“That means they’re good at following orders. Maybe I should give them a raise.”
“Why were you avoiding me? I would have thought after all we went through, I would have been the one to run away from you.”
“You should!” I spit at her, suddenly angry about that night. Or rather, the morning after. “Why did you lie?” I say without intending to.
“I didn’t lie.”
I scoff. “That’s rich.”
She looks away. “You know what my father is like. I couldn’t tell him what exactly happened. I got tongue-tied. When he said you were the one who seduced me, I went along with it.”
“And you didn’t care how much hurt you were causing. You ruined my life without even a saying a word.”
“You turned out fine.”
She’s right. If she knew what it took for me to be where I am, I don’t think she would think I was an uninjured party. Would she care, though? Ivy Hawthorne has always been selfish and spoiled. She was never responsible for her actions, and frankly, I should have known better than to be swayed by her that night.
Ivy turns back to face me. Are those tears in her eyes? “Do you want to marry me or not? If not—”
“Pack your bags. We’re going to Vegas.”
“Now?”
“I thought you were eager. Getting cold feet?”
Her gaze goes to the floor, then to the side, and then back at me. “I thought we could do it tomorrow.”
“I have to go out of town tomorrow.”
“What about a prenup? And stuff like that.”
“A prenup can be drafted on our way there. My lawyer can join us for the ride. We’re going to need witnesses after all.”
Chapter 3
Ivy
Damien and I are getting married. If I had a time machine and went back in time to tell sixteen-year-old me I would marry Damien, sixteen-year-old me would have been ecstatic. I don’t think she would have cared about the circumstances, no matter what I told her. Twenty-eight-year-old me, however, is a nervous wreck and hates it has to happen this way. But I have to do it. No matter what, doing this will not only result in me finally getting what I want, but I will help people. People who depend on me.
As I put on my wedding gown, one person comes to mind. He, of all people, depends on me and hopefully will not hate me if he ever finds out what happens today. I am doing it for him. For Lake. He doesn’t know where I am and thankfully when Damien showed up at my apartment unannounced, Lake wasn’t there. Its lucky coincidence that Lake was away for a week when Damien dropped by. What would I have done if the two met? It doesn’t matter now, because it didn’t happen.
Instead, I went with Damien to Las Vegas. We landed in the city late into the night. Damien was telling the truth about bringing his lawyer with us. Damien’s lawyer, a short and stern woman called Terry, Damien, and I, spent most of the flight hashing out the details of the prenup. By the time Damien’s plane touched ground, we had agreed on a marriage of sixty days, at the end of which Damien would receive shares in Hawthorne Inc. while I receive payment of the shares in full.Half of it in cash and cash equivalent assets, and the other half in shares of Damien’s company. But first he will give me the first ten percent as soon as we sign the marriage certificate. That was the most important part. I didn’t care about the rest of the money. But if I can have that ten percent, then I resolve all of my problems. There were other stipulations as well. We could date whomever we want and would live separate lives.
The marriage is to remain secret until Damien sorts out the paperwork of our deal. It will be up to him when we reveal it to everyone. I couldn’t care less. When my brothers find out, I know they will hate me. I’ve practically gotten in bed with the devil and betrayed the family company for a price.
It was well into the night when we arrived in Vegas and I was sure Damien was going to drag me to the nearest chapel and marry us, but he had booked rooms for us at the Grand Palazzo and we slept there instead. “If we are to marry, it should be in broad daylight,” he had said when I asked him why weren’t heading straight at the nearest officiator. And besides, “You need a dress,” he added. So, after barely resting in a gorgeous suite, I was woken up the next morning by Terry and one of Damien’s assistants, Nicole, who came with us.
“Damien said to help you get ready for the wedding,” Nicole says as soon as I let them into the suite.She has a cool smile plastered on her face, which is a little jarring to me considering all the other times I’ve spoken to her she was unfeeling, and sometimes downright nasty. She was, after all, the barrier between me and Damien all the times I tried to speak to him. But I guess as Damien’s assistant, she was only acting on his orders. It’s not her fault her boss is the devil.
“You don’t have to,” I reply. “I’m sure you have plenty of better stuff to fill your time with.” I’m still a little groggy from sleep and in my gown when I open the door, while these two look like they’ve been awake for hours.
Terry shrugs, the big jacket she has on popping up as she makes the motion. “I’m on the clock and I would rather spend that time on a shopping spree than filing briefs.”
“It’s my job to make sure everything in Damien’s personal and professional life runs smoothly,” Nicole says. It sure is, a small part of me thinks.
I decide to let the two women in. It’s their job, after all, and who am I to tell them otherwise? They don’t seem bothered, and Terry looks slightly amused by the entire situation. I shower while they order breakfast, and after we’ve eaten and dispelled some of the awkwardness, we all go shopping for a wedding dress and accessories. Terry is more into it than I, and Nicole is firmly professional and aloof. She speaks only when we require the credit card or when she is prompted. Maybe she is shy? Or more probably she knows me as the woman who hounded her boss into submission and, therefore, is a little wary of me now that I have succeeded. I do not fail to notice the slight disdain in her voice whenever she speaks.
Even though I am enjoying Terry’s company, I feel odd spending Damien’s money, and as soon as I find the first thing that looks appropriate, I choose that and we return to the hotel.Nicole leaves us after being summoned by Damien, but Terry follows me to my room and eagerly asks me to put on the dress. A few minutes later, I walk out of the bedroom area of the sweet.
