Merina followed Conner into his wing of the mansion. “You’ve made yourself comfortable here.” He’d redecorated it from when she’d last been there. That didn’t surprise her. “If I had to live here, it’s better without the past haunting me. We’ll talk about that later. We have more pressing matters to discuss.” Merina’s initial impression of Conner’s words was that he clung to them like a dog with a bone. “What do we have to discuss?” Merina settled into a comfortable chair in the sitting room they were in after he’d shown her most of his living space. She directed his attention to the sofa across the way. He perched on the arm of that sofa. “I don’t want our personal business explained in huge detail to everyone and his uncle. With that said, I do want everyone to know that we’re married, and we won’t divorce anytime soon. There’s a party coming up tomorrow night and we’ll attend it.” “Oh? We’re attending a party, fine. Who wi

Merina didn’t get naked. She already felt imprisoned. Her feeling became a reality when Merina found herself locked in Conner’s wing of the O’Keefe mansion. Merina felt like someone had thrown ice water over her when she realized Conner’s words were true. He didn’t trust her, and he had taken her freedom from her until she played this game by his rules. Did she want to play by his rules? Would it help her? He claimed she’d be happier, but did he say that to loll her into doing what he wanted? Did the unspoken advantages exceed her expectations? Her mind went over everything on repeat. She should hate him after all the years their families had acted as adversaries in everything. Without that, he shouldn’t have desired to keep her in this manner. Conner should’ve had her arrested and got rid of her. He appeared to pity her. Conner wanted to change her. But could she change? That train of thought brought her to his words about her being like his mother

“I came into the office a few times early and late. Because I wanted to catch you doing something wrong. You weren’t there, and I didn’t make my presence known. Gabriella was in the office. How she got the passwords? I’m not sure, but she used your computer to access our computers. I’m assuming she did that to find out what I wasn’t telling her. Why? I’ll assume to give information to her father, or the uncle. Whoever he is, who’s pretending to be her father. It’s so strange. But my father has the evidence now, and he’s passed it on to the authorities. We’ll pretend we don’t know and when the authorities process the information. They’ll have to answer for a lot. Well, you know how this goes better than me, don’t you? Why didn’t you tell me what your specialty was? We could have involved fewer people. If only you were honest, things would’ve changed. This could have ended earlier if Gabriella didn’t have access to me or the company’s information. Conner shared with his wife

Joyce ushered them in and left Jonathon greeting the other guests. “Don’t worry about anything. Lily, I must handle something outside, and it will consume most of the night. Could you handle the caterer in the kitchens? The fool overreacts once more. Joyce said to another staff member before she scurried off. She turned to Merina. “He excelled in his profession, yet he possessed the artistic temperament to match.” “Now, Conner pulled the overbearing laird thing on you too? What excuse did he sucker you into marriage with? Jonathon used the excuse. You’re pregnant with my heir and no one in my family is born on the wrong side of the blanket.” This admission left Merina blinking in surprise. This was unexpected. “So, you have a child?” “Our daughter was born four months after we married.” “Ah, well, if I didn’t marry him. My father would stay in jail, and I’d join him.” “That sounds like one of ‘the guys.’ I swear i

Merina found her phone by the bedside with a note. (We’ll talk about your work at 10 am. Be ready. Your clothes are in the right closet. Con) She charged her phone. When the screen lit, the notifications flooded the tiny screen. Most were from Ana. Others surprised her. They came from Andre. He never left messages. Because Merina didn’t respond. She hoped he’d forget her number. What did she do now? She skipped his messages, but Merina listened to one by accident. (Merina, please call me when you receive this. Be careful speaking in public. I’ve tried to shut down the rumors. Everyone believes they’re facts. They’re claiming you need a psychiatrist. You blackmailed Conner into marriage. I suspect it’s Lillian, Gabriella, or both who started them. Gabriella’s name appears in a rumor, claiming you forced Conner to break off their engagement. I’ll have my lawyer deal with them. If Lillian thinks this will work, she’s