The Billionaire's Scandalous Marriage by Emma Darcy

Author:Emma Darcy [Darcy, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ePub Bud (www.epubbud.com)
Published: 2011-06-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Damien had been concerned that his announcement might aggravate Lloyd Ramsey’s heart condition, but there was no catching of his breath, no change in the normal florid complexion, which he had regained in the past two days. The bright blue eyes were very sharp as he assessed the situation.

“You want to marry Charlotte,” he said as though tasting the words for his liking.

“Yes, I do,” Damien affirmed.

The beetling grey eyebrows lifted quizzically. “Does she know?”

Damien nodded. “Charlotte accompanied me here. She’s waiting for me to come out with your approval.”

That startled him. “Damned quick work! She only tossed Freedman this morning.”

“Freedman was a distraction from the main event.”

Lloyd’s mouth quirked in amusement. “Namely you?”

“That’s my belief and I’m acting on it.”

“Sure of yourself?”

Damien met the laser eyes with unflinching conviction. “Very sure.”

The emphatic reply evoked a more thoughtful mood.

“I was with Kate, too. First night we met,” Lloyd said slowly, then cut to the problem in his mind. “But she wasn’t committed to marrying someone else.”

Damien was determined to ignore what was already over and focus on the immediate future. “There’s no need to cancel the wedding. The plans have been made. We’ll use them.”

Lloyd chewed that arrangement over for several seconds while Damien’s nerves tightened into fighting mode. Charlotte’s father might very well baulk at how fast this marriage was being driven to the altar, yet speed was of the essence.

Charlotte was on a roller-coaster with him right now and he didn’t want to risk a long pause for second thoughts.

An ironic little smile tilted Lloyd’s mouth and an appreciative twinkle warmed his eyes. “Well, I don’t mind a son-in-law who’s prepared to save me money,” he drawled.

“Speaking of which,” Damien swiftly slid in. “If you’d instruct your lawyer to draw up a prenuptial agreement, detailing that I waive any claim to Charlotte’s personal fortune, I’ll sign it as soon as it’s ready.”

“What about your own fortune, Damien?” was the equally swift counter.

“I’ll gamble the marriage will last.”

“That sure of it?”

“Faith is a powerful tool. I’m not about to undermine it. Not when Charlotte needs to trust.”

“Smart man.” Lloyd nodded approval. “Though you are taking one hell of a risk.

If you don’t perform as Charlotte thinks a husband should, she might very well take you to the cleaners.”

“Then I’ll pay the price for being a poor judge of character.”

Again there was another nerve-chewing pause while Lloyd weighed Damien’s stated position. Finally he said, “Before I start formulating a Press Release to cover this extraordinary turn of events, send my daughter in. I want to hear what Charlotte has to say about this marriage.”

“Of course,” Damien agreed, maintaining an air of unshakeable confidence. “Thank you.”

He left Lloyd Ramsey’s VIP hospital suite, knowing this was the sticking point if he was to win the wife he wanted. If Charlotte wavered on their agreement in front of her father, the house of cards he’d built could come crashing down. The wedding machine had to be driven forward to its natural end—a legally binding marriage, and everything it entailed respected by both of them.

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