CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Leonard was reviewing a contract at his desk in his home office when the door opened, and his wife walked in looking far too cheerful for someone who had spent the last week stressed and irritated over Nova.
Seeing her practically glowing for the first time in days, Leonard slowly leaned back in his chair, setting the contract aside as he watched her cross the room with an unusual lightness in her step before lowering herself into the wingback chair across from his desk.
Leonard quirked one of his eyebrows. “I’m afraid to ask what has you skipping around smiling?”
Erica giggled, ignoring his sarcasm. “I just spoke with CeCe, and she told me that Rick’s campaign has seen a jump in their early polling numbers since that little tidbit leaked about Rick and Nova’s impending engagement announcement.”
Leonard’s eyebrows lifted. That was great news, though expected.
“Of course they have,” Leonard said, a satisfied smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he leaned back in his chair. “People love the image of two successful families coming together. Rick and Nova are exactly the kind of story the public eats up.”
“Have you spoken with her yet?” Erica asked. Her voice took on a more cautious tone.
Leonard’s jaw tightened slightly. “No. My calls have gone straight to voicemail. And my texts have gone unread.”
He hated being ignored, especially by his own daughter.
Nova had always been stubborn, but lately she had crossed the line from independent to outright defiant. Walking away from Rick. Then ignoring her family and refusing to answer calls was childish and reckless, especially considering everything riding on this relationship.
Erica sighed softly. “Do you think maybe we should give her more time? She—”
Leonard cut her off. “Time for what? To make things worse?”
Erica frowned and shook her head. “No, of course not. I want this marriage to happen just as much as you do. I’m just worried that if we push too hard, Nova might do something impulsive instead of calming down.”
“It is obvious that she isn’t against the engagement.”
“How so?”
Leonard smirked. “You know nothing slips by our oldest daughter. I know damn well that Sophia sent Nova that article, and it has been a few days, and we haven’t heard a peep from her.”
“So, what’s next?”
Leonard leaned back comfortably in his chair, completely at ease now that everything was beginning to fall into place.
“The obvious next step is the engagement announcement. Merrick agrees with me that we need to keep the momentum going, and it needs to happen soon. The public is already invested in the story. If we play this correctly, the engagement turns into months of wedding coverage during Rick’s campaign. ”
Erica’s eyes widened slightly. “You really think people will care that much?”
Leonard chuckled. “People love weddings. Especially expensive ones involving wealthy families and political candidates. Every venue tour, every dress fitting, every photograph keeps Rick in the public eye in a positive way.”
A slow smile spread across Erica’s face as the idea clearly started appealing to her. Leonard noticed it immediately and hid his own amusement. He had her hook, line, and sinker.
“And before you ask,” he continued smoothly, “Merrick and I have already agreed that you and CeCe will have complete freedom to plan the biggest wedding Salt Lake City has ever seen.”
Leonard watched the excitement spark in his wife’s eyes and knew instantly he had redirected her attention exactly where he wanted it.
Erica loved appearances, social standing, and entertaining just as much as CeCe did.
Give the two of them a society wedding to obsess over, and they would throw themselves into it completely.
Which was perfect, because the sooner the wedding happened, the sooner the other issue hanging over Leonard’s head would finally disappear.
Years ago, when Leonard’s investments started collapsing and the debt began stacking up faster than he could bury it, Merrick Montgomery had stepped in quietly and saved him financially.
Millions of dollars had exchanged hands behind closed doors to keep Hart & Associates afloat and Leonard’s reputation intact.
But favors like that didn’t come free.
His expression shifted slightly as he reached for his glass of whiskey. “And frankly, speeding things up would be better for everyone involved. Once the wedding is done, the agreement between Merrick and me will finally be behind us.”
Erica’s expression tightened slightly at the reminder. “Is it really that simple?”
Leonard took another slow sip of whiskey before answering. “It will because I’ve already made sure it does.”
Her brows furrowed. “What does that mean?”
A faintly satisfied look crossed his face. “Last week I had the paperwork drawn up.”
“You already had it prepared?” she asked, looking surprised.
“I did,” Leonard replied calmly. “Signed and notarized. As of last Wednesday, Nova is the sole owner of the firm, which means once she marries, fifty percent of the ownership will go to Rick.”
