Possessive Fake Husband

“That’s… that’s a lot of money.”

“Yes, it is.” He beams at me. “And you’re worth every penny. If you’re willing to help me, I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. Imagine, you’d be able to do whatever you want with that kind of money. Invest it and live off the dividends for the rest of your life.” He shrugs a little. “The possibilities are limitless.”

“All I’d have to do is betray my husband and my father.”

“Ah,” Seb says, leaning back. “Well, I suppose so. But think of it this way. You barely know your husband, and your father was going to be screwed either way. If our companies merge, do you really think your father is going to stay around in his current role? He’ll be forced out, with a nice severance package, I assure you. This way, Bushings will get bought up by one of the big telecoms and he’ll get a nice payout, and you’ll end up with your own little nest egg. What do you say?”

I stare at him for a long moment. He beams at me and probably think that he won.

But the man clearly doesn’t know me.

I don’t know how he figured out that my marriage with Josh isn’t exactly real. He must’ve done some serious research into our online lives, and maybe even hired a private investigator. That sort of due diligence suggests he’s far from solid in his own position. That sort of due diligence makes me think he’s on the verge of losing.

I smile at him sweetly. “Here’s the problem with that,” I say.

“Yes?” he asks.

“You presuppose that I’m a total piece of shit like you are.” I stand up, still smiling. “Unfortunately, I’m not. I’ll see you when the board votes.”

“You’re making a mistake,” he says.

“Maybe. But I’m not going to sell myself out for any number.”

“One million,” he says.

I turn away, disgusted. “Good luck, Seb.”

I walk out of his office without saying another word.

But I can’t help wondering one thing: how is breaking this merger worth that sort of money to him? It seems strange, but he must be able to make even more by keeping the companies apart. He must have a large share of the company, and think that a buyout by one of the big players in the market will net him even more than a million.

It’s insane, but it’s business.

I get into the car and Josh gives me an anxious look. “Well?”

“He offered me a million dollars to betray you and my dad,” I say.

He nearly chokes. “Holy shit. Really?”

“Really. Wild, right?”

“Wow. I assume you didn’t take it.”

I glare at him. “Don’t be a dick. Of course not.” I give him a little grin. “Besides, I still want my seven percent.”

He laughs. “I might’ve sold you out for that much.”

“I don’t think you would’ve.”

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “No, I wouldn’t have. Come on, let’s go home. I have a good feeling about tonight.”

I reach out and take his hand. I hold it for a second and I feel a wave of anxiety rush over me. I don’t know what it is, but I suddenly don’t want to go back to that house, don’t want to do anything but stay in this car with Josh. I don’t want the future, I don’t want the past. I just want the now, with him.

He leans toward me and kisses me softly. “Don’t stress. It’s all going to work out.”

I nod once, but don’t speak, as he puts the car into gear and we head home.22JoshI stand in front of the board for the second time in twenty-four hours, but this time, the mood in the room is entirely different.

I can’t figure out what’s going on. Maggie sits over in her seat and frowns at me. I can tell she feels it too. Nobody will meet my gaze, not even Rupert Guava. His normally flamboyant clothes are muted and surprisingly normal. Seb grins like a bastard, but there’s no way he should be happy.

And yet there he is, still smiling.

“Thanks for coming, everyone,” I say. “I want to bring this meeting to order. Before we begin, would anyone like to address the board?”

Seb stands up. He beams around at the group then his eyes land on me. “I’d just like to say that you’ve been steering this ship right into the iceberg,” he says. “And now, here we are. Time to turn it aside, or ram straight ahead.”

“Thank you for that vivid metaphor,” I say and let out a breath as he sits. “Anyone else?”

Nobody speaks or raises their hands. I try to meet Elizabeth’s gaze, but she’s staring straight down at the table in front of her. I don’t understand what’s going on at all, but it doesn’t matter.

This is happening. This is everything we’ve worked for, the gamble I’ve been meaning to make. We’re doing it, and nothing can stop it now.