Page 29 of Loving Her Enemy

“Shoot,” Sloane said and lifted his glass of whiskey to his mouth.

“Who all knows about the details of your proposal?” she whispered, though they were the only ones in the room.

“Besides us, only Bristol and Reece, unless you’ve shared it with someone.”

Halayna shook her head. “I haven’t, and if this moves forward, I’d like to keep it that way. You know I trust Bristol to keep it quiet, and you and her seem to trust Reece the same way.”

Sloane nodded. “I trust Reece with my life. That also goes for Hershel. Though I haven’t said anything to him about the proposal, I’m sure he knows something is up. My personal assistant, Lindsay, will be back to work Monday. I won’t give her details about our contract, but she’ll know something transpired when we suddenly get married.”

“Well, if you trust them, I’ll trust them, but I don’t want anyone else to know about our marriage of convenience except for our lawyers.”

“Agreed. So, you have a lawyer, huh?”

“I do, and he’s helped me with a few tweaks to the contract.” Bristol had helped too, but Halayna kept that part to herself. Not only had her friend gone through the contract line by line with Halayna, she helped find her a reputable lawyer.

Halayna pulled the doctored contract from her large handbag and set it on the table.

“You were very thorough and extremely generous, but there are a few changes I’d like to address,” she said as she moved her plate to the side and folded her forearms on the table.

A slow, cocky smile spread across Sloane’s face, and she was pretty sure she saw pride in his gaze. Was that pride because she had thought his contract thorough, or was he proud because she wasn’t a pushover?

Halayna wasn’t sure, but she hoped for the latter. She’d find out in the next few minutes.

She explained how much she appreciated him adding provisions about insurance, housing, and living expenses. They discussed in detail their living arrangements, as well as her business aspirations.

After considerable thought, Halayna decided she didn’t want to own a perfumery. What she wanted more than anything was to develop a signature line of perfumes under her name—Halayna Tanaka—though she agreed to take Sloane’s surname if they married.

He seemed to be pleased with this, and she explained that, though the majority of perfumes in the world were produced in southern France, she wanted hers produced in the U.S. He agreed and explained that he had already started looking into existing factories, though she’d have the final say in where she wanted to set up her lab. He was also prepared to help her find employees if she wanted.

“Now let’s talk money,” Halayna said. “Instead of a half mil, I want a hundred and fifty thousand cash, and a hundred thousand dollars invested into my perfume venture. That’s it.”

Sloane’s eyebrows dipped into a frown.

“Sweetheart, so far you suck at negotiations,” Sloane said on a laugh. “Do you know how much money I have, and what I’m willing to share with you? Why would you settle for less money when you can ask for so much more?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “First of all, you can’t judge my negotiating skills yet. You haven’t heard the main changes I want.”

After a slight hesitation, Sloane laughed and lifted his liquor glass to her. “Touche.”

“Secondly, I know you probably have enough money to buy a small country, but this is not just about your money, Sloane. This is about me taking charge of my life. I will never rely solely on a man again.”

He sobered and gave her a nod, and that look of pride returned to his eyes.

Some of the anxiety Halayna had been experiencing for the last few minutes settled. She would never be his equal in the business world, but she wanted him to see her as so much more than a temporary wife.

She sat back and folded her arms across her chest. “Now, let’s discuss the heir that you want.”

Chapter Fourteen

Sloane’s respect for Halayna skyrocketed. He had always known there was a fearless side to her that she only let a few people see, and he liked it. Witnessing her strength made him want to get that much closer to her.

Owen broke her spirit months ago, but the real Halayna was making her way back. The bold, fun-loving, sweetheart with a quiet confidence showed up today, and Sloane was prepared to give her whatever she wanted. Even things she didn’t ask for.

“Yes, let’s discuss my heir. Oh, but first, let me just say this. You not wanting all the money I offered only makes me want to give you more.” When she started to speak, he lifted his hand. “Halayna, I heard everything you said, and I understand you don’t want to be a bought woman. But if we move forward with this proposal, you’ll be sacrificing a lot to be with me. There’ll be traveling, events, speaking engagements and who knows what else, but most of those times, I’ll want you with me.

“Trust me when I say you deserve that money and more. I’m not budging on that line-item unless you’re asking for more. Now, what were you going to say regarding my heir?”

Seconds ticked by as she stared at him with an unreadable expression. She’d soon learn that, though he was used to getting what he wanted, he always tried to be fair when it came to negotiations. Even more so with her.