The Billionaire's Contract Bride by Carol Marinelli

Author:Carol Marinelli [Marinelli, Carol]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, General, Arranged Marriage, Extortion, Billionaires, Australia
ISBN: 9780373123728
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2003-01-01T16:00:00+00:00

‘The next time?’

Aiden looked up at the question in her voice. ‘He was engaged a couple of years ago, to this sweet young thing—or so we all thought. Two weeks before the wedding Louise went and got herself some hot-shot solicitor to draw up the most complicated prenuptial agreement, figuring that Zavier wouldn’t back out of the wedding at that late stage.’

‘And did he?’

‘Yep.’ Aiden gave a wry grin. ‘The one thing she didn’t bank on when she worked out her plan was Zavier’s exacting standards. The day he realised it was more about money than love he dropped her—and there was nothing dignified about Louise’s exit, let me tell you. Even as we speak there’s a court action against him for breach of contract and emotional trauma. But this isn’t about money,’ Aiden insisted again through gritted teeth. ‘You can deny it all you like, Tab, but this isn’t about money. You know it and so do I.’

She did know it, yet was too terrified to admit it—even to herself. ‘He thinks the gambling debt is mine.’ Watching his uncomprehending face, Tabitha took a breath before venturing further. ‘I tried to tell him the truth but he just refused to hear it. Please, Aiden, don’t tell him otherwise.’

‘He’ll find out anyway,’ Aiden was shouting again. Tabitha put her hands over her ears but he carried on relentlessly. ‘Hell, he probably already knows. He’s using you, Tabitha. You can’t win this one.’ He quietened then, his voice softening when he saw her pain, saw the tears coursing down her cheeks. ‘It’s not too late to say no. Your surname’s not in the paper. Zavier can shoot the rumours down in five minutes flat—he’s done it for me before…He’ll demand a retraction and it will all be forgotten. You won’t need to go through this ridiculous charade.’

Which was what terrified her the most.

Tabitha closed her eyes. ‘Please don’t hate me, Aiden. I couldn’t bear it.’

‘I don’t hate you, Tabitha, I’m just scared for you—for me too, come to that.’

‘What have you got to be afraid of?’

‘You’re my best friend, Tabitha, and he’s my brother. I don’t want to lose either of you, and when it all goes bad—as it surely will—I don’t want to have to choose.’

There was so much finality in his voice, such a jaundiced air of inevitability, that the gnawing sense of foreboding she had awoken with multiplied with alarming speed and a surge of panic swelled within her.

‘It won’t come to that.’ Her voice wavered and there was nothing assured about her response.

‘I hope not.’

‘Will you give me away?’

‘You’re going to go through with it, then?’

‘If I do go through with it,’ Tabitha corrected, ‘will you give me away?’

Aiden let out a low whistle. ‘You’re pushing it, you know?’

‘Please, Aiden. I’ll be nervous enough; at least I won’t have to lie to you, pretending to be the blushing bride and all that. You know it’s just a business deal.’

‘But is it?’

She nodded, slowly at first and then more certainly.

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