AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Relief flashed across Ainsley’s face. “Thank you. I’ll have a contract drawn up immediately. We will pay your full rate, plus expenses.”
Santiago waved this away. “I’m not worried about the money. There’s something else I need from you.”
Ainsley’s eyes filled with wariness, and he felt a wall go up between them. “Oh? What’s that?”
“You’re not the only one who has a sibling in trouble.”
Ainsley arched an eyebrow, silently inviting him to continue.
“It’s my sister, Gabriela,” he began. “She married a real piece of work. She’s been unhappy for a long time, and she agreed to try counseling. They went to this place called The Marriage Institute. It’s a few miles outside town—have you heard of it?”
Ainsley shook her head. “No,” she said. “Is it like a retreat of some kind?”
“That’s exactly what it is,” he said, relieved that she seemed to understand. “Gabriela and her husband Eric went, and after a week there, she agreed to sign some paperwork nullifying large sections of their prenuptial agreement, specifically the clauses regarding spousal infidelity and inheritance upon her death.”
Ainsley frowned. “That doesn’t sound right.”
“No, it doesn’t,” he agreed. “But I looked at the documents and they appear to be solid, from a legal standpoint.”
“Why would she sign such a thing? Your parents were always vigilant about your inheritance terms. I’m sure they treated your sister the same way.”
Santiago nodded. “Believe me, they did. If anything, they were even more careful with Gabriela’s share once she decided to get married.” His family’s wealth went back generations, thanks to careful stewardship from his great-grandfather and then grandfather. His own parents had added to the layers of protection guarding their money, wanting to ensure their family’s future for decades to come. Gabriela’s engagement had come with a veritable forest of paperwork for her would-be husband to sign, all in the interest of making sure he couldn’t touch a penny of her share of the Morales fortune.
And then his sister had undermined most of it with a stroke of the pen.
“I think Gabriela was coerced into signing the paperwork,” he said, leaning forward. “I think this Marriage Institute is a sham, that they don’t really care about helping people at all. I think they take bribes from spouses and go to work brainwashing the unsuspecting partner until they agree to see things their spouse’s way. That’s the only reason Gabriela would sign those papers.” He shook his head, frustration rising in his chest the way it always did when he thought about what had happened. “I’ve spoken to some other people who attended the retreat. They all tell the same story. Gabriela isn’t the only one they took advantage of—there are several other people out there who noticed irregularities in their joint accounts that their exes never really explained. Missing funds that were probably used as bribes. My sister isn’t stupid. She was tricked. And I’m going to prove it.”
“How are you going to do that?” Ainsley asked. “I can’t imagine they’ll just let you poke around the retreat and ask accusatory questions.”
“They won’t,” he agreed. “Which is why I’m going there undercover.”
Ainsley frowned. “What do you mean?” There was a note of concern in her tone, and for a second, he wondered if she was worried about him getting into trouble.
“I’m going to pretend to be a client, there with my wife. We’re both going to offer them a bribe, then find out which person they decide to help.”
“Oh.” Ainsley visibly relaxed, apparently assuming she’d deduced his request. “So do you need me to draw up some sham paperwork that your fake wife wants you to nullify?”
“Nope.” Santiago shook his head, nerves tingling in his belly as he arrived at his real reason for coming to Ainsley’s office. “I want you to be my wife.”
Chapter 2
Ainsley stared at Santiago, certain she had misunderstood. Surely he wasn’t really suggesting she play his wife for his little sting operation?
“Excuse me?”
His green gaze didn’t waver. ?
??I said I want you to be my wife. You’re the only one who I can trust to help me with this.”
So he was serious.
The initial shock faded as anger bubbled to the surface. The nerve of this man! To sit here in her office and casually suggest she play his wife, when he’d walked out on her five years ago, claiming he wasn’t the marrying kind! It was a cruel joke; even he had to know that.
She shook her head. “That’s not funny.”
“I’m not joking,” he said calmly. “I meant what I said, Ainsley. I trust you.”
“Find someone else,” she said flatly, determined not to let her emotions show.
