The Billionaire's Secret Wife (The Pryce Family Book 3) (Volume 3) (16 page)

“Still, it’s so romantic. Young love. Did you elope in Vegas?”

Vanessa shook her head. “Canada.”

“Huh. I had no idea Canada was an elopement destination.”

“We’re just crazy iconoclasts. Um, would you mind closing the door? I have a few things I need to wrap up. And if anybody calls, I’m not in.”

“Sure. By the way, Sandra said you have the next two weeks off. She wanted me to remind you.”

“Of course,” Vanessa said, trying not to kick her desk. Sandra was Harry Dickson’s secretary. Harry would’ve never given her that many days off if she’d asked, but since Barron had practically demanded it… “Thanks.”

Vanessa sat down. Her phone rang again, and she turned it off. So many emotions were roiling…and she wanted to throttle Justin for the mess in her office! How could he have let Barron know? Her
husband
had all the finesse of an elephant in heat.

She would’ve preferred to announce their marriage in a way that would minimize the disruption to both of their lives. Now, with everyone whispering about it everywhere, that was impossible.

Don’t be ungrateful
.
You would’ve given anything to have Justin alive just a day ago
.
You got your wish
.
Don’t get angry over something Barron’s done
.
Justin might not have had anything to do with it
.

She closed her eyes and dragged in some air. Maybe it would be good for her to take some time off, talk with family, and figure out her next steps. This was just a minor hiccup in her life. Besides the firm was already making it clear she wouldn’t have made partner anyway. What did it matter if everyone knew she was a Sterling now? Her career was effectively over.

She turned the phone back on and called Iain and Mark first. Neither picked up—they were generally busy—so she left them both a message, letting them know she was married to Justin Sterling.

Dane, on the other hand, had an assistant who was a news and gossip magnet and superb at reading situations. She instantly connected Vanessa to him.

“Make it short; I’m in a meeting,” Dane said.

Vanessa sighed. Work before family—her oldest brother’s MO. “I got married.”

A stunned silence, then he said, “To whom?”

“Justin Sterling.”

“Prenup?”

She frowned. “No.”

“You did well then.”

“There’s more to a marriage than a prenup or lack thereof.”

“Of course. But it’s nice not to sign one, especially if you’re a woman and have fewer assets.”

“Do you ever actually listen to yourself?”

“Yes. And as a high-priced lawyer, you know I’m right.” He hung up.

She glared at the phone. She should’ve known Dane would be callous about the whole thing. Not even a token “congratulations.”

Well, what did she expect from the manipulative jerk? At least her three other brothers were nice. Since she no longer knew Shane’s number, given all his travels, she emailed him a short message, letting him know she was married and that she missed him. It wasn’t like Shane to be gone so long, as adventurous as he was.

Then she debated who she should call next. It was going to be either her mom or dad, and she flipped the “inner conflict resolution” quarter she kept in her desk drawer. It came up heads.

She dialed and waited. Ceinlys picked up on the fourth ring. “Hello dear.”

“Hi, Mom.”

A beat of silence. “What’s wrong?”

Vanessa closed her eyes briefly. There was no escaping the maternal mood radar. “I just wanted you to know that I, ah, got married. To Justin.”

“You what?”

“I married him. Justin Sterling.”

“Justin Sterling.”

“Yes.”

“When did this happen?”

“About seven weeks ago.”

“Vanessa!” Ceinlys gasped. “And you never told me. He didn’t mention it either…and both of you came over to my party!”

“Well, we weren’t going to tell anybody for the time be—”

“I am not ‘anybody.’
Really
, Vanessa. Keeping an affair like this from your own mother. Marrying someone like him isn’t just a matter of love.”

Ceinlys would know from experience. Vanessa covered her face with a hand.

“Did you negotiate your own prenup?” her mother asked.

She sighed. “There isn’t any prenup.” Not for a lack of trying. She would’ve preferred everything to be laid out crystal clear.

Ceinlys made a vague humming noise. “I see. Well. When is the honeymoon?”

“Whenever Barron decides is good, I guess,” Vanessa grumbled.

“That man. Don’t let him walk all over you. You’re family now, not one of the servants.”

“Don’t worry. By the way, I haven’t told this to anybody except Justin, but I’m pregnant.”

