36. Kent
Chapter Thirty-Six
KENT
I can’t believe Liz’s brother’s here. And more than that, I can’t believe that she told him. I know it had to be done. She had no other choice at the moment. Still, I don’t know the guy, and I don’t totally trust him. Then again, Dahlia seems to know him and thinks he’s a good guy.
He’s certainly protective over Liz. And I can’t fault him for that. But if he truly wants to protect his sister, he’ll keep his mouth shut. Especially today. Especially since my father will be here soon.
Dahlia’s been keeping Leo occupied all morning.
That hasn’t stopped him from keeping a close eye on me.
Every time I reach for Liz’s hand or waist, he gives me this look like—keep your hands off my sister, you wanker!
All I want to do is sneak away to the bedroom with Liz so I can hold her, kiss her, touch her, and make her scream my name again and again and again.
But I may just need to wait until later.
By the time I get used to having an overbearing man intruding on my space, another one enters.
Dad arrives promptly for Christmas dinner at five o’clock, and he’s brought with him a sack of gifts.
He fancies himself Father Christmas. And he’s not far off—absent most of the year and only brings gifts when you’re a good boy.
“Happy Christmas, everyone,” Dad’s voice booms as he enters the main room. The family greets him, and Dahlia takes his red bag and distributes the gifts. Each one in small, nicely wrapped packages—likely expensive Swiss watches for the guys and gold jewelry for the ladies.
“There isn’t one for Kent,” she says, digging through the empty sack.
“That’s because I have something special for him,” Dad says, lips curling up into a knowing smile.
“For me?” I ask, and my gut clenches. Uh-oh. I know that feeling.
“Yes, son, why don’t we go have a chat.” Dad pats my back, turning me away from the rest of the family, and leads me toward the back terrace.
We step outside in the winter chill, and I stuff my hands in my pockets.
Dad pulls out a brown cigar from inside his jacket pocket and lights it up, puffing smoke a couple of times.
“So what’s this about?” I ask, curious.
He takes in a drag, and thick smoke billows out of his mouth. “Kent, my boy, this Christmas, I’m going to give you the greatest gift of your life.”
A jolt of excitement rises in my core. “Which is?”
“Bonnaire Capital. Exactly what you’ve always wanted,” he says.
“Really?” I grin, grateful that everything’s coming together just as I knew it would.
“Yes, I’m prepared to give the board my full confidence for your promotion. By January 1st, you’ll be the new President. And one day, you’ll earn your spot at the very top as Chairman and CEO of Bonnaire Enterprises.”
I can’t believe it. It worked. Bonnaire Capital is mine. And all of Bonnaire Enterprises is next. “Dad, I don’t know what to say. Thank you. This means the world to me.”
“I know, son. But this is not a gift I give freely,” he says.
All the relief drains from my body and is replaced with dread straight away. Not giving it freely? What’s the catch? My heart begins to pound in my chest. “What do you mean?”
He pulls an envelope out of his jacket pocket and hands it to me. “I’m going to need you to get your fiancée to sign this prenuptial agreement first.”
“Prenuptial agreement?”
“Yes, it’s standard for the most part.” Something tells me this whole thing isn’t as standard as he’s letting on.
Sure, we’re Bonnaires. Prenups are a must. But I’m not sure it’s appropriate so soon after the engagement and at Christmas dinner of all places.
He continues, “If your engagement is legitimate, and she’s truly marrying you for the right reasons, then she shouldn’t have any issue signing it.
And the sooner, the better. I don’t wish to keep the board waiting. ”
I shake my head. “Wait, so your endorsement is predicated on Liz signing this?”
“Yes, it is,” he says firmly, and it’s like I can feel walls closing around me. A prison. And he’s holding the key.
I swallow hard and look out at the garden. By now, much of the snow has melted, and Mr. & Mrs. Winteraire seem to be dying of heat stroke. “Liz is a smart girl. I’m sure she’ll want her lawyer to look it over first.”
Dad plucks his cigar from his lips and smudges it into the railing. “And you’re a smart boy. This isn’t a negotiation. If you want Bonnaire Capital, get her to sign that by the end of the day tomorrow.” He pats me on the back. “I know you’ll do the right thing.”
