She heard a catch in his breath, and her eyes met his in shocking awareness.
"Do it, Paige," he said huskily. "You know you want to."
"I—I don't know what you're talking about," she lied. She rubbed at his face with brisk ruthlessness, then sat back in her seat. "It's gone now."
"So is half my skin." He put a hand to his cheek. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Nothing is wrong with me."
A gleam entered his eyes. "You're jealous."
"I am not. I've never been jealous in my life."
"You didn't like Brenda."
"She's a pushy redhead, and the two of you made a scene."
He sent her a knowing grin that irritated her more. "You didn't like that she kissed me."
"I couldn't have cared less. You know, I'm not hungry. I think I'll catch a cab and go to the hospital."
"Running away, Paige? I thought Hathaways had more guts than that."
He knew just which buttons to push. She tapped her fingers on the table, considering her options. Why was she acting so crazy? Was she jealous? Was that possible? She certainly wouldn't admit that to him, nor was she going to admit that she had actually wanted to kiss him a moment ago. She needed to calm down, pull herself together, and—as he'd reminded her—act like a Hathaway.
"Fine, I'll stay."
"Good." He paused as the waiter set down his beer and her diet Coke. He raised his glass. "To your father's speedy recovery and to finding the dragon."
She hesitated, but how could she resist that toast? She clinked her glass against his. "Thanks for putting my father first. I know you believe he created this situation."
"I think he had a lot to do with it, yes."
"Guilty until proven innocent."
"Most people are guilty."
"I'm not. And we're on the same side, Riley."
"Maybe for the moment." He leaned forward, resting his arms on the table as he gave her his full attention. "We don't know yet how this will play out. We don't know what your father's intentions were. But we do know that you are a loyal Hathaway. And at some point you may have to choose between doing what's right and supporting your family."
"That won't happen. My family is as trustworthy and honest as I am."
"I hope that's the case, Paige, I really do. Because if it comes down to your family or mine, who do you think I'm going to pick?"
* * *
Paige was reminded of Riley's words an hour later when she approached the front doors of the hospital. Off to the side of the main entrance were at least two television crews lying in wait. Unfortunately, they spotted her just a second after she spotted them. There was no time to escape.
"Miss Hathaway, how is your father?" a young woman asked as she stuck a microphone in Paige's face, nearly knocking out her teeth.
Paige jumped back, only to trip over a man coming up on the other side of her.
"Is it true that your father was robbed of a valuable piece of art that didn't belong to Hathaway's?" he asked.
"What is Hathaway's doing to recover the piece?"
"Do the police have any leads on your father's assailant?"
"Do you think this was a personal attack? Does your father have any known enemies?"
Paige blinked at the rifle-shot questions. She could barely keep up with them all, and each time she turned her head, there seemed to be another reporter in her face as well as more microphones and cameras. She certainly hoped this wasn't a live shot, because she had the distinct feeling she was coming across as an idiot.
Think, Paige told herself. You're a Hathaway. You can do this.
"My father," she began, drawing immediate silence with the mere sound of her voice. The sense of power gave her confidence. "My father is in stable condition, and we expect a full and complete recovery."
"What was your father doing in Chinatown?"
"The police are continuing their investigation," she replied. This wasn't so bad. A lifetime of watching her parents handle reporters had prepared her for this moment. She hadn't realized just how well prepared she was until now. "Thank you for your concern. As soon as we know more, we'll be sure to inform you."
"Is it true that your father went to see a woman in Chinatown?"
The question pierced Page's confidence like a pin to a balloon. Jasmine? They knew about Jasmine? Oh, God. What about Alyssa? Did they know about her, too? She had to say something to head them off.
"No further comment," Martin Bennett said, appearing at her side. "The Hathaways will be holding a press conference later today."
Paige felt Martin's strong grip on her arm as he pulled her through the crowd of reporters and into the hospital lobby. They didn't stop walking until they were on the elevator, and even then he put a finger to his lips, motioning for her to be silent until they were alone. They got off at the fourth floor, and she yanked her arm out of his grip.
"Why on earth did you do that?" she demanded.
"Do what? I saved you from saying the wrong thing. You know you're not supposed to talk to reporters. What were you thinking?"
"That I could handle the situation," she snapped. "Which I was."
"No, you weren't. They were leading you for a fall, and you were going right along. You should have done what I did, told them there will be a press conference forthcoming and any further questions should be directed to me as the spokesperson for Hathaway's in this time of crisis. That's the way we do things. You know that."
She stared at him in amazement. He was talking to her like a child. "I'm a Hathaway, Martin. I know how to handle myself and the press. And if I want to speak on behalf of the store or my family, I will. I don't care if you're the designated spokesperson or not."
"Your mother won't feel the same way."
"My mother isn't here."
"No, she's with your father, talking to him instead of the media, which is where you should be."
"And where I was going." She saw the anger in his eyes but didn't understand it. "What are you mad about, anyway? I'm the one who has the right to be annoyed. You came in and swooped me away like an eagle snatching an unsuspecting bird."
"You are an unsuspecting bird," he said as he ran his hand through his hair in obvious frustration. "Where do you think those questions were going, Paige? Someone has obviously been following the police investigation. They know by now that the police went to see Jasmine Chen. Curiosity as to how a simple Chinese woman could be connected to David Hathaway was sure to follow."
"And we should have an answer ready.
