Sidney Sheldon's After the Darkness Read Online Free PDF Page B

didn’t see it that way. Her envy of Lenny and Grace Brookstein had grown over the years to the point where she now struggled to conceal it in public. In private, John had grown used to hearing her refer to Lenny disparagingly as “the old man,” and to Grace as “that bitch.” But recently Caroline had taken to wearing her loathing on her face. For John, this made events like last night’s Quorum Ball a terrifying experience. His love for Lenny Brookstein was immense. But his fear of his wife was even greater. And Caroline Merrivale knew it.
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    A T BREAKFAST , J OHN TRIED TO MAKE small talk.
    â€œWe made a r-r-respectable total last night, I thought, all things considered.”
    Caroline sipped her coffee and said nothing.
    â€œI know L-Lenny was pleased.”
    â€œFifteen million?” Caroline laughed scornfully. “That’s nothing to the old man. He might as well just write a check himself and be done with it. But of course, that would mean missing out on all the adulation. All the great and the good telling him what a terrific, philanthropic guy he is. And we couldn’t have his darling Gracie go without getting her picture taken six thousand times, could we? Heaven forbid!”
    John spread a thin layer of butter on his toast, avoiding his wife’s eye. He knew from experience that Caroline’s anger could turn on a dime. One wrong move and it would be directed at him. Once again he cursed himself for his cowardice. Why am I so afraid of her?
    Hoping to get back into her good graces, he mumbled, “Lenny invited us to Nantucket next week, by the way. Don’t worry. I said no.”
    â€œWhat the hell did you do that for?”
    â€œI…well, I…I assumed you…”
    â€œYou assumed ?” Caroline’s eyes bulged with rage. “How dare you assume anything!” For a moment John wondered if she was going to hit him. To his great shame, he heard his coffee cup rattle against its saucer. “Who else is invited?”
    â€œEverybody, I th-th-think. The Prestons. Grace’s s-sisters. I’m not sure.”
    â€œAnd you want to let Andrew Preston spend a week sucking up to Lenny, pushing himself ahead of you at Quorum while you sit by and do nothing? Good God, John. How stupid are you?”
    John opened his mouth to protest, then shut it again. The business didn’t work like that. Andrew Preston could never hope to usurp John’s position and he wouldn’t try. He wouldn’t dare. But there was no point trying to reason with Caroline.
    â€œSo you want to go, then?”
    â€œI don’t want to go, John. Frankly I can’t think of anything worse than being cooped up with Lenny Brookstein’s inane child bride on some godforsaken island for seven days. But I will go. And so will you.” She swept imperiously out of the room.
    Once she’d gone, John Merrivale allowed himself a small smile.
    I did it. We’re going. We’re actually going!
    The reverse psychology had worked like a charm. All it took was a little courage. Perhaps I’ll try it more often?

T HREE
    S ENATOR J ACK W ARNER WOKE UP ON Saturday morning with a crushing hangover. Honor had left early for her yoga class. Downstairs, in the playroom of their idyllic Westchester County farmhouse, Jack Warner could hear his daughters, Bobby and Rose, screaming blue murder at each other.
    What the fuck is Ilse doing?
    The family’s new Dutch au pair gave an excellent blow job, but her nannying skills left much to be desired. So far Jack had resisted Honor’s requests to be allowed to fire Ilse. But this morning, he changed his mind. An uninterrupted Saturday morning in bed was worth much more than a good blow job. In Senator Jack Warner’s world, good blow jobs were easy to come by. Peace and quiet, on the other hand, were priceless.
    Jack Warner first knew he wanted to become president of the United States when he was three