Dad leaves me out in the cold and returns inside.
I open up the documents and begin scanning the legalese.
It essentially says that if the marriage is shorter than five years, then she gets nothing.
After that, there’s a sliding scale. I doubt Kate’s prenup was this stringent.
But then I shake my head. With these terms in black and white, this whole thing feels real.
But it’s not. We’re not getting married.
It doesn’t matter if she signs this or not.
We just need to keep making a good show for a little longer.
Once I’m named President, none of this will matter.
The thought, while true, leaves me a little hollow again. Then I think of the stern look in my father’s eyes. Unfortunately for me, he means business. And I have to get her to sign this. Liz and I may have crossed the line, but we both know it’s business.
I take a breath, clutch the prenup in my hands, and walk inside to find Liz sitting with her brother and Dahlia. I clear my throat as I approach her. “Darling?”
“Yes.”
“May I speak with you for a moment?”
Liz gives me a funny look, then glances at her brother, who then gives me a stony stare, and finally looks back at me. “Sure.”
We find a quiet place in the library, and I shut the door behind us. Of course, the first moment, we’re alone nearly all day, and I have to confront her with this instead of a little snog.
“Is everything okay?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I say, feeling a little shaken after the talk with my dad. “Look, I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to cut to the chase. My father’s requested that you sign a prenup. By tomorrow.” I offer her the envelope.
Liz folds her arms and steps back, giving the envelope a dismissive look. “Tomorrow? What’s with the deadline?”
I shrug. “Well, I get the sense he still doesn’t completely believe in our union.”
“Hmm, I wonder why,” she says sarcastically.
“Well, here’s the punchline. If you don’t sign this, he won’t recommend me to the board, and this whole thing is for nothing.”
Liz looks taken aback. “For nothing, huh?”
“N-no,” I stutter, realizing how it sounds, “You know what I mean, Liz. There’s a purpose to this charade. For me and for you.”
“So if I sign this, you get your job, and you give me what you promised. Just like that. It’s done.” She snaps her fingers.
“Yes, yes!” The woman gets it. I let out a breath as my shoulders relax a little. “Thank you for understanding.”
“Of course, I understand. But I’m not sure I’m comfortable signing a legally binding document without legal representation.”
“I looked it over. There’s nothing in here that can affect you if we don’t get married. And we’re not getting married, so . . .”
“So?”
“So, can you just sign it?” I understand her hesitation but we’re so close. Her signature won’t affect her but it will affect me. We’ve come this far. What’s one little signature on a completely pointless prenup?
Liz chews at her bottom lip. “Okay, let’s say I sign it. What happens then?”
“Then, the board will vote me in as head of Bonnaire Capital, you’ll get your money, and then sometime next month, when you’re ready, we can stage our breakup. SOLIDS will be on solid ground, and you’ll be free to move forward however you want.”
Liz sucks in a deep breath like she’s taking this all in.
After a moment, she exhales a heavy sigh.
“This was supposed to be simple. Now, your whole family, which includes two of my good friends, thinks we’re getting married.
Thinks we’re in love. We’re just going to undo that like none of this matters? ”
My shoulders fall. I don’t know what to say without sounding heartless.
“Signing this prenup doesn’t change anything.
I understand how you feel. I’ve been lying to my brothers, to Dahlia.
It’s not easy for me either. And I promise that I’ll handle the breakup with grace so that it doesn’t come back on you. I’ll let them down easy.”
Her eyes are full of sorrow. “I just wish we didn’t have to let them down at all.” There’s a part of me that wants to marry her just to avoid seeing that look on her face. She drops her gaze to the ring on her finger. “Okay, I’ll sign it.”
“You will?”
“Yeah, like you said, this can’t all be for nothing.”
I reach for her face and kiss her like she’s the greatest woman in the world.
Because she is. It’s going to be a very happy Christmas after all.
But she doesn’t kiss me back with the same enthusiasm.
It’s as if her lips have grown tired of mine.
She may not see it now but when she’s back at home with her business intact, she’ll be glad we did this.
All of it.