The Deception (Filthy Rich Americans 3)

Resignation flagged in his eyes. “Fine. Let’s go home.”

Macalister was out of the country when we slipped back into Cape Hill and returned to the house. We told people we’d cut our trip short due to the Ascension takeover, and everyone believed it except for my father-in-law. Adding to his delight, he discovered I’d moved a black pawn on the mythology chess set in the library, answering the opening move he’d made months ago.

I want to play, Macalister.

The next morning, I found he’d moved a second piece.

The first few days back, Royce didn’t know what to do. His hands longed to reach for me, and I craved his touch, but I denied it. It was painfully awkward with my husband, but I reminded myself it was necessary. I had to stick to the plan I’d laid out. One wrong move would make the board change, and my chances of winning would dwindle.

He made good on his promise. We took Emily out for lunch, and he confessed what he’d done to my sister, her eyes going wide while I bounced Selene on my knee. He’d been anxious about telling her, but she was quick to forgive like I thought she would be. He looked enormously relieved and yet stunned when she announced she’d gotten pregnant on purpose to avoid him.

“You were such a dick,” she said with a flat smile.

“Only because I didn’t want you to get attached. I was totally into your sister.”

Emily’s gaze dropped to Royce’s hand covering mine on the table. “Well, you got her, and I got Selene, so it worked itself out, didn’t it?”

We were newlyweds and out in public, which meant we had to keep up appearances. It was hard on me, but brutal for him. He didn’t like it or understand why I was keeping myself at such a distance, and I couldn’t tell him. If he knew what I was planning, he’d try to intervene or worse— put a stop to it.

On Monday, after I’d secured a new driver’s license, I drove myself to an appointment with my attorney in Boston. There was paperwork that needed to be signed off on with my new legal name, Royce had told me. He’d already done his part and had work to do, so he wouldn’t be meeting me or our attorneys.

It was there at the prestigious law firm I got my first true taste of what life was like when your last name was Hale. The receptionist nearly tripped over herself as my attorney and I were led back to the conference room. It was full of walnut furniture, expensive artwork, and what looked to be the entire team of partners at the firm.

“Can I get you anything, Mrs. Hale? Coffee, or a soft drink, or water?” the woman asked, pulling out the chair at the end of the table.

It took a moment to realize she was talking to me. “No, thank you.”

I lowered into the seat and set my gaze on the people at the other end. Typically, facing an entire legal team staring at you would make you want to sweat, but rather than look intimidating, they looked . . . excited? I glanced sideways at my lawyer, but he looked just as perplexed.

The woman set a leather portfolio in front of me and a fancy black fountain pen beside it. It felt like I’d been shoved onstage during a play and had no idea what role I was playing or lines I was supposed to say.

I opened the portfolio and stared at the dense text in front of me. Royce had been vague about what I needed to do, but there’d been so much with the prenup, the merging of assets, and my name change, I’d expected today to be about one of those things.

But the document before me was a transfer of ownership. I slid it over to my lawyer.

“Uh,” I said, “can you explain what we’re looking at?”

“I’d be happy to,” said one of the older gentlemen across the room who wore a silver patterned tie. “Your husband has initiated a transfer of one of his corporations. He has elected you as the chairman of its board. This is RMH Industries, which holds assets of approximately twelve million shares in Ascension.”

Everything ceased working inside me—my mind, my heart, my lungs.

My voice was a ghost. “I’m sorry, what? Did you say twelve million?”

He grinned. “I did.”

I swallowed thickly. “What’s Ascension trading at?”

One of the partners seated to my right had his phone out on the table, probably in anticipation of this question. “Fifty-four dollars and twenty cents.”

I couldn’t imagine what I looked like to them. A pale faced twenty-two-year-old girl who was so shocked, her usually intelligent math brain wasn’t working properly. How much money was that?

The silver tie man took pity on me. “The assets are valued at approximately six hundred fifty million dollars. RMH Industries has a four percent controlling interest in Ascension.”