Chapter 7
ADRIANA
The office feels different today.
Or maybe it’s just me feeling detached from everything I worked so hard to build because tomorrow, everything in my life changes, and I’ve never felt so uncertain about my future.
I swivel around in my chair and stare out of the floor-to-ceiling windows at the sun rising in the early-morning sky.
Tomorrow, I marry a stranger. And nothing will ever be the same.
I got here at six since I couldn’t sleep. Jesus, am I ever going to be able to sleep again?
But it turned out to be a good thing since my inbox was full, and I want to handle as much business as possible before walking the plank… or rather, the aisle, tomorrow.
I’ve been surprisingly productive, too. I answered forty-three emails, reviewed two contracts, and stress-eaten half a box of granola bars I keep in my bottom drawer for emergencies.
And my looming reality definitely qualifies.
Jayne appears in my doorway at eight with a coffee in one hand and an expression that tells me she’s done biting her tongue. My lips pull tight.
It was only a matter of time before I had to come clean. I mean, she does manage every aspect of my life. And so far, she hasn’t asked any questions. But after the “contract negotiation” the other day with Lochlan, the extended block on my calendar for tomorrow had her raising her eyebrows.
I trust her implicitly, but it helps that she’s also under NDA, like all of my other employees.
“So.” She puts the cup on my desk. “Tomorrow’s the big day.”
“Don’t start.” I take a sip and blow out a breath. Perfect. At least something about today can still make me smile.
“I’m not starting anything. I’m just stating a fact.” She drops into the chair across from me, crossing her legs. “You’re getting married. Tomorrow. To a man you met a week ago. Who happens to be a Molloy.”
“I’m aware of the circumstances, Jayne. I was there.”
“Yes, but have you fully processed it?” She leans forward, her voice dropping. “I set up that meeting, remember? I watched you walk in there like you were about to close a hostile takeover. And now you’re marrying the guy.”
“It’s complicated, like I told you.”
“Everything with you is complicated. And I get it, the circumstances are dicey at best.” She shakes her head.
“But you scheduled a board meeting for today. The day before your wedding. Most brides are getting mani-pedis and freaking out about seating charts. I’m just saying, maybe you need to clear your head and take a breather before tomorrow. ”
“I don’t have time for seating charts. There are twelve people attending this sham. They’ll figure it out.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what is the point?”
She stares at me. Jayne’s been my assistant for eight years. Started as an intern fresh out of college. Now she runs my entire life with terrifying efficiency. She knows me better than most people… when I’m deflecting, when I’m about to spiral.
“The point,” she says, “is that you’re allowed to fall apart a little. This is insane. Even for you.”
“Falling apart isn’t on my agenda.” I lift an eyebrow. “Or did you slot time into my calendar for a little freakout session?”
She grins. “Maybe I should.”
I wrap my hands around the warm coffee cup and stare at the caramel-colored liquid.
“I can’t afford to fall apart. Not now. My father is in a coma.
There are threats to my family. And in approximately twenty-two hours, I’m going to stand in front of a judge and promise to love and honor a man whose father orchestrated this entire disaster. ”
“You know you don’t have to say love and honor. You could just say ‘I do’ and leave it at that.”
“Jayne,” I say with a roll of my eyes.
She shrugs. “I’m just saying. Keep the vows minimal. It’ll be less to feel guilty about later.”
Despite everything, my lips twitch. This is why I need this woman in my life. She has a knack for keeping me sane and centered. She’s also the only person besides Luna who can make me almost smile when I want to scream.
I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth.
Although… if I’m being honest, I did the almost-smile thing with Lochlan the other day, too. And I absolutely wanted to scream.
“The leadership team is expecting me in ten minutes,” I say, refusing to allow Lochlan Molloy any more airtime in my mind. “I need to brief them before the news about the wedding goes public.”
“About that.” Jayne shifts in her seat. “Patrick called this morning. Twice. He wants to discuss a press release.”
My stomach tightens. “No. Way.”
“He thinks getting ahead of the story will—”
“Absolutely not.” I stand up, walk to the window, and lean against it.
A deep sigh shudders my shoulders. The city stretches out below, completely indifferent to my crumbling life.
“A press release links me publicly to the Molloys. Everything I’ve built, the reputation, the credibility, it all goes up in smoke the second my name appears next to theirs. ”
“It might go up in smoke anyway. People talk. Someone’s going to leak it.”
