Chapter 14
Fourteen
NICO
Trent meets me exactly ten minutes before I told Regina to be ready.
“The contracts were delivered during the night, and we expect most to be agreed and signed by close of business today.”
“How much?” I ask casually, expecting the usual high number, which is confirmed when he grins.
“Twenty-five million.”
“That’s not bad for an evening’s work.”
I allow a small smile to express my delight and add, “And for charity?”
“Three million dollars.”
I nod. “Acceptable.”
Trent shrugs. “What are my instructions?”
“We have a busy day ahead, Trent. First, we stop at Regina’s apartment before heading to breakfast at La Parisienne.
Then, before shopping at Harry Winston we will attend Bergdorf Goodman, make sure the personal shoppers are lined up.
This evening we must dine at Jean-Georges. Is the contract ready to sign?”
I reference Regina’s one, which is probably the most important deal I negotiated last night, and Trent nods.
“It is waiting on your desk.”
“Good.” I nod toward the elevator. “We won’t be long; give me five minutes, ten at the most. Make sure they are ready.”
“Of course.” He turns and heads to the elevator, and I already know that Alyssia was despatched in the early hours.
Trent uses her like he does a well-worn favorite jacket and never allows her the luxury of waking in his arms. It’s what we do.
Cool and guarded with our emotions. It’s necessary because emotion is a weakness that defeats empires.
Trent is no different from me and takes his role in my organization seriously.
We’ve given up a lot to remain at the top of our game and are aware of the repercussions if we lower our guard even a tiny bit.
“Hi Nico.”
Regina makes her way inside the room with a worried expression, wearing the robe from last night.
“You’re not ready.”
I stifle my irritated sigh because this will hold us back for a few minutes.
“I can’t find my dress and, well, I um, didn’t have any underwear and I can’t wear the dress from last night because it’s yours.”
Fuck. Of course, she has nothing to wear and I shake my head.
“In case it has escaped your attention, this room doesn’t come with a closet stuffed with clothing.
We didn’t pack for the occasion, and you will notice that I am wearing the same clothes as last night too.
The dress will suffice until we reach your apartment, where you can change. ”
“Of course, well, um, wait here. I won’t be long.”
She speeds off back down the hallway and returns after exactly five minutes in the silver creation that she wore extremely well last night.
Her hair is long rather than styled, and her face is scrubbed of makeup, but she has never looked as beautiful as she does now.
Her soft skin is touched with nature’s hand of blush, and her eyes are sparkling as she pretends not to openly stare at me.
I can tell she is fascinated by me. I kind of return the favor, but I am more adept at disguising emotion than she is.
“Before we go, you must sign the contract.”
I jerk my thumb in the direction of the den that comes with penthouses as standard.
The hotel accommodates business and pleasure, and despite the fact I wasn’t expecting to use this space last night, it is always on standby when I attend a function here.
My place is not far away, but it was convenient to remain here last night.
Regina shivers in the doorway, and I nod to the chrome and black leather seat that is set across from the black leather chair that commands an impressive view of New York from the floor to ceiling window.
“Can I get my lawyer to check it over first?”
Her soft voice causes the pen I’m holding to hover in midair.
“Your lawyer?” I raise an eyebrow, and she giggles.
“Actually, I don’t have one, but my neighbor, Mr. Pettigrew, goes to night classes to learn law, and he would love this as a case study.”
“Mr. Petti what?” I shake my head. “Regina, you take matters seriously or not at all, and engaging the help of a hobby lawyer is worse than engaging none at all. He will only hinder rather than help, and if you insist on dragging this out, I must remind you that we simply don’t have time for this.
We leave this evening for the Hamptons.”
“Excuse me.” Her shocked expression reveals that she really didn’t understand the assignment, and I control my irritation and smile.
“The points are summarized at the end if it sets your mind at rest. You will find it extremely straightforward and merely a document to protect your interests as well as my own.”
I thrust the last page at her, and she peers closely at the printed words, her bottom lip tugged into her teeth as she concentrates on the bullet points at the end of the legal jargon.
“It says I must not reveal any details of your life or conversations I hear.”
“It does.”
“I suppose that’s okay. I mean, who would I tell?”
“Your friends perhaps?”
“No.” She shrugs. “Quincy would be more interested in the color of your walls and how many paintings you own. She’s not interested in people unless it goes by the name Aston and drives a yellow cab.”
“Your family?”
“They are in Switzerland for Christmas and prefer not to talk to me about anything.”
“Why not?”
“Because they disapprove of my choices.”
“In what way?”
“In the way I live in New York, for one, in a small condo. My mother wants me to live in Los Angeles with the rest of the family, living the Californian dream and marrying for money, not love. “
She sighs, and as she speaks, I am riveted by the soft delivery of her words. There is no emotion but sadness when she speaks of her family, and I make a mental note to ask Trent to run a full background check on them.
However, we don’t have time for this now, so I increase the urgency in my voice. “Sign the contract, Regina, and we will head back to your apartment. Then we grab breakfast.”
“Oh well, here goes nothing but regret.” She winks and with an impish grin, signs her name with a flourish and faces me with a proud gleam in her eyes. “I practiced this signature for a week, you know. I wanted it to look professional and as if I’m a celebrity.”
“Why?”
I’m mildly curious, and she shrugs. “I told you, I’m an entrepreneur, and branding is a huge part of that. I sign a little thank-you card with all my orders, and it wouldn’t look good if my signature was inferior. Attention to detail counts, Nico and I shouldn’t have to remind you of that.”
She stands before I can pick my jaw up from the floor and says with a confidence I admire, “Come, there is no time to waste. I need coffee, and fast, and quite frankly I’m tempted to grab one in the lobby before we leave. I’m not able to function until I’m at least three macchiatos in.”
She strides to the door with all the confidence of an idiot, completely unaware of what she has just signed.
If she knew, she wouldn’t be so happy because Regina has just signed her life away, and she doesn’t even realize that.
If I had to give her one piece of advice, it would be to always study the small print because deep inside this document is the sentence that seals her fate.
Marriage to me will be on my terms only, and if she breaks the contract, she relinquishes all claims to challenge me in any court.
She will leave with what she came into the marriage with, which currently stands at one purse and one cell phone.
No clothes and an apartment that probably belongs to me, anyway.