AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She’d picked the gown as one of the dresses she bought in the extravagant shopping trip in which Luc took her two days prior. Back then, it’d been easy to forget about him. The minute she entered the place, the concierge came to greet her, and certainly because of him, all the salespeople treated her like royalty.
They ushered her to a special VIP section of the store and kept her busy, bringing her a sea of clothes, shoes, purses and lingerie.
“No, I can’t,” Kira said. She’d signed a contract, and if she didn’t marry him, she’d have to pay a huge penalty. Money she didn’t have now. Money she’d never be able to save to have her financial independence.
Besides, soon she’d receive texts from her mother, after a neighbor or even Shelby found pictures of Kira online canoodling with her supposed boss. How fun would that be?
If she canceled the wedding, she’d had no option but to return to Hope Springs, Texas. She couldn’t afford to live in New York without a job—which would be difficult to find once all the temp agencies she’d worked for gave her the boot. An easy thing for a powerful man like Luc to arrange if she didn’t keep her end of the bargain.
Besides, she didn’t want to return to her hometown as the failure. The girl who left with a crazy dream to make it in the big city, only to end up broke and part of a scandal involving a man who didn’t stick by her side.
A knock on the door startled her.
Poppy rushed to open it, and soon, Charles marched inside, wearing a nice suit.
“Mr. Montague?” Kira nodded.
“Can I have a word with you alone?” he asked, flashing a nice smile to Billie and Poppy.
“Of course,” Poppy said, and nudged Billie out of the suite.
Kira sprung to her feet and turned to him. “How can I help?”
Charles scanned the room, and she wondered if he paid any mind to the clothes on the bed, or the serious amount of beauty products Poppy had brought to work her miracle on her. “I’ll be direct. You marrying my son wasn’t the plan. But I’m glad things turned out this way.”
You are?She repeated inwardly. Maybe he was the only one happy about it. She certainly wasn’t—she would be, when she had access to the entire amount of her payment. Luc probably wasn’t either—what sane man would give up sex for a year to marry someone he didn’t even like? What is Luc getting out of all this? The thought nagged at her.
Luc and his father never talked a whole lot, and she imagined how hard it must be to both of them. To Luc, to have grown without his father, and to Charles, to not know one of his sons had survived in the fire.
She’d heard a couple of people talking about it on her first day as a temp at Montague Corp. Charles had moved to the US and shortly after, a horrible accidental fire claimed his son’s life—and his American girlfriend back then, who soon became his wife, allegedly told him both sons had died. He’d called the boys’ mom, who was in pain, crying, and he assumed his wife had been right.
Since he’d just arrived in the US, he couldn’t go back right away for the funeral.
She sighed. Who could she trust?
Who was to say Luc’s plan all along had been to reinvent himself and be a present son? Clearly, he didn’t have any other reason to give up his freedom. She’d heard he made a lot of money in his own right, before he’d been acknowledged as a Montague.
Charles must have sensed her uneasiness, for he touched her hand and squeezed it, pulling her out of her thoughts. “This marriage will give you unpreceded access to Luc. I know I first assigned you to be eyes and ears while keeping him in line. I want you to know your assignment is still the same.”
“Oh.”
“You remember why this whole thing started? If I hadn’t pulled you aside, you’d still be a temp no one cared about. And now, you’re about to marry the man of the hour and walk away with a sizeable amount of money when it’s done.”
Her shoulders sagged, and acid spilled into her stomach. What else did she expect? Being in denial about how this started didn’t change facts. Still. A part of her felt dirty. She’d be lying to her new husband—spying on him. She’d imagined Charles would assume she’d keep Luc in line, but this conversation cemented his expectations. Damn it. “What are you expecting of me? You saddled him with a contract in which he’ll pay a small fortune if he cheats. He’s not a dumb man.”
“No, he’s not. He’s very smart. I’m still getting to know my son. A son I thought I lost. And I count on you to be in my corner.”
“Can you be more specific?”
“I’m just asking for support from you. And if you hear that his actions can jeopardize my company or the deal I’m so carefully drawing, come to me with your information.”
And if I don’t?The words tingled at the tip of her tongue, but she bit her inner cheek and ignored the urge. She knew what a man like Charlie could do if he wanted—ruin her career and plans. “Of course,” she said through numb lips. “If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.” She’d come so far to have some freedom, and now she’d be a prisoner of a bargain that could cost her everything.
