“No, you don’t,” he answered, dipping his head and catching my eyes. “You don’t owe me anything at all. I want to be here with you, fighting your battles. That’s been the best part of this deal.”
His words pressed into my heart, softening it in places. And my voice came out a little more sincere when I said, “I appreciate that you didn’t lie to me about your intentions like Garrett did. And again, I’m glad you’re here. No matter the reason.”
He gave me a strange look but answered, “I’m glad I’m here too.”
We danced some more, all the laughter gone.
Then I asked, “How can I help you?”
He blinked and shook his head with a confused look.
“How can I help you reach your goal to buy Glendaver?” I repeated. “Would you like me to put in a good word with my dad?”
He stilled. “Are you serious right now? I just told you all that, and you’re trying to help me out anyway?”
“You helped me,” I explained, “You helped me not to be embarrassed today—that night after I found out about Garrett too. I want to help you like you helped me.”
He angled his head to look down at me from a new direction. “Beautiful, smart, and you got a heart like nobody else I’ve ever met. You’re something special. You know that?”
No, I didn’t know that. I’d gotten a medical degree and moved to a city where more people looked like me, but the self-esteem struggle remained real—as was the survivor's guilt.
I couldn’t tell you why I’d been chosen for a life filled with privilege. And it never felt like I could do enough to pay back the world for everything that I had been given.
But somehow, the words coming from his mouth made me see myself the way he did. As someone beautiful and intelligent and worthy of the admiration in his eyes.
“If you’re serious, then yeah, you can help me out,” he said. “All you got to do is say yes.”
“Say yes to what?” I asked.
He answered by dropping to one knee and pulling out a ring box.
12
PHANTOM
Alright, so maybe this wasn’t the best idea he’d ever had. Phantom had figured it would sell the story more if the question came as a surprise.
But Olivia didn’t just look surprised. She looked like she was about to pass out from shock. Real Southern Belle.
She blinked down at him, and all around them, people stopped dancing and turned to stare at the huge Chinese guy proposing on bended knee.
Somebody yelled out for the DJ to turn off the music, and some guy with a thick Kentucky accent asked, “Hells Bells, is he proposing?”
He could hear her evil stepmom’s voice in the distance saying, “What is happening? No! No! He can’t be….”
But yeah, he was. He was proposing. But it didn’t look like he’d be getting the answer he wanted from Olivia.
“Are you serious?” she asked, already shaking her head.
“Yeah, I’m serious,” he answered. “I know….”
He struggled. He struggled to find the right words—the ones that would convince her and everyone else watching them right now. “I know we haven’t been dating that long. But Olivia, you’re great. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. And I knew….I knew from the first moment I saw you that I’d be lucky to have you in my life. So this is me, down on one knee. Asking you to make me the luckiest man on Earth.”
His speech elicited several awes from the crowd that had gathered around them. Olivia, however, just continued to stare at him, still shaking her head.
Aw, hell, who was he kidding? He should have guessed that this plan would never work.
It didn’t matter how much he’d cleaned up. He was still a gorilla in a suit—a criminal born and raised. And no matter how grateful she’d acted this morning, there was no way a woman like her would say—
“Yes.” The one word floated down to him like a flower petal on the wind.
He’d been so braced for humiliation; it took his brain a moment to process what she was saying.
Yes.
She’d said yes!
And she was holding out her hand.
For his ring.
It wasn’t real. None of it was real.
But fireworks exploded in Phantom’s chest as he pushed the steel and black onyx ring that all Silent Triad members gave to their wives onto one of her long, elegant fingers.
Then came the part where he got to stand up and kiss her.
She was his. Legit his—only for pretend, but that was okay. This was the first step.
He’d gotten her to agree to be with him. Now all he had to do was figure out how to keep her.
Olivia and Phantom tumbled onto The Silent Triad’s private plane a few hours later, full of bubbly and good cheer.
“Did you see the look on Muffy’s face?” Olivia asked as they plopped into two supple leather seats facing each other. “I don’t think she’s ever going to forgive me for ruining Leighton’s big moment. That was so….”