so proud—-wait! Did Greta just say she was what?

Charlee-Mae looked at the other woman reproachfully. "I"m genuinely concerned, you know. You look like you"re suffering from hypertension, and—-"

"Do you really think we"re playing a game here?"

"If we weren"t, you wouldn"t have sent me that email."

Greta could have cried at that point. Finally, dammit! Finally, she was getting somewhere with this fat American idiot that Philippe had been unlucky enough to have as a wife.

"It was to let you know your place, just that. Whatever Philippe has told you is a lie, and you"ll soon know this for yourself. Once Sandra has transferred her shares to him, he will—-" Greta was momentarily distracted when the other woman made a show of calling someone on her iPhone. "He will dump you and marry—-"

"Bonjour, mon mari!"

Greta"s eyes nearly bulged. Did this woman just call Philippe?

"I am here at the cafe...oui, that one, and oh, I"m also with Gretel—-"

"Greta!"

"I mean, Gretchen—-"

"Greta, you bitch!"

"Can we just call her your sister-in-law? I keep forgetting her name, and yes, please do join us. Salut!"

Greta burst into speech as soon as she saw the other woman ending the call. "What do you plan—-you bitch!" The other woman was making a call! Again!

"Bonjour, Maman!"

Greta was so filled with rage she could barely breathe. Had this bitch really just called Sandra?

"I am so sorry to ask this out of the blue, but do you have time to come down to the lobby, Maman? There"s this cafe...oui, that is the one. Your two daughters-in-law are here—-"

Greta"s teeth gnashed against each other when the other woman suddenly laughed. Oh, that laugh, that fucking, annoying laugh—-

"You did not hear wrong, Maman. Both of us are indeed here. Me, your favorite daughter-in-law, and then there"s your other daughter-in-law who is not your favorite, Grendel—-"

"Pute! Salope! Garce!"

"Oh, wait. Je suis désolée, Maman. I forgot that Grendel happens to be a monster from Beowulf—-"

There was that laugh again, and Greta could no longer help it.

Charlee-Mae gasped as the other woman suddenly snatched her iPhone out of her hand before smashing its screen into pieces with the heel of her boot.

"Hey! I just got that phone—-" And because she just couldn"t resist it, she then added, "From Philippe—-"

"You bitch!"

"It takes one to know one, I hear."

"I fucked Philippe every day the first year we came together—-" Greta finally had a chance to laugh when she saw the other woman flinch. "Oui, salope!" Yes, you bitch! "Every day, we would fuck and fuck and—-"

"Qu"est-ce que tu fous là?" What the hell are you doing here?

Greta started to answer, but Philippe had already gone down on one knee and was reaching for his wife"s hand like he was about to fucking propose marriage. Putain! Fuck!

Philippe grimly studied his wife"s face, which for once perfectly concealed her thoughts. "Mon coeur?" His voice was low and taut, but the words could be heard throughout the cafe, with all the other guests having gone silent as soon as he had walked in.

"Talk to me. Please."

Charlee-Mae had never imagined her husband could look so desperate and haunted.

"Your wife, Philippe—-"

Philippe didn"t take his gaze off Charlee-Mae even as he cut his sister-in-law off. "Ferme ton clape-merde." Shut the fuck up.

"—-is insane!"

Philippe stiffened, but before he could tell Greta to get lost, Charlee-Mae suddenly cupped his face, and Philippe froze in shock as his wife looked down at him with big, puppy-like eyes.

"Am I insane, Philippe?"

That she would ask such a thing made Philippe question his own sanity. Was she serious?

"Am I?"

"Non." No. "Of course you are not insane—-" He broke off when he saw his wife lift her head...just so she could stick her tongue out at Greta. What the hell?

A pale-faced and slightly-out-of-breath Sandra arrived just in time to see her (favorite) daughter-in-law stick her tongue out, and she could only swallow back a nervous laugh at the way the adorably childish gesture had her other daughter-in-law looking like she had just been made to eat her own crotte.

While she had never imagined things would play out this way between all four of them, Sandra probably should"ve expected this, given that her dear Cha-Cha was involved. But even so—-

Charlee-Mae only came to notice her mother-in-law"s presence when the other woman cleared her throat. "Maman!" She quickly closed her mouth, feeling a little self-conscious that Philippe"s mother had seen her do such a thing.

"Should we take this somewhere private?" Sandra asked hesitantly.

Greta lifted her chin. "Why should we? I don"t have anything to hide."

"Neither do I," Charlee-Mae didn"t hesitate to declare.

Philippe saw Greta and his wife look at him, and his jaw clenched. "Charlee-Mae—-"

"Do you have something to hide?" she asked softly.

Philippe could feel himself whiten, and although a part of him was terrified of losing her, he also knew the time of lying was over, and the only thing that could save their marriage now was the truth.

