This is Victoria’s game, and she’s the puppetmaster. Her father mailed me a prenup to make sure I couldn’t go after any of their family money in case we divorced, although he made it crystal clear what he thought about that. I’ll sign anything as long as he doesn’t come after me after our inevitable “breakup.” I’m not naïve enough to think Victoria’s plans were just to save me; I know much more is involved. If I step out of line, she’ll ruin me more than her father ever could.
But I made my fucking bed, so here I’ll lay.
“Well, how do I look?” I walk out in a penguin suit, hating every second of this.
“Very handsome.” She smiles approvingly. “Hector picked up our rings. Wanna see?”
I shrug. “Sure.”
Victoria’s ring nearly blinds me, and I blink a few times to clear my vision. “Jesus.” The thing has to be at least two carats. Most definitely something I couldn’t afford.
“Everything about the O’Learys is about money, power, and being on top, which means you are too. At least you are when you’re here.”
Which is hopefully hardly ever.
“Alright,” I say. “This going back and forth is going to be expensive for me, so—”
“Aww, is it?” She rolls her eyes. “He’s going to forgive your gambling debt and not kill you because of me. You have no room for wagering, Liam.”
“I wasn’t,” I hiss. “I was just going to tell you a heads-up would be nice so that I can schedule it between my jobs and save money for the flights.”
“Fine.” She bats her eyelashes. “He’s bringing my grandmother here at the end of June, and you need to be here for that. That enough notice for you?”
That gives me six weeks until I have to return. “Yes, thank you.”
“Also, you need to look the part of a mobster princess’s husband when you’re in Vegas, and that means arriving in nice clothes. Here—” She pauses, then grabs her designer purse and digs into it. “Twenty grand enough?”
She holds out stacks of hundreds like it’s no big deal.
I look at it, eyeing her curiously. Swallowing hard, I ask, “For what?”
“Suits, watches, shoes, a decent haircut.” I take the money, and my breath hitches. I mentally slap myself for the urge to blow this on a poker tournament. “You’re part of the O’Learys now, whether you like or not, Liam. Our enemies are your enemies; our friends are your friends. After we get hitched, everyone will know who you are, and you’ll not only need to watch your back from my father but also all the other assholes who want a piece of our family’s empire.”
I wince.
“That wasn’t part of the deal, Victoria,” I say. “You didn’t tell me any of that. You said we’d be married for six months,” I remind her of our original conversation.
She shrugs as if rephrasing her words doesn’t bother her. “We’ll be married as long as it takes to get what I want,” she retorts. “I want my freedom, and you want to live. It might take longer than that to appease my father.”
For fuck’s sake.
I have zero room to argue, though, so I keep my mouth shut.
“After you meet my grandmother, you’ll be free for a couple of months. During the summer, Father travels overseas for business. However, you might want to take me to California for a trip in case his guards check up on us.”
That’s the last fucking thing I want to do, but I know she’s right. It’ll be obvious as hell if we’re living apart for too long and I don’t introduce her to my friends and family.
“Great. I’ll come meet your grandmother, and then we’ll fly back to Sacramento,” I offer.
“Sounds like a plan, husband.” The amusement in her smile makes my blood boil. This is all fun and games to her, but my whole damn life’s on the line. Victoria O’Leary holds all the cards on whether I live or die, and for once, it’s not something I’m willing to gamble.
I wasn’t prepared for nor wanted to participate in the events on our wedding night. After we said our I Do’s at the courthouse and kissed as husband and wife, Johnny took everyone out to celebrate at one of his clubs. I don’t know what all he owns in Las Vegas, but he has a lot of partnerships and does business with a lot of rich and powerful men.
JJ steered far away from me the entire time except when we were forced to take family photos. Victoria reassured me JJ was on board with our plan, but he’s another one I have to watch. If he spills the truth, our whole façade could unravel.
The morning after our nuptials, Victoria surprised me with news that she was sending a brand-new custom-built Mercedes to my house. Before I could argue with her, she mentioned it was already paid for and being delivered as soon as I return home—a wedding gift, she called it. No doubt my roommates will have a fucking field day. Victoria wants me to drive it exclusively, but I negotiated being able to use my truck when I’m working so it’s believable I bought a second vehicle for pure luxury. Though I have no idea how I’m supposed to explain any of this, considering I don’t plan on even telling them about Victoria until the very last possible minute. I’m hoping all these out of town trips will be convincing enough for them to think I’ve been secretly going to visit her. Though, considering I’ve never had a relationship, I don’t know how they’ll react or if they’ll even believe it. A part of me is holding out hope Victoria will want an annulment before I have to bring her here.