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Her stomach plummeted. “Three h-hundred thousand? No way. Even if I were that drunk, the casino wouldn’t let me keep playing after I ran out of money. They wouldn’t take an IOU.”
A smug smile curved Nik’s mouth. “I covered your bets.”
She bit down on her lower lip to keep from screaming. Of course, he had covered her bets. It was her fault for giving into her sister. When Kristina wanted to gamble in his casino, Chloe had known it was a bad idea. The worst idea in the history of bad ideas.
“You set this whole thing up,” she said.
“Did I ask you to come to Vegas? No. Did I pour alcohol down your throat? Again, no. Did I make you gamble in a casino my family owns? I did not.”
Somehow, he had a hand in it. She didn’t believe in coincidence, and Nikolas Andropolis never left anything to chance. Years ago, when they were dating, he had been a sweetheart. Generous, tender, and loving. He had changed in her absence and not for the better. Staring into his eyes, she didn’t see an ounce of warmth. The old Nik was gone without a trace.
Maybe that Nik only existed in her girlish fantasies.
The blood drained from her face as she put the pieces together. “Wait a second. My sister didn’t win a trip to Vegas, did she? She didn’t get a free bachelorette party. You paid for it.”
A slow grin stretched his lips, chilling her to the bone. “You’ve gotten smarter over the years.”
“And you’ve become as bitter and jaded as the rest of your family. Didn’t you insist you never wanted to be like your them? Yet here you are. You and your family think you own the world.”
He shook his head. “Not the whole world, sweetheart. Just a significant chunk.”
She repeated, “What do you want from me, Nik?”
“I told you. I am going to parade you in front of the world so they can see you came crawling back. Then I will publicly dump you. It’s your turn to lose the respect of those around you.”
She shrugged. “If it makes you feel better to humiliate me, go for it. Just as long as you leave me alone after the few days are up. I never want to see your face again.”
His grin grew. “Not quite what I had in mind, sweetheart. I will also follow you home and show off my new little bride to your family, your friends, and your business associates.”
“No!” She lost her grip on the sheet, but captured it before it could slip too far down. Clutching it to her chest, she said, “You can’t do that. I’ll do anything you want here in Vegas, but you are not coming home with me.”
“Why not? Don’t you think it’s time you lose the respect of those closest to you? As they say, turnaround is fair play.”
If he went back to Brookhaven with her, he would find out her secret. That was not an option. The Andropolis family was known for taking vengeance on those who wronged them.
If he found out she was hiding a child from him, he would take Mia away forever. He’d make sure she never saw her daughter again.
She’d rather die than let that happen.
Chapter Two
Nik hesitated in the doorway, certain he didn’t want to leave Chloe alone in his bedroom. Disturbing possibilities filled his head. She could snoop through his belongings, perhaps find something she could use against him later. Or she might destroy something precious to him out of spite. Anything was possible. She might even steal something. The woman was, after all, a relentless gold-digger. He still had trouble believing how easily she’d duped him. Before meeting her, he had trusted his gut instinct, especially when it came to people.
Pride. The Andropolis pride, according to his mother, was taller than the Empire State Building and longer than the Mississippi River and harder than ten-inch steel. It had kept his father from admitting to having a heart problem.
They were all shocked when the Andropolis patriarch dropped dead without warning.
And now his pride demanded restitution from the woman who had hurt him more than he’d thought possible. Chloe Ranier ripped his heart from his chest and repeatedly stomped on it until nothing was left. With her wide green eyes, fresh face with barely a hint of cosmetics, and sweet mouth that parted so easily on a soft gasp, she could fool the biggest cynic in the world.
She’d fooled him.
Once.
Never again, he promised himself. He didn’t care that her beauty seemed eternal. There was no way under the heavens that he would ever believe a single word that came from her pretty mouth.
She was wrong about him arranging a free trip for her sister.
Nik thought back to the second he’d seen her last night, sitting at one of the blackjack tables with a half-finished drink near her hand. His heart skipped a beat, and his mouth went dry at the memory. Chloe was the last person he’d expected to see in his casino. The sight of her had stirred up so many buried feelings. When he came on the scene, she was asking her sister to loan her money. Kristina refused with a shake of her head. That was when he signaled the dealer to let her keep playing. He would cover the loss.
