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Chapter 130
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MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 131
“Why not?”His easy, interested tone jarred with the fingers he continued to run up and down her arm, and with that sleepy, knowing gaze.I’m a career woman, Ariston.’You can be a married career woman, Lucette . This is the twenty-first century, after all.’‘Oh? And how would that work, exactly? You live in central Greece—the middle of nowhere. How am I supposed to work from there?’For a second, she thought she saw a gleam of something like triumph in his eyes, but then it sparked out and he gave a negligent shrug of his shoulders. You could commute. The flight from Athens to Paris is only a few hours.‘Commute? Are you serious?’We could work something out, Lucette , if that’s all that’s stopping you.’There was a note of challenge in his voice, and she realized then what he was doing. Ariston Linard was a powerful and persuasive man. He was CEO of Linard Enterprises, a company that had started with a few olive groves and a cold press and was now a multibillion dollar company—a ma
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 132
‘But you didn’t at the beginning, when we met. You weren’t interested then.’ She’d felt his innate sense of distance and caution, the same as her own. She’d thought they had been speaking the same language, giving the code words for no commitment, no love, no fairytales.People change, Lucette . I’m thirty-two. You’re twenty-nine. Of course I’d think of settling down and starting a family.’Something clanged hard inside her; she felt as if someone had pulled the chair out from under her and she’d fallen right onto the floor."Well, then, that’s where we differ, Ariston ," she stated, her voice thankfully cool. ‘I don’t want children.’His eyebrows drew together at that. ‘Ever?’‘Ever.’He stared at her for a long, considering moment. "You’re scared.""Stop telling me what I feel," she snapped, raising her voice to hide its tremble. And get over yourself. I’m not scared. I just don’t want what you want. I don’t want to marry you.’ She took a breath, and then plunged on recklessly. ‘I d
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 133
Ariston strode From Lucette ’s apartment, his body was still shuddering from their lovemaking—but no, he couldn’t call it that. Never that.With one abrupt movement, he lobbed the little velvet box into the nearest bin. A foolish waste, perhaps, but he couldn’t bear to look at that wretched ring for another moment. He couldn’t stand the thought of it even being in his pocket.He drew a deep breath and raked a hand through his hair, willing back the emotion that had nearly overwhelmed him in Lucette ’s apartment. All of it. She was out of his life. He need never think of her again.He reminded himself that it wasn’t as if he’d loved her. Lucette had been right about that. He'd liked her, yes, and they’d certainly shared an explosive sexual chemistry. She’d seemed the obvious choice when he’d decided it was time he married.Six months ago, just after their mother’s death, his brother Antonios had resigned as CEO of Linard Enterprises, and Ariston had taken his place. It was what Aris
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 134
Taking a deep breath, she fumbled in her bag for the test and then locked herself in one of the stalls. She read the directions through twice, needing to be thorough, to focus on the details rather than the big picture that had been emerging ever since Juliet had made her suggestion.Then she took the test and waited the requisite three minutes, staring at the face of her watch the whole time. As the second hand ticked to twelve for the third time, she turned the test over—and stared down at two blazing pink lines.PositiveShe was pregnant with Ariston ’s baby.For a moment, she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even see. She doubled over as the world swam and darkened all around her. Then she took a few shallow breaths and straightened. She wrapped the test in a paper towel and shoved it deep in the bin; she washed her hands and retouched her make-up. She has not thought about this yet. She couldn’t.She went back to her office, ignoring a curious look from Juliet, and sat
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 135
"Yes, I suppose... In any case, our relationship is finished. completely.’ Lucette lowered her gaze to her glass of water.‘It didn’t end well.’"If you’re thinking of keeping the baby, he should still know," Juliet pointed out.Lucette couldn’t keep herself from wincing. How on earth could she tell Ariston now? Considering what she’d said to him the last time they’d been together, he might not even believe the baby was his."I can’t think about all this just yet," she said. It’s too much. I have time.’"If you’re not going to keep it," Juliet replied warningly, "the sooner you decide, the better. For your own sake.’'Yes'...She reasoned that termination might appear to be the obvious solution.And yet the most fundamental part of herself resisted the possibility, shrank away from it in horror.She hadn’t expected that. She hadn’t expected pregnancy to awaken anything in her but dread and fear. And yet she couldn’t deny the faint stirrings of hope, as ephemeral as a will-o’-the-wisp
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 136
Someone’s here to see you sir.’Ariston glanced up from his laptop at his assistant Chantel, who stood in the doorway of his office on the Linard estate. He’d been going over some figures for a new deal with a large North American restaurant chain, and it took a few seconds for Chantel’s words to penetrate.‘Someone? Who is it, Chantel?’‘A woman. She wouldn’t give her name, but she said it was urgent.’Ariston frowned. His office was on the family compound in central Greece—the middle of nowhere, as Lucette had so acerbically reminded him. He didn’t get any unexpected visitors to his office here, ever.Well, why on earth wouldn’t she give her name?’ He asked as he pushed back from his chair.I don’t know. But she’s well-dressed and well-spoken. I thought perhaps ’Chantel trailed off, blushing, and Ariston took her meaning. She’d thought this woman might be one of his lovers. Only he hadn’t taken a lover in months—not since he’d last seen Lucette .And he very much doubted Lucett
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 137
She winced at that. ‘Clearly you don’t have a very high opinion of me.’‘And you think I should?’‘No.’ She let out a little defeated sigh. ‘No, I don’t.’So why didn’t you do either of those things, Lucette ?’It was the first time he’d said her name since he’d seen her again, and it caused him a sudden, surprising flash of pain. He clenched his hands into fists, then deliberately flattened them out, resting them again on his desk.She replied with a bit of her old spirit, "Because I am not, no matter what you think, completely without morals." ‘I want my child, and I want my child to know its father.’ She took a deep breath. And more than that, I want my child to have a loving, stable home. A home where it knows it’s safe, where its parents are loving and protecting it. always. "Her dark brown eyes seemed to glow with an inner fire, an utter conviction.'And how do you think that will work,' Ariston asked after a brief pause?"That’s the other thing I want," Lucette said, still h
MARRYING MY BEST FRIEND'S FIANCEE Chapter 138
Lucette risked a look up, wondering if he’d taken her meaning. Ariston was silent.He asked, his voice toneless, ‘that you are giving me permission to violate my marriage vows?’"It would be a marriage of convenience.""But still a marriage."I’m trying to make this more amenable to you.To sweeten the deal? He cut across her, his voice hard. ‘It still tastes rancid to me.’"Please, Ariston ..." She swallowed, hating the fact that she had to beg.Maybe he was right. Perhaps she should go back to Paris and raise the baby on her own. Ariston could be the sort of weekend father he claimed he didn’t want to be. Plenty of couples have done it—why not them?Because she was afraid of going it alone. because she wanted more for her child. She'd had so much more."You ask so nicely," Ariston said, his eyes glittering now.He was furious with her, even after so many months apart. She wondered if his anger could ever be appeased. Perhaps if she told him the truth...if only he would believe it
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