Page 81 of Married to Lies

She nodded, looking concerned. “I’m here if you need me.”

I was already halfway across the living room and hurrying to the front door as I slid through the messages.

Conrad: Your mom just called me and said you’re getting married to someone she’s never met before named Quentin Thomas.

Blood drained down my spine so quickly, I couldn’t tell if the chill was from that or stepping onto the front porch. I stood on shaky legs and continued reading.

Missed call from Conrad Hale.

Conrad: I told you to get close to him to GET DIRT. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Missed call from Conrad Hale.

Conrad: Call me right fucking now.

Missed call from Conrad Hale.

Missed call from Conrad Hale.

Conrad: I AM THIS CLOSE TO CALLING THE PRESS, DO YOU HEAR ME? I WILL PICK UP MY PHONE RIGHT FUCKING NOW AND TELL THEM EVERYTHING.

My fingers flew over the phone, pressing his contact card to call him. He answered before it even rang.

“What the fuck is going on, Rei?” he demanded, spitting mad.

“Conrad, you need to calm down,” I said, hoping he wouldn’t do anything rash before I had a chance to sign the deal with Quentin at our wedding.

But he roared, “Tell me now.”

Conrad’s outbursts had been concerning before, but his voice right now was chilling. No hint was left of the Conrad I knew before, and I fully believed he’d take everything he had on me to the press.

“You told me to get closer to him, and I did it!” I cried out defensively. “Why are you so m-mad?” My teeth chattered together, and my eyes burned with unshed tears. I could hardly force my lungs to suck in air.

“What have you found out then?” he pressed, sounding only slightly less furious.

“I think I’m getting somewhere,” I lied. “Just give me some time. He won’t trust me fully until we’re married.”

“Forty-eight hours. If you don’t have anything I can bring to the police by then, real or fake, I’m going to the press,” Conrad said.

Before I could reply, the line went dead.

Slowly, I lowered my hand from my ear until my phone hung like an anchor in my hand. Turning back to the front door, I walked inside and saw Jada sitting at the coffee table.

“Everything okay at work?” she asked, looking genuinely interested.

I opened my mouth to tell her the lie everyone says: “It’s fine.” But I couldn’t.

After losing my friend to suicide, I’d promised myself that I would do whatever it took to protect my employees. My twenty-year-old self hadn’t expected to have a friend like Jada. I couldn’t keep my promise to myself without violating my friendship with her. The woman I’d become knew better.

So I took a deep breath, sat beside her, and told her everything I’d been holding back.

36 Quentin

As soon as Rei’s front door opened and I saw what she was wearing, I nearly stumbled.

She had on a long-sleeved, shimmery silver dress with a hem along her mid-thigh and shiny leather thigh-high boots. It was like she was teasing me on purpose because all I could think about was lifting her dress, just a few inches, to see what style of lingerie she liked to wear underneath.

She smiled at me, and the shift of her facial features made the porch light catch the glitter of her eyeshadow. We didn’t need any fireworks tonight because this woman was the whole damn show.