David turned to her and grabbed her hand.
“I never lied to you. I meant everything I said last night,” he said fervently. Emily turned back to look at Charles.
“One day, you’ll be a parent,” Charles began calmly. Edward shrugged and covered his face with his hands; a vein bulged out of his neck. “Only then, will you understand.”
Emily placed her hands on her hips again and backed away from David. “What did you do?” she asked Charles in a deathly whisper.
“What I had to… just like you,” Charles shot back. Emily shook her head and stared wide-eyed at David. The color had drained from his face, and while he glanced back in her direction, he was unable to look her in the eye.
“You knew I was looking for investors didn’t you? It was the perfect opportunity.”
David shook his head. “It’s not like that, Emily. What does it matter how we met? I love you.”
Charles clapped his hand on David’s shoulder. “You make each other happy, everyone can see that. Besides, you are not entirely innocent in this, are you, Emily? Did you not pursue David for your own financial agenda? Let’s put the past behind us, shall we?”
Emily opened her mouth, but no sound came out. So, David and his father specifically chose her to be his wife. He’d never come in to find a “real” wife; it had been set up all along. I guess we’re both as bad as each other, she thought.
Was David right? Did it matter? She loved him now—didn’t she?
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and Emily gawped to see two men walk into the room—the investors from dinner.
“What are––”
Charles looked sheepish for the first time.
“Ah, yes. You have met before. Emily, this is Adam and Tyler.”
“I thought––” Emily couldn’t finish her sentence. What did she think? To see the two men in such an unexpected setting had her taken aback. Nothing was making any sense. The mysterious investors were friends with Charles? Is that how he knew about Emily?
“Adam and Tyler are my personal security.”
The words shot through Emily’s chest like a bullet. “I’m sorry, I’m confused. Then who is investing in my business? Matthew said––”
“Matthew is an old friend,” Charles said calmly. A snort at the table alerted Emily that Edward was still there. He lowered his hands and shook his head. A crazed smile on his face.
“Oh it’s all coming out now, the tangled web of lies you’ve woven.” He got to his feet, looking pleased with himself. Like the detective at the end of a murder mystery novel, ready to deliver his theory with absolute accuracy.
“Haven’t you worked it out yet?” he said to Emily. Grinning ear to ear, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He pointed at his father.
“My meddling father and brother hatched a plan to steal my inheritance. Heaven forbid Father has to lose even more control. So, he found you. A high-profile business woman… who just so happens to be from England as well. And is on the lookout for an investment.”
Edward squared his shoulders and stood by the fireplace, his hands clasped together and confident. “Father sends David in to see you. Fancy that, Emily? You need money to build your business, and in walks a billionaire who is on the lookout for a wife.”
Emily frowned.
“Rich bachelors walk into my office every day,” she said. “I didn’t target David.”
“You didn’t?” Charles asked, Emily looked at him wildly. “You mean to tell me that Matthew didn’t conveniently tell you to find a husband?”
Emily gawped at him and looked at David who was staring at his father and the bodyguards. He was a deer in the headlights again. She looked around at all of the men in the room and suddenly felt very small. Realization dawned on her and sank to the pit of her stomach.
“There’s no deal, is there? The investors… Matthew. It was all a ploy to get me to end up with David?” She looked at David who still couldn’t look at her.
“Were you ever going to tell me?” she asked. David lowered his eyes to the floor, his eyes glistening with tears. Look at me. Why won’t you look at me? Emily paced the room now.
“I feel sick.” She stopped walking. “And I want to leave.” Her words brought David back to life. He nodded and turned on the spot to open the door.
“Right, let’s go.”
“But we’re not finished, this isn’t over,” Edward called out. David ignored him as he held Emily’s arm and they both walked out of the room.
Emily and David quietly packed their things and left the house without speaking to anyone––other than a quick goodbye to Grandmother Marks, who was sleeping. The plane ride was uneventful, and Emily sat, reeling from the conversation. There was no deal. The investors were fake. What’s more, David was in on it the whole time. That’s what hurt the most. How could he keep such a big secret from her? What else might he be hiding? How could she know how he felt about her?
“Take me to my apartment,” she demanded of David as they exited the plane and got into the back of the limousine.
“Emily, please talk to me.”
David took her hand, but she pulled away. “I can’t,” she said in a broken voice.
“You need to know, I had no idea about the investors.”
“You’ve never seen your dad’s bodyguards before then? Shouldn’t you have recognized them?”
“No, I’ve never seen them. I mean, I didn’t like them and I did think it was weird my father was outside the restaurant when we were there. But I didn’t––”
“What?” Emily cut in. “He was there… when we were having our meeting?” Emily laughed derisively. “Perfect. So he sat outside laughing his head off, while I was making a fool of myself in front
