Page 126 of The Baby Twist

I cocked my head at her.

“She doesn’t need to cook me dinner. I can get my own. Shut my door.”

She rolled her eyes and pulled the door shut.

Sighing, I picked up my phone and texted Stella.

“I can be home by seven o’clock.”

“Okay. Dinner will be ready at seven.”

I climbedinto the back of the Escalade, and Sean drove me home. It was seven-thirty when I stepped off the elevator and into the penthouse. Setting my briefcase down, I walked into the kitchen.

“You’re late.” Stella smiled, holding a glass of wine.

“It was a busy day. I’ll go change, and we can sit down to dinner. Unless you already ate.”

“No. It’s in the warming oven.” She smiled.

After changing out of my suit and into more comfortable clothes, I poured myself a bourbon and took it over to the table.

“I made chicken marsala, risotto, and grilled asparagus.” Stella smiled, setting my plate before me.

“This looks wonderful. Thank you. You didn’t have to cook me dinner.” I picked up my fork.

“I know, but I wanted to. Besides, I thought we could get to know each other better. I am your wife and barely know anything about you, Miles.”

I stared at her from across the table. She looked beautiful like she always did.

“What do you want to know?” I asked.

“Anything you’re willing to share.”

“Well, I’m a workaholic. Bradshaw Capital is the reason I get up in the morning.”

“I already knew that.” A smirk crossed her lips. “I saw the piano upstairs. I assume you play?”

“I do. This is delicious, Stella.”

“Thanks. Who taught you?”

“Actually, my father did. He played. Every night, when he got home from work, he poured himself a drink and played the piano for a while. He said it relieved the stress of the day. I would sit next to him when I was a kid, and he’d play a few songs. It was really the only time I got to spend with him. Running Bradshaw Capital was his priority. I used to play soccer, and he never once attended my games.”

“Why?” Stella’s brows furrowed.

“When I asked if he would be there, he told me he didn’t have the time because he was building my future.”

“And your mother?”

“She came to a few over the years, but not many. She’d be on her phone the entire time. She and my father were Bradshaw Capital's power couple. That company was everything to them.”

“I don’t understand why she put your uncle in charge. That company is rightfully yours,” Stella said, picking up her wine glass.

“My mother was a narcissist. She never apologized for anything, and she was never wrong. Everything was about her. One day, when I was fourteen, we got into a huge fight. I asked her why she even had me, and she said she had no choice. My father wanted a child who would carry on the family legacy they were building. After I was born, she had her tubes tied so she couldn’t have more children. She told my father she gave him a son, and that was enough. From the time I could walk and talk, I attended the best prep schools in New York. It was all about the show and what made her and my father look good. As I said, they were Bradshaw Capital’s power couple, and I was expected to uphold their image. Out of defiance, I got into a lot of trouble as a kid and was almost expelled from school. But once my parents made a huge donation, the things I did went away. While I was at Harvard, my father passed away, and my mother took his seat in the company, making my uncle her right-hand man. After I graduated, I went to work for the company. I worked hard, and I would party when I left the office. Levi and I would go to clubs, drink, and pick up different women. I was featured on Page Six daily, and my mother said I was making a fool of myself and tarnishing the Bradshaw name.”

“I’m sorry, Miles.”

“I eventually cleaned up my act. She wanted me to settle down and give her a grandchild. That was the one thing she couldn’t control, and she didn’t like it. Hence, the reason she temporarily put my uncle in her position and stated that if I married and stayed married for at least a year, the companywould go to me. Even from the grave, she’s still trying to control me.”