The security guard noticed her first and stood as though to stop her. The moment he realized she was with Aaron, his demeanor changed. “Good morning, Mr. Rivers.”
“Good morning, Ty.” Aaron dismissed the guard with a nod.
Aaron pushed the up button, and they were soon joined by several other people in the morning rush to their posh offices. Neither spoke as the elevator climbed to the twenty-sixth floor, where he led Christa to an expansive corner office.
The space was professionally decorated, with pictures and sculptures arranged to be both visually pleasing and modernly chic. The large, dark cherry wood desk was strategically placed in the corner, facing the door but not obstructing the impressive view of the city from the floor-to-ceiling windows on each side. Her back was to the door, staring out at the sights, until the angry male voice behind her caught her attention.
“Hold all my calls, Barbara.” His command resembled an irritable growl when he entered the office and all but slammed the door shut behind him.
He cut his gaze to Aaron and sighed heavily without even attempting to disguise his disgust and disapproval. She watched the wordless exchange between the two men, observed as Aaron quickly averted his eyes from the heavy glare of the other man. She had a quick and powerful urge to come to Aaron’s defense and put the other man in his place. The obvious question was why he’d be so disappointed in Aaron in the first place.
“Hello, I don’t believe we’ve met before. I’m Christa.” She extended her hand to offer a handshake.
“Yes, I know who you are, Christa Lanes. I’m Lance Rivers, Aaron’s older brother.” His reply was curt and brash as he blatantly ignored her proffered hand.
She immediately noticed he didn’t say it was nice to meet her, and a sickening feeling about this impromptu, early morning meeting settled into her gut.
Lance’s stare darted between Aaron and Christa, throwing daggers in their direction. “Have a seat.” He motioned at a small conference table close to the window then jerked the chair out for himself.
Aaron took the farthest seat, putting his back to the window. Christa sat directly across from Aaron. Lance sat at the head of the small table and waited for them to settle before he began. He opened the manila folder he’d brought with him and pushed a neatly stacked collection of papers in front of Christa. He then clicked his pen and laid it directly on top of the papers.
“Ms. Lanes, let’s cut to the chase, shall we? My brother, Aaron, is quite impetuous—that means he doesn’t always think through his decisions as thoroughly as he should.” Lance’s tone was extremely condescending.
“Yes, I know what ‘impetuous’ means, Lance. What are you trying to say?” Christa’s hackles were immediately raised, her tone rife with indignation over his assumption she was ignorant.
Lance smiled, but his eyes lacked any humor or warmth. “Everything I need to say is right there in those papers in front of you, Ms. Lanes.”
Christa looked down at the papers, and her world came to a crashing halt. She couldn’t breathe and couldn’t form a coherent thought. The words jumped off the page at her, but in her panicked state, they were in no given order. Her mind raced and her heart throbbed, rendering her unable to comprehend the meaning of the words. Everything was a jumbled mess. But there was one lone word that resonated and reverberated throughout the echoes of her mind.
Divorce.
“I don’t—I don’t understand. Wh-what is this?” Christa demanded of Aaron when she finally found her voice. She searched his face intently, but it was void of any emotion. He deliberately masked his feelings, retreated inside himself, and blocked out the unpleasantness around him.
“It is exactly what it says it is.” Lance spat out his sarcastic response. “Ms. Lanes, you and my brother do not have a real marriage. This fiasco never should’ve happened. We need to rectify this situation as soon as possible. As Aaron’s lawyer, I’ve drawn up these papers to handle the procedures speedily.”
She gripped the armrests of her chair, trying to focus on a single spot while a vortex of blackness threatened to erase her very existence. Her entire world stopped spinning and hung precariously on its axis, of that much she was sure. But the room she sat in was spinning fast enough to draw the air from her lungs, making it harder and harder for her to maintain her composure.
“Aaron. Why?” Desperation gripped her like a heavy vise and spilled over into her voice—forcing the pleading tone that was obvious even to her. She struggled to maintain her dignity and poise over the despair that suffused her. Everything she’d ever wanted in life was within her grasp, and she felt it slipping away, like tiny grains of sand sliding through her fingers. She was powerless to stop it.
“Ms. Lanes, surely you didn’t think your relationship with Aaron was anything more than a passing fling. That’s all Aaron ever has—just a quick fling, a one-night stand, and then he’s through with them,” Lance retorted, disdain dripping from his every word.
Christa heard a low growl emanate from Aaron’s chest, but he didn’t dispute Lance’s mean-spirited words. He also didn’t disagree with Lance’s assessment of their relationship. She knew that was Aaron’s life before her, but they were different. He was different with her. They were a couple now.
“Aaron—tell him that’s not true. Tell him it’s different with us,” Christa pleaded.
Lance continued as if her world wasn’t disintegrating all around her. Like the very person she loved the most wasn’t being ripped from her life. Like her heart wasn’t being cut out of her chest.
“Ms. Lanes, as you can see, Aaron is offering you a very generous settlement. You will be given ten million dollars, a house, and a vehicle of your choice, and you may keep any gifts Aaron has given
