“Birdie goes free. And by free, I mean that you destroy every shred of evidence you’ve collected on her and call off your dogs, whoever they are. You won’t have anything else to do with her life.”
He cocked his head to the side and shrugged. “I have zero interest in what your sister does with her life after you say your vows.”
The word vows made me shudder, but I kept my focus. “I will have contact with her as much as I’d like by phone or email, and monthly visits.”
“She can visit you here,” he conceded. “As much as she’d like. Phone calls or emails are at your discretion.”
“Fine,” I agreed.
“What else?” He scribbled a signature down on a piece of paper, filing it away into a folder.
“The paperwork you showed me at the restaurant said we had to be married for two years before I could divorce you and receive a settlement. Is that correct?”
“Yes.” He squinted down at a message that had been left from his secretary. “Two years or my untimely passing. Whichever comes first.”
“Let’s hope for the second option,” I muttered under my breath.
When he looked up, his eyes were full of venom. “I’m a busy man. Do you have any other questions or are we done here?”
“Just one. What are the rules?”
His brows pinched together, displaying a level of impatience characteristic of someone who scoffed at the idea of ever needing to explain themselves at all. “I already told you. Whatever I decide.”
“That’s pretty vague.” I bobbed my heel up and down like I had all the time in the world. “I’d like to know what my life will be like. What boundaries will be in place. These things are important to discuss.”
Lucian leaned back in his chair and toyed with the ballpoint pen between his fingers. “Your job is to be my wife. That means your nights and weekends will be spent with me. Apart from that, I will have some scheduled activities for you to pursue. There will be downtime when you are free to do as you wish within the parameters of my rules. But I suggest you find a new hobby to keep you occupied if you don’t want to see what you look like in prison orange because your scheming days are over.”
“Obviously.” I rolled my eyes.
“You will have an allowance for clothing and other necessities. During our marriage, you are not to have extracurricular sexual relationships, and you will be required to wear a tracking device at all times.”
“You do realize that there are websites for this kind of thing,” I pointed out. “There are actual women who would love to do this without a fight.”
“I don’t see you putting up a fight now,” Lucian noted.
My heel stopped moving, and I gathered up my purse. “Whatever. Is there anything else I need to know?”
He got up again and walked around the desk, invading my space as he leaned down to grip my chin in his fingers. “Only this, princess. I know you tend to believe you’re always the smartest person in the room but know this. If you fuck with me, I will ruin you.”
I glared at him. He didn’t take his hand off me, so I pried it off myself. “Where do I sign?”
“You can sign our marriage certificate tomorrow. Here at noon.”
“Just like that?”
He nodded. “Just like that.”
Christ, I was going to be married to this asshole tomorrow. I stood and prepared to leave, but he stopped me at the door.
“Oh, and Gypsy?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t expect a honeymoon after that little stunt you pulled in here today. You’ll be cleaning my house for the next week instead.”
SHE SHOWED UP TEN MINUTESlate in a black sheath dress with a matching wide-brimmed hat. Appropriately, she looked like she was dressed for a funeral, but it made little difference to me. She couldn’t understand the irony of her wardrobe choice, but I could. Judging by the smirk on her crimson lips, she thought she was getting one over on me already.
The joke was on her.