9. Michaela #2
I don’t have to see Phoenix’s feet to know they must be as good looking as the rest of him.
“Okay, that’s hilarious,” Keira says.
“Beggars can’t be choosers.”
“That is true. I guess your dad did right by you. Phoenix Konig is Prince Charming compared to your unappealing description.”
“Even though there won’t be anything hot and heavy going on between us, Phoenix is easy on the eye.” And from the flutter of excitement between my legs, I have no doubt he would be easy on the pussy. I’ll never know.
“A sexless arranged marriage with a dreamy billionaire for a year in exchange for two hundred million dollars that will save your family’s hotel, which will revert back to your ownership once you sign the divorce papers.” Keira sums up my preposterous life.
“This isn’t the picture-perfect wedding I envisioned for my first time walking down the aisle.”
“How many people walk down the aisle for the wrong reasons?”
“Good point.”
“At least you know three hundred sixty-five days from your big day, your husband won’t try to screw you over. How many women get shortchanged during their divorce? You’re walking into this with your eyes wide open and a nice little contract tucked neatly under your arm like a boss lady.”
I’m tempted to laugh, but I’m reminded of my precarious situation.
“Speaking of which, I need a California lawyer,” I say.
“Rhys can hook you up.”
“Daddy asked me not to spend any money on the corporate business card because we’re maxed.
Since working with Thana, aka returning to the toxic environment I fled, was out of the question and I hadn’t gotten around to calling the art buyer I was working for—” This is so embarrassing.
“I have no idea how I’m going to pay for the legal fees, Keira. ”
“I’ll talk to my boyfriend. We’ll figure something out.”
I nod. “Thank you.”
My ringtone––a high octave pop Top 100 song––jars me out of a deep sleep.
Grumbling, I open one eye.
I’m surrounded by darkness.
My gaze lands on the clock on the nightstand.
Four a.m.?
I should’ve turned my phone off.
I curse and pull the sheet over my head, intent on ignoring whoever dared to wake me up before the roosters.
I will myself to fall back asleep when my phone rings.
Again?
Fuck.
Stop calling. I’m sleeping.
My phone rings a third time, causing me to grunt like a bear ready to attack.
This is a losing battle.
Who needs to talk to me this badly in the middle of the night?
With my face still squished into the pillow, I tap around on the nightstand until my fingers grip my phone. I bring the device right up to my face.
It’s a struggle to open both eyes. When I do, I narrow them on the screen.
I flinch.
I flip over, sit up straight in bed, and answer the call. “Daddy,” I say in a groggy voice.
Heavy breathing echoes on the other end.
I pull the phone away from my ear to make sure it’s my father calling.
“Daddy? Are you still there?”
“I am,” he says. “This is the worst day of my life, ladybug.”
My heart leaps into my throat.
“What’s going on? Are you crying?”
“I am,” he says.
“Why are you crying?”
“It’s gone.”
“What’s gone?”
“It’s been burned to the ground.”
“The hotel is on fire?”
“No. The house.”
Sheer panic washes over me. “Our house?”
“Yes.”
I refuse to believe him. “Our house is on fire?” By wording it differently, I’m praying I’ll get a different answer.
“Yes.”
Oh my God. “But you’re safe?”
“I wasn’t inside the house.”
Thank God.
“I was at the hotel. We were short staffed at the welcome desk.”
“Where are you now?”
“I’m at Uncle Ian’s. The police were at the house, so were the firefighters. They’ve extinguished the fire, but it’s going to take some time for investigation. It’s been a long night.”
This cannot be happening. This has to be a nightmare.
“We have nothing left, Michaela,” Daddy says. “The house is gone. Everything inside it. Gone. Incinerated. Your car in the garage is burnt to a crisp. The houses flanking ours are also gone.”
I’m surprised I can hear him over the erratic beating of my heart. “Are the neighbors okay?”
“By a miracle of God, no one was home. One family was cheering on their oldest son at a basketball game—the three other siblings were with them. The other family was at a school play.”
“Thank God.”
“People in the neighborhood said it was like an explosion went off.”
I’m in so much shock, words fail me.
“I should’ve listened to your uncle,” Daddy says.
“Why do you say that?”
“Ian told me not to let Thana near the house after I served her with the divorce papers. He told me I needed to pack her stuff and ship her shit to her lover’s house. I didn’t listen. I should’ve.”
I’m dumbfounded. “Do you think she’d do this?”
“I didn’t think she’d cheat on me, and I never expected her to steal me blind.”
“Daddy, arson is a serious accusation.”
“She threatened me this morning and again via a storm of nasty text messages after the police escorted her out of the hotel.”
Dread washes over me. “You never mentioned this.”
“People say shit when they’re angry. God knows I didn’t mince my words.”
“She actually said she was going to burn down the house?”
“She said she was going to make sure I had nothing left. She was going to strip me of all my possessions, one by one.”
I’m shaking like a leaf. “Oh my God. What about the hotel?”
“Thana is in custody.”
“The police arrested her? Already?”
“Yes,” Daddy says. “The text messages were sufficient for probable cause.”
“What a bitch.” The C word is burning my tongue, but I refrain.
“I never saw her for who she was,” my father says.
“Don’t even go there, Daddy. Thana is a mental case and quite astute at duping people. She’s a con artist, through and through. You weren’t equipped to see it coming. No one was.”
“I hear you, but I’m still angry at myself. And I’m devastated. We lost our photo albums. All the memories with Mom… Gone.” My father’s voice breaks.
My heart weeps. “Let me get on the first flight out of here and I’ll be in New York as soon as I can––”
“You can’t come back, Michaela.” His answer comes as a surprise.
“What are you talking about, Daddy? I have to come back.”
“There’s nothing you can do––”
“But I can be there for you––”
“Listen to me. You have one thing left of value. I know I said it yesterday when I fessed up, but now, it’s truer than ever.”
I swallow.
“You need to stay in Los Angeles and see this deal through with Phoenix. This merger-marriage is everything. Everything . Make it happen. Ian will help me with the house, the investigation, and the hotel. Your job is to marry Phoenix. That should be your one and only focus.” My father’s words are so cold and calculated.
“But—”
“No buts. Do you hear me?”
Who is this man?
I bite my lip as tears burn my eyes.
“Do you hear me, Michaela?”
“I––I do.”
“Good. I’m going to let you go so you can get some sleep. You need to get up in a few hours and lock this deal down.” He pauses. “I might sound like an intransigent monster… desperation will do that to a man.”
With that, he hangs up.
In the dark, my body shakes as I clench my phone against my heart.
Yesterday, I knew who I was.
Today, I’ve lost my compass. Everything that characterized me is gone—the hotel, our home, everything I possess, money… and possibly my dignity. Even my father isn’t the same man.
I thought I was strong enough to handle this, but now, I’m not so sure.
I toss my phone on the bed, pull my legs to my body, and drop my forehead to my knees. I let the tears stream down my face as I mourn the loss of my independence.
Saving the hotel is one thing, but now, it’s like indentured servitude.
Phoenix Konig owns me.
I’m his payment on my father’s debt.
How did my life come to this?