My father reaches over and places his hand on top of mine, giving it a light squeeze. It takes everything in me not to snatch away. He’s put me in an impossible position again.
“I’m so sorry, Belle.”
“Are you?” I snap. “How could you do this to me! You fucking sold me to some man they call Beast!”
He narrows his eyes, sliding the manila envelope over to me along with a pen. “I wish it didn’t have to come to this, but I’ll do everything in my power to get you out of this mess. I promise.”
Promises, promises, promises. He always makes promises he can’t keep. He’s an addict. His gambling addiction is so severe that it’s become a serious problem. Until he acknowledges it and takes action, nothing will ever change. I’d be naïve to think there’s a possibility he can rescue me from this predicament. As long as he’s taken care of and doesn’t lose his precious company, he’ll always be content, no matter my situation. I’m doomed to marry a man I don’t know to save my family. A man known as Beast.
I remove the papers from the envelope and scan the contract. If I sign the contract, my father’s company will remain in his hands, and all his debts will be paid. There’s also a stipulation that I must be treated well, and Florian must remain faithful to me for the contract to remain legally binding. Although it’s straightforward, I still want my lawyer to review it for added assurance.
“I’ll sign it if Dale okays it.”
My father shakes his head. “Everything’s on the up and up, Belle.” He sighs. “Just sign the damn papers so we can get this over with. I don’t want to keep Florian waiting.”
“I’m not signing this,”—I wave the documents in the air—“until Dale looks it over. Florian Larsson can wait, and so can you.”
He glares at me but says nothing. I learned a long time ago not to sign anything without having a legal professional read over it, especially if it’s connected to my father. He’s dishonest, and I have no doubt that it’s a very real possibility there’s something in here I might overlook that Dale would pick up.
Against my father’s wishes, I hired Dale as soon as my career took off. I remember arguing with him for hours about it, and that told me that I was doing the right thing. Of course, he wanted his attorneys in control of my legal affairs, which would have given him access to my money while I was underage. If I’d done that, I would be broke today, no matter how hard I worked.
From the beginning, I made it clear I wanted to keep my career completely disconnected from anyone associated with him, and that remains true today. My father isn’t a trustworthy person, which didn’t take me long to figure out. And I have no idea about Florian’s character, but I can only speculate with a name like Beast and his affiliation with my father he must not be very admirable either. I’d be stupid to sign this contract without letting Dale read over it.
I pull up my contacts and scroll until I come across Dale’s number. It rings a few times before his calm voice comes through the receiver.
“Hey, sweetheart. Is everything all right?”
This won’t go over well with him, but he’s the only person I can trust.
Dale just turned thirty-seven. With sandy blond hair and a towering height, he possesses a physique that would put most twenty-year-old men to shame. But beyond his appearance, he’s the sweetest person I know.
When my career took off at seventeen, my dance teacher highly recommended him to oversee my legal affairs. At nineteen, he began extending dinner invitations to me that I politely declined every time. He’s mentioned his feelings for me on many occasions, but I can never move beyond a friendship with him. Not because of him, he’s a wonderful man, but he’s got more to offer and better things to do than waste his time on a workaholic like me.
“Hey, Dale. And to answer that question, I’m not sure.” I chuckle, but it’s hard to keep the uneasiness out of my voice. I have no idea what my father has gotten me into, but it makes me wary. It may be something I can’t get out of. “Are you available like right now? I need you to look over a contract.”
“Whatever you need, Belle. Come on in. I’ll let Alice know to send you on up when you arrive.”
“Thank you, Dale. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. See you soon.”
“It’s all pretty straightforward, Belle.” Dale leans back in his chair and steeples his fingers. His face is tinted red in anger. “Marry Florian Larsson, and your father is covered. But why in the hell would you even think about signing this?”
“So, this is legal?”
“There isn’t alegalobligation to the marriage stated in the contract, Belle. It’s written as a long-term business partnership instead of marriage, which is a loophole Mr. Larsson is using. It’s not enforceable if it’s written any other way. So, yes. It’s legal.”
I can hear the anger in his voice, and I know why he’s mad. Hell, I am, too. But I know what needs to be done so my family isn’t left with nothing. I need to step in.
As usual.
He grabs the contract, stands, and moves to the front of his desk. He leans against it, folding his arms across his muscular chest and crossing his legs at the ankles.
“Because I have no choice, Dale.” I sigh. “I’ve already told you this.”
“But that’s not true, Belle. You have a choice. It’s past time you stopped bailing your father out. You’ve been doing it for years now.”
“I know, but what do you expect me to do? Let him lose everything?”
