His gruff chuckle does fuck all to soothe me. “That is your freedom. You won’t breathe a word of this contract to anyone. In exchange for full control of your masters, you will wed my son and remain married for a minimum of twelve months.”
My lungs deflate, air dissipating. “What? You’ve got to be fuckin’ kidding me.” My eyes flick over to the accompanying nondisclosure agreement.
“Oh, dear sweet Noah, I do not kid. Not where business is concerned. You see, in this life, we are given two names. The ones our parents give us, and the ones we make for ourselves. As you know,”—he raises a brow—“my son hasn’t done a very good job of providing worth to either. Before he found you in that grungy dive bar, he was in some pretty deep shit. But then there you were. The shiny new toy to repair his reputation.”
I’ve heard the stories, but I had discounted most of them because they seemed insane.Maybe I was too quick to assume Bradley’s innocence.Before I can respond outwardly, Harold continues, “Where you’re concerned, my son is like a dog with a meaty, delicious bone. He won’t stop until he’s chewed you up and spit you out. But”—he pauses, raising his whiskey glass to his lips—“I’m willing to offeryou an exit strategy, though it comes with this price: What’s a year in exchange for the career you’ve worked so hard to build? It’s a simple choice, Noah. Marry my son, fix his public image, then walk away with everything you’re begging me for.”
“So if I sign this contract and this NDA… that’s it?”
“Precisely.”
I blink.At the time, I thought I was making the right call.My lips part as I lift a shaking hand to where Bradley’s palm connected.I couldn’t have been more wrong, and now I’m trapped.I signed up for this when I scrawled my name across that ironclad agreement. And as much as I hate to admit it, Bradley’s right. I belong to him for the next year of my life.
A hand clamps around my wrist and yanks it down so hard that it pulls at my shoulder in the socket. An anguished cry rips free of my lips, as his fingers dig into my skin, bruising and callous. “Stop. You’re hurting me.” My throat is thick and voice raspy. Bile rises as I struggle to pull free of his grasp.
“I’m hurtingyou?Well, you made me look like a fucking cuck. Can you imagine if somebody else had taken these photos?” The volume of each question gets progressively louder as he continues his tirade. “Do you have a fucking clue about the damage control we’d have to do?”
Resigned to the fact that this is the reality I’m stuckin, I bite out, “It won’t happen again.” No matter how bad this gets, this is what I signed up for. There’s no way out. I’m contractually bound to this devil and silenced by the dried black ink that protects him.
He finally lets me go, only to shove me backward, and my legs slam into the coffee table. I crash over it, glass shattering as I land in a heap on the floor.
Pain is a series of explosions going off throughout my body, and trembling, I turn my head, taking in his fury. I can’t bring myself to speak, my mind struggling to keep up with the sequence of events that have transpired in the last two minutes. Tears spring to my eyes, and I blink, attempting to stop their flow. My breath shudders from me as Bradley snatches up a vase and heaves it. “If you’re gonna act like a stupid slut, I’ll treat you like one.”
Porcelain splinters against the wall behind me, and I cry out, staring at Bradley in horror. “Have you lost your mind?”
His eyes narrow, jaw locked up tight. He jabs a finger toward my bedroom. “Go get ready. You’re used to putting on a goddamn show, so you’re gonna do it now. You’re my fiancée and you better start behaving as such.”
Stalking closer, he nudges me with his foot, his gaze shifting from me to the photographs littered among the glass. When I don’t move, his chest rises, and the next second spit flies from his mouth, landing on my slap-reddened cheek. “We leave in an hour. Get your ass ingear.” He whirls, striding toward the sliding door, and steps out onto the balcony.
My hand quakes as I lift it to my face to wipe away the wetness—his saliva and my grief over having done this to myself.
Before I get a chance to stand, the door slides open again, and he pokes his head inside, barking out, “Don’t forget who gave you this life, who gave you this career. I fucking made you, Noah. I’ll break you just as quickly.”
The only way out of this mess is to go through with this wedding. A full year of marriage. One hell of a show.
RHETT
12
It occursto me as I rap on the side door leading into the Lilac Meadows kitchen that the clock by which I measure everything has been reset. Every significant moment in time is now marked with a time stamp that either readsbefore Noah came backorafter she left me again.
“Thanks for coming.” Sage ushers me inside with a smile, but I can tell there’s something off about her today.
“It’s not a problem,” I grit out, rubbing a hand over my jaw, eyeing her carefully. I’m not particularly proud of the tone I used with her this past Sunday. It’s not her fault that she got caught in the middle of whatever the hell went down with Noah and me. Beyond my grandmother and brothers, Sage is the closest thing I have to family, and knowing I upset her doesn’t really sit right.Maybe that’s why I felt it important to swing by the first free moment I had. “Ready to show me what’s goin’ on with these books?” I exhale hard, gesturing toward the front of the house where Ridge’s office is located.
“Yeah,” she nods, “but wait—” Lightly touching my arm, she studies me. “How have you been? I know the last few days probably weren’t easy for you. And now that Noah?—”
“I’m fine,” I grumble, hating the way her face falls at the sharpness of my retort. “Sorry. I’d just rather not talk abouther.”
Her head tips to the side, eyes probing in a way that makes me feel like she’s somehow able to see all my inner turmoil. Hell, maybe I’m doing a shit job of hiding it. Her pained smile is way too knowing.
I run a hand through my hair, trying to unlock my jaw. There’s nothing to say. Not really. “It is what it is, Sage. Are things how I would like them?” Exhaling hard, I pinch my lips together. “No. But Noah made it clear when she came to see me that she’s ready to move on.”
Her brows lift, eyes taking on a misty quality. “She came to see you?”
“Yeah. She swung by on her way to the airport. Said she was seeking closure.”
“And?”
