"Looks like I owe my good fortune to my wife."


    Stein served Victoria another helping of vegetables, hisposure unwavering, as if McNeil''s simmering irritation didn''t even register.


    "I think you''d better stop calling her your wife at every turn, Mr. Langford," Stein said smoothly. "Vicky and I grew up together. I know when she got married, and I know who she married. But all these years, you and I only met recently—when Vicky was in trouble, wasn''t it?"


    He finally set his fork down.


    "You''ve gone to great lengths to investigate me, Mr. Langford. I''m curious-what exactly have you discovered?"


    McNeil showed no embarrassment at being called out.


    "Nothing, really. You''re a hard man to pin down, Mr. Campbell. I doubt my people found anything close to the truth. But there is one thing I can be sure of: you and my wife aren''t rted by blood. Not actually, anyway. So I''ve always wondered: when you call her your sister, what do you really mean? Is it family, or something else?"


    "That''s enough, McNeil."


    Victoria couldn''t take it anymore. She''d never realized how fitting the phrase ''making a scene'' could be when applied to men.


    Every word out of McNeil''s mouth was directed at Stein, every implication suggesting something improper between the two of them, his tone and demeanor the very image of a jealous husband.


    It was almostughable. Victoria hated to admit it, but there was no mistaking the jealousy in McNeil''s behavior.


    After Victoria''s quiet rebuke-mindful that Stein''s security detail was just outside the private dining room-she shot McNeil a warning nce, hoping their argument wouldn''t be overheard and cause unnecessary trouble for Stein.


    "It''s all right," Stein said, his voice calm. "If Mr. Langford is this anxious, perhaps it''s a good sign. Still, I wonder: after all these years, have you ever stopped to reflect on your own actions, Mr. Langford?


    As Vicky''s family, we barely know you, even now. I''m curious-how exactly do you see your own wife?"


    McNeil didn''t hesitate.


    "Victoria is my wife. That''s not up for debate. I treat her as any husband should treat his wife."


    He kept staking his im in front of Stein, but Stein only looked at him with thinly veiled disdain.


    "Is that so? Then tell me, how many people in Starfall City even know about your marriage? Do any of your friends even know Mrs. Langford exists?"


    McNeil was at a loss for words. Victoria, too, felt her hands clench unconsciously, and she set her fork down with a quiet tter.


    The tension between the two men was like a silent battlefield, invisible to outsiders.


    McNeil had to admit, he hadn''t handled things well.


    "No one," he said finally. "Since Victoria and I got married, aside from our closest family, no one in Starfall City knows she''s my wife."


    Stein''s smile turned sharp, almost mocking.


    "If that''s the case, Mr. Langford, on what grounds are you speaking to me like this? We''re just business partners. Victoria is my dearest sister. Your rtionship with her is a secret, so there''s no need to exin yourself to me. If you don''t want to acknowledge her as your wife, I suppose she has no reason to acknowledge you as her husband, either."


    A tightness gripped McNeil''s chest. Stein''s status and influence were in a different league; no matter how angry McNeil felt, he couldn''t afford tosh out here.


    He could only try to exin.


    "This was an agreement between Victoria and me. We decided from the start to keep our marriage private..."


    Stein cut him off before he could finish.


    "An agreement, or was it ckmail? Don''t tter yourself, Mr. Langford. You''re not the only one who knows how to dig up dirt. You still have an old me in Starfall City, don''t you? Back then, you knew Vicky had feelings for you, so when you married her, you insisted the marriage remain a secret. I suppose you wanted to keep your options open, in case your first love ever came back and you could pick up where you left off-without any inconvenientplications."


    Stein only dared bring up the past because he was sure Victoria wouldn''t fall apart over it anymore. The Turners all knew how much she''d suffered, how deeply she''d cared for McNeil back then.


    McNeil had no retort.


    Violet had once saved his life, and it was only because of the old man''s interference that they''d been forced apart. At the time, young and confused, McNeil hadn''t even understood his own feelings-whether what he felt for Violet was love or something else. Only when she returned, needing his help, did he realize the difference between his feelings for Violet and for Victoria.


    Standing in front of Violet, all he wanted was to protect her, not possess her; he''d never even thought of crossing that line.


    But Victoria was different. Every time he saw her, an almost primal urge to im her would well up inside him—a possessiveness he''d never felt for anyone else. He didn''t care if Violet was with another man, but he couldn''t stand seeing Victoria so much as conversing with anyone else.


    Right now, if Stein weren''t someone he couldn''t touch for the time being- McNeil would''ve been tempted to make him disappear, permanently.