“Then let them leak it. But I’m sure as hell not handing them the match.”
Jayne is quiet for a moment. “What do you want me to tell Patrick?”
“Tell him the press release is off the table. For now. We’ll revisit it after the dust settles.”
“What if the dust never settles?”
I turn to look back at her. “Then I’ll deal with it. The way I deal with everything.”
She nods, knowing better than to push. “Okay. And just so you know, whatever happens tomorrow, you’ve got people in your corner. Don’t forget that.”
I nod because I don’t trust myself to speak.
“Now go.” She stands up and flashes an encouraging smile. “Show them the boss is still the boss.”
The leadership team is assembled around the long mahogany table in the conference room.
It’s quiet enough to hear a pin drop in the room.
Patrick, my CFO, looks concerned, his eyebrows knitted together.
Priya, head of marketing, taps her pen on the wood grain.
Devin, general counsel, doodles in his notebook.
And Sarah, my COO, the one who’s been holding things together while I’ve been at the hospital, stares out the window.
They all look up when I walk in. I can read the questions on their faces. The worry etched into their expressions. The uncertainty in their worried gazes.
“Thank you for coming together on short notice,” I say, taking my seat at the head of the table. “I know there’s been a lot of speculation this week. I wanted to address it directly to avoid any rumors from starting.”
“Is your father—?” Sarah starts.
I grip my pen tight and interrupt her. “As you already know from the news coverage, my father, Francesco DiMicheli, was targeted in an attack at the charity gala I attended the other night. I’ve always kept my family name private in my business dealings for obvious reasons, but now that the cat is out of the bag, I want to give you a status on his condition.
He’s stable but still in a coma. The doctors are cautiously optimistic, but there’s no timeline for recovery. ”
Silence falls over the room again, hovering like a dark cloud.
“In his absence,” I continue when nobody speaks, “I need to manage certain family obligations along with my responsibilities here. That’s going to continue for the foreseeable future.”
Patrick leans forward and looks around the table before he focuses his attention on me. “Adriana, we’ve also heard rumors in the news. About a wedding. Is there something we should know?”
I grit my teeth. Of course they have. Nothing stays secret in this world for long. It’s bad enough I was just outed as Francesco DiMicheli’s daughter.
“I’m getting married tomorrow.”
The words land like a grenade with the pin pulled out. Priya’s pen stops tapping. Devin’s head snaps up. Sarah’s eyes widen.
“So it’s true,” Sarah says.
“Yes. To Lochlan Molloy.”
More silence. And it’s heavier this time.
“The Molloys,” Devin says carefully. “As in—”
“Yes. That family.” I keep my voice steady. Confident. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few months. Privately. I’m sure you can understand why I kept it quiet, given my family’s business interests as well as his.”
The lie tastes like vinegar on my tongue.
But it’s the lie I have to sell. Even though my board is also under NDAs, I can’t tell them the truth.
Jayne is so entrenched in my life that I can’t very well keep my secret from her.
But everyone else? To have them hear that I’ve been forced into a marriage of convenience?
At forty years old? To the son of a notorious mobster?
It would undermine everything I’ve done to solidify myself as a power player in a legitimate business.
I can’t even imagine the hit our stock would take if that got out.
So I embellish and give more validity to this fake relationship than it actually deserves.
No, this is the only way. A little white lie to preserve all of our livelihoods.
Patrick clears his throat. “This seems kind of… sudden. The timing, I mean. With your father—”
“The timing isn’t ideal. But after what happened at the gala, we didn’t want to wait.” I fold my hands on the table, trying to look like the picture of calm when my insides are in a complete frenzy. “Life is short. We’ve all been reminded of that.”
They exchange glances. I can see the skepticism. The questions they’re too polite to ask. Let them wonder. As long as they don’t know the truth.
“Nothing about this company will change,” I say. “I’m still the CEO. I’m still running things. My personal life won’t affect our operations. You have my word on that.”
“But your bandwidth—” Patrick starts.
“My bandwidth is my concern. I’ve managed worse.” I haven’t, but they don’t need to know that. “Sarah will continue as COO with expanded authority. Priya will handle day-to-day operations. Devin, I need you on standby for any legal complications that arise.”
“What kind of complications?” Dev asks.
I lift an eyebrow at him. “I don’t know yet. That’s why I need you on standby.”