“Hi,” I say to make her aware of my presence.
Laurie’s head snaps up. “Oh, hey.” Her eyes drift over the black tuxedo I’m wearing. “Ah, you look… good.”
I step closer to her. “What are you busy with?”
She scrunches her nose in the cutest fucking way that digs into my heart. “I’m trying to decide which investment would be best.”
Sitting down beside her, I look at her bank balance. Seeing she only had three dollars in it before I paid her makes anger stir in my chest.
I’ll deal with the fuckers who made Laurie’s life hell once I have her settled in her new role as my wife.
“Put four million into fixed-term accounts and the other million in a high-yield savings account. You’ll still earn interest, but you can access it whenever you want.”
She seems relieved that I’ve solved her problem, and it creates a new monster inside me, one that wants to take care of everything for her.
While she makes the transfers and double-checks everything, my eyes devour every inch of her. She’s dried her hair, which now hangs smoothly past her shoulders.
She looks better after eating and sleeping. Not so tired, and her color seems healthy.
Once she’s done, she exhales a deep breath. “Oh my God, that was nerve-racking. I did it right, right?”
I look at her bank balances and nod. “Your money is safe.”
“Good.” Suddenly her chin quivers, and she sucks in a shaky breath as she looks at me. “I have no idea what this is going to cost me, but thank you, Adriano. You have no idea what this means to me.”
I do. That’s why I did it, but I doubt she’ll feel so thankful when we’re at the church and she has no choice but to say her vows.
Her gaze lowers to the envelope in my hand. “Is that the contract?”
“Yes.” I hand it to her. “Read it so we can sign and make things official.”
When she opens the envelope and pulls out the thick stack of papers, her eyes widen. “Jesus. This is a lot.”
“Take your time.” I get up and head to the living room where Little Ricky, Marco, and Paulie are sitting.
“The manager said to just call when we need her to come sign as a witness.”
I nod and stop in front of the windows, not really taking in the view.
Most people don’t read contracts properly, and I’m banking everything on that. Salvatore hid the marriage clause deep in the middle of legal jargon. Penalties. Breach of agreement. Financial liability. Repayment stipulations.
All things that will scare Laurie.
I don’t care that it’s manipulative.
Everything is quiet for several minutes, then I hear footsteps. Turning around, I see Laurie reading with a frown on her forehead.
When she looks up and sees the other men, she stops dead in her tracks. Her lips part, and caution creeps into her eyes.
Interesting. Laurie was relaxed when she thought it was just me.
“Do you have questions?” I ask as I move closer to her.
Her attention snaps to me, and she nods. “Can you explain this to me?”
She points at a clause, and I read it before meeting her worried gaze.
“It means if you break the agreement, damage my reputation, or try to walk away before the contract ends, you lose whatever money I’ve paid you.” I keep my tone calm, almost bored, to set her at ease. “It’s to protect my assets and make sure no one can come after my wealth in the future.”