“Merrick’s been patient,” Leonard continued. “He’ll get his money back through Rick’s half of the ownership, and the firm stays protected. Nova can consider it a wedding gift. It’s a win-win for all parties involved,” he said with a smirk.
Erica gave him a hesitant look before nodding. “I trust you. I just pray all this sneaking around doesn’t backfire on us.”
Leonard waved the concern off without hesitation. “It won’t. Once Nova and Rick are married, everything will settle down exactly the way it’s supposed to.”
And deep down, Leonard believed that completely. Nova might be angry for a while, but eventually she would realize this marriage protected the family, the firm, and her future, whether she understood it now or not.
◆◆◆
Rob stood motionless in the dim hallway outside his father’s office as he listened to his parents’ conversation through the partially cracked door.
He had come over to the house to talk with his dad about a possible investment deal tied to one of his new development projects downtown.
The housekeeper had let him in. When he got to his dad’s office and was about to knock, he paused when he heard Nova’s name mentioned.
Rob felt physically sick listening to his parents calmly discuss manipulating Nova into marrying a man who had already cheated on her, all while planning a public engagement announcement behind her back like it was some brilliant business strategy.
Every word out of his father’s mouth made the anger inside him intensify.
But then the conversation shifted to some agreement with Rick’s dad.
It sounded like his father owed Rick’s dad some serious money.
There was no other explanation for his dad signing ownership of the firm over to Nova while quietly slipping a clause into the paperwork that would hand Rick half ownership and a partnership the second they married.
Rob’s hands curled into tight fists at his sides. It was no secret that his father could be controlling, manipulative, and calculating, but this crossed into something darker. His father had practically turned Nova into a bargaining chip to save himself financially.
This wasn’t about love, family, or even appearances anymore. His sister had become collateral in whatever financial mess his father had buried himself in.
The worst part was how calm his father sounded while discussing it. The man sounded like he was discussing a merger agreement instead of his daughter’s life. And his mother wasn’t an innocent party in this either.
Rick cheating on Nova had already infuriated Rob enough to drive to the guy’s penthouse and put him through a wall.
But hearing this made it so much worse because now he understood why their parents had pushed Rick on Nova so hard all these years.
It had never really been about love, compatibility, or wanting Nova to be happy.
It was nothing but a business transaction. And Nova had no idea.
It sounded as if his parents and Rick’s parents were counting on the fact that Nova would never create a public scandal or embarrass the family by denying it.
A wave of anger surged through Rob so hard he nearly shoved the office door open right then and there.
He and his brother had a feeling that their father was up to something.
And now he knew. Every instinct in him screamed to walk in and demand what the hell was wrong with them.
To defend Nova. To tell his father he had lost his damn mind.
But he stopped himself, because barging in angry wouldn’t help Nova right now.
What she needed was a plan and a team in her corner.
And maybe that was what twisted at Rob’s chest the most as he stood there listening.
He and his brother hadn’t been lying when they told Nova how sorry they were for not stepping in sooner when they knew that she had been carrying the weight of the family expectations almost entirely, all the while they and Sophia pulled away from the family.
But Nova had hung in there, taking a job at their father’s firm, protecting the family reputation while trying to make everyone happy. And somewhere along the line, all of them, including Rob, had let that become normal without realizing how unfair it really was.
His jaw tightened harder as he slowly stepped back from the office door. Through the crack, he could still hear his father talking confidently about how “everything would work itself out,” like manipulating his daughter’s future was perfectly reasonable.
Rob quietly turned and moved down the hallway, careful not to make a sound.
The last thing he wanted was for his parents to realize someone had overheard the conversation before he had time to figure out what to do next.
Because Rob already knew one thing with absolute certainty.
There was no way in hell he was letting this happen to Nova.
He slipped out the front door unnoticed. His pulse was still pounding with anger as he crossed the driveway toward his truck. Once he climbed inside, he pulled out his phone and dialed his brother.
The second Wallace answered, Rob didn’t waste time. “Hey, I’m in the truck right now, but can you conference in Sophia?”
“Uh, yeah. What’s going on?” Wallace asked.
“I just found out what Dad’s been hiding, and it’s not good for Nova.”