"Greta is my mistress."

Charlee-Mae fought to keep her face blank. She had already known that, of course, and she had also expected him to admit this. But even so...it still hurt to hear and know for certain that Greta had intimate knowledge of her husband"s body.

"I"m sorry, mon coeur..." Philippe"s voice was hoarse. "I never expected to fall for you—-"

"Stop lying!" Greta turned to her mother-in-law wildly. "Your precious son agreed to a fake marriage with that bitch so he could persuade you to transfer your shares to him! Their marriage is nothing but a sham," she spat, "and Philippe had always meant to dump her and marry me—-"

Sandra wanted to believe Greta was lying, but wasn"t that what she had feared in the first place?

"It"s okay, Maman."

Cha-Cha"s reassuring tone had Sandra turning to Philippe"s wife in relief. "It"s not true, isn"t it?"

"It was true—-"

Sandra didn"t know what to think anymore. "Was?" Did that mean her son had meant to deceive her but had since changed his mind?

"Because it is just like Philippe said." Charlee-Mae gently retrieved her hands from Philippe"s hold and rose to her feet so she could go to her mother-in-law"s side. "Philippe and I fell in love," she said softly, "and I think Gretchen sensed—-"

"Greta! It"s fucking Greta, you—-" Greta had been about to call the other woman a dumb bitch, but the way Philippe"s gaze had suddenly turned deadly made her swallow the words back.

"I am so sorry, Maman..."

Sandra didn"t know whether to laugh or cry in relief. The twinkle in Cha-Cha"s pretty amber eyes was familiar, and she knew at that moment everything would be alright. One of the reasons she enjoyed watching Cha-Cha"s vlogs was how the younger woman had always been so candid in sharing the ups and downs of her life. The dear girl just had this gift for turning every moment of her life into something nice and funny—-

"I seem to have such a hard time remembering my sister-in-law"s name. Is it Gremlin? Goblin?"

—-like now.

"But anyway, what was I saying again earlier?"

"You were saying something about, er, Greta sensing something?"

"Oh, yes." Charlee-Mae brightened. "As I was saying, it did seem that Greta had sensed Philippe and I are soulmates, and so naturally, she decided to create some trouble between us."

Philippe was staring hard at Greta. "What kind of trouble?"

"Well—-"

Greta stared incredulously at Philippe"s wife. Surely the idiot wouldn"t admit the truth? Surely she wouldn"t want the whole world to know about Philippe—-

"She recorded your call earlier, Philippe."

Philippe blanched while Greta raised her chin and looked defiantly at everyone staring her way with blatant dislike.

"She emailed me a copy of it," Charlee-Mae went on, "because she wanted me to hear you say you missed her pussy."

Philippe swore, Sandra flinched, while everyone else in the cafe seemed to squirm and fidget in discomfort.

"And it"s true," Greta said loudly. "He does miss my—-"

Charlee-Mae shot the other woman a frown. "Please keep quiet, Godzilla!"

The words were exactly what everyone needed to hear, and Sandra couldn"t keep her lips from twitching as she saw everyone"s discomfort turn into good-natured amusement.

Philippe found himself inhaling sharply as his wife slowly walked up to him. "I"m sorry," he said harshly. "It"s been months since I last touched her, and I would never—-" Philippe broke off when Charlee-Mae suddenly wound her arms around his neck.

"It"s okay," she said softly. "I won"t say it didn"t hurt to hear you say those words, but I also know you only said them to humor Goofy—-"

"Salope!" You bitch!

"You knew she was likely to cause more trouble, so you told her what she wanted to hear...even if it was a lie."

Philippe searched his wife"s face for any sign of anger or hurt, anything that would give him a clue on just how hard he would need to grovel and beg for her forgiveness—-

But instead, all he saw was love...and a good amount of mischief.

"Because the truth is..."

Charlee-Mae looked at him expectantly, and Philippe did not hesitate to throw out of the window decades" worth of lessons on etiquette and propriety. He knew exactly what she was asking for, knew exactly what was the one thing he could do to make up for his stupidity, and Philippe heard himself say, "The truth is that it is your pussy alone that I would ever want to fuck, your pussy alone that I would ever miss—-"

"Mon Dieu." Sandra couldn"t help laughing even as her cheeks burned in embarrassment.

"Your pussy alone that I would ever want to taste with my tongue and—-"

Charlee-Mae was starting to feel a little self-conscious herself, and she quickly placed a hand over her husband"s mouth. "That is more than enough—-"

Philippe gently took her hand off his mouth and asked, "Are you certain? Because there is also much more I can say about your beautiful tits and your wonderful ass—-"

Charlee-Mae hastily covered his mouth again. "Yes, I am sure, and..." She smiled up at him. "I love you, too."