'No comment'
will only fuel the curiosity."
"The answer is coming from your mother. We've already planned a press conference for early this evening. That's why the media are outside right now."
"No one told me that."
"I tried calling you earlier, but your message machine was on at home, and you didn't pick up your cell phone. Where have you been?"
She felt a slight surge of guilt at the memory of her delicious lunch. "I've been doing some research of my own about the dragon."
"With Riley McAllister? What are you doing with him, Paige? He's not on our side. He's using you."
"And I'm using him. We both want to get the dragon back. We both want to know who is responsible for the attack on my father and who might have the dragon now. Riley is a security expert. He has connections. He can get information I can't."
"Like what?"
"Like he's the one who figured out Jasmine's daughter, Alyssa, is my sister," she said.
Martin's jaw tensed. He cast a quick look around them to make sure they were alone. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"My father's illegitimate daughter."
"Damn," Martin frowned, then shook his head. "Now McAllister has ammunition to blackmail you."
She was shocked by the suggestion. Riley wouldn't do that. He was an honorable man. Wasn't he? A niggle of doubt crept into her mind. Was she being naive? He'd laughingly told her she shouldn't have suggested to Alyssa the possibility of selling her story to the tabloids, but couldn't Riley do exactly that? If they couldn't find his grandmother's statue, maybe Riley would have to find another way of getting his grandmother the money he thought she deserved.
"I need to see my father," she said abruptly, hating the way Martin had derailed her.
"Look, Paige, I'm sorry if you think I came down too hard on you. I just want to protect you from more pain. And I don't think hanging around with this McAllister guy is a good idea."
"You don't need to protect me. I can take care of myself. Understood?"
"As long as you understand that there's a good possibility your father was up to something by taking that dragon into Chinatown in the first place."
"Up to what? We know he took it to show Jasmine. Big deal."
"She might not be the only one he showed it to. Maybe he took it to someone who could make him a fake."
His suggestion left her speechless. "My father doesn't deal in fakes. How can you say that, Martin?"
"Because he didn't have a good reason to take it out of the store. It went against company policy, our insurance guidelines, our security measures, everything."
She couldn't refute that. She didn't know why her father had taken the dragon from the store, but Martin's doubts gave her even more motivation to find out. "When he wakes up, he'll tell us why he went to Chinatown. And his reason won't have anything to do with the commissioning of a fake statue. He cares too much about art to even consider such a thing. You'll see I'm right. When my father wakes up, he'll tell us what really happened. And then there won't be any more doubts or questions."
"I'm looking forward to that moment," Martin replied. "Until then, don't talk to any more reporters, Paige. You'll only add fuel to the fire."
The fire eating away at her family's reputation. She had to find some way to put it out.
After discussing her husband's case with the private duty nurse, Victoria dismissed the woman so she could be alone with her husband. As she stood now by his bed, she couldn't remember the last time she'd watched David sleep. He looked old, she thought, panic filling her chest. And he was two years younger than she was. This shouldn't be happening now. They weren't the right age to be facing this crisis. They had so much left to do.
But she wasn't dying, she reminded herself quickly. She was okay. And David would be all right, too. She had to believe that. He was the foundation of her life. Maybe not him exactly, but who he was. She hadn't married just him; she'd married his family, his heritage. She knew more about his ancestors than he did. She was the one who made sure the distant relatives got Christmas cards and birthday presents. She was the true Hathaway, and she wouldn't lose that.
She certainly wouldn't lose it to divorce. She still couldn't believe the nerve of that woman coming here to her husband's bedside. Well, it wouldn't happen again. The nurses had strict instructions not to let Jasmine Chen anywhere near David.
How could he have picked a woman so unattractive, so unappealing, so unstylish, so lower-class? He had a wife who was beautiful, smart, sophisticated. Why had he needed someone else?
Angry tears blurred her vision, and she drew in a sharp breath, hating the fact that she still cared about him at all. Look at how he had treated her, cheating on her with another woman, and God knows how many others. And now the daughter had surfaced. She had known of Alyssa's existence, of course. Her private investigator had researched every aspect of Jasmine Chen's life, including the birth of her daughter, Alyssa, nine months after she'd slept with David. If Jasmine had gone after David then, Victoria would have stopped it. But it appeared that the woman actually cared about David, maybe even loved him—too much to go after his money. What a fool Jasmine Chen was.
But she was a fool, too. She should have made sure that the connection between Alyssa Chen and David could never be made. She'd slipped up. Now Paige knew about the whole sordid mess. It was embarrassing and awkward, and Victoria dreaded the conversation she knew was coming. Paige would want to talk about the affair, the last thing Victoria cared to discuss with her daughter. Her marriage was personal and private and none of Paige's business.
"Damn you, David," she said aloud. "The least you could do is have the guts to wake up and face this mess you've created."
"Do you really think yelling at him is the best approach?" Paige asked as she entered the room.
"I've run out of other ideas," Victoria retorted, glad to see Paige was alone. She suspected that Riley McAllister was behind her daughter's newfound knowledge, and she resented his intrusion into their lives. "What's wrong?" she asked, noting a flush on her daughter's cheeks.
"I ran into some reporters downstairs."
"You didn't tell them anything, did you?"
"Not really. Martin cut them off at the knees." Victoria nodded approvingly. "He's a very smart businessman. Where is he?"