“Oh.” A short pause. “Is that…? Never mind. We should meet and talk about this. Can you get away? I’m in downtown at the moment, and I can be at the Starbucks across from your office in about ten minutes.”

“You don’t have to change your plans for me,” Vanessa said.

“Don’t be silly. It’s just some shopping.”

Ceinlys hung up, and Vanessa stared at her phone. Did she have enough time to talk to her dad? Maybe yes, maybe no. Biting her lip, she dialed his number and sighed with relief when it went to voice mail.

“Dad, I married Justin Sterling about seven weeks ago. I thought I should let you know before Barron calls. Love you, bye.”

She picked up her purse and got up, then hesitated. What the heck. She took her briefcase too. She had a feeling she wouldn’t be coming back to the office after talking with her mom. It looked like the partners really wanted her to take time off—anything to keep Barron Sterling happy.

There were stares as she left, but she kept her chin up. She would not be cowed by something like this.

Ceinlys had already ordered a drink by the time Vanessa had made it to Starbucks. She got an iced tea and joined her mother at a table in the corner.

Ceinlys was dressed in black slacks topped by a dark magenta silk blouse with a round neck. Stilettos encased her impeccably pedicured feet, and not a fleck of gray showed in her hair. Her makeup was perfect, her skin smooth and flawless. With diamonds at her ears and throat, she looked like the proverbial million bucks despite going through what had to be a stressful divorce. When people had the kind of assets Ceinlys and Salazar did, divorces rarely were clean and easy… even with a prenup.

Despite her cool disinterest, a few men were checking her out. Vanessa almost bared her teeth at them. Her mother wasn’t on display at a meat market.

“So. The baby,” Ceinlys said, getting straight to the point.

Vanessa sighed. “Almost eight weeks.”

“Is that why you decided to marry?”

“It was mostly his decision. He said something about it’s being the heir to the Sterling & Wilson fortune.”

“Well, yes, I suppose. But surely, marriage wasn’t necessary.”

Vanessa took a sip of her tea, which was too bitter. She pushed it aside. “I’m not sure. It’s complicated.”

“Do you love him?” Ceinlys peered at her.

Vanessa shrugged, then cleared throat. “I don’t know. We have…chemistry. We dated when I was in college and law school, then we—actually
I
—broke it off.”

“So how did the pregnancy come about?”

Vanessa sighed. “I went to Chicago when I heard about your divorce.”

“Ah.” A frown creased Ceinlys’s forehead briefly. “Do you still want to talk about my divorce?”

“Are you going to tell me to go see Samantha?”

A small smile appeared on her mother’s lips. “No. I suppose that wasn’t very nice of me. But at the time I didn’t want to discuss the matter with anyone who might question my decision.”

“Why not?”

“Because it was a very difficult one. And I didn’t think I would be able to do what I needed to if people tried to talk me out of it.”

“Do you still love him?” Vanessa asked.

Looking away, Ceinlys dragged in a lungful of air and exhaled softly. “In some ways.”

“Even though he was so bad to you?”

“We were bad for each other. By the time I realized this, it was too late. There were three children, and I couldn’t leave.”

Vanessa tapped the table with a fingernail. The infamous Pryce prenup meant her mother would have lost custody of her children, and that wasn’t something she would have risked.

“For a time I thought things might change if he realized the prenup had nothing to do with my decision to stay, but…we just weren’t meant to be,” Ceinlys added.

“Love isn’t enough, is it?”

“No.” Ceinlys reached over and held Vanessa’s hand. “You’re a smart girl, so maybe what I’m about to tell you is superfluous, but…” Something in Ceinlys’s eyes shifted, grew hard. “Never forget you have to protect yourself. Don’t ever let yourself be in a position where you have to depend on somebody else for your happiness and fulfillment in life. Don’t ever let emotions cloud your judgment and make you see things that aren’t there. I don’t want you to have the kind of life that I had. I want you to be free and happy.”

Vanessa laid her other hand over her mother’s. “Are you free and happy?”

Ceinlys’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Soon, dear. Soon I will be.”

* * *

Salazar drained another glass of whiskey. The home office was dark except for the light on the desk. It illuminated his mother’s portrait. Shirley Pryce had been a harshly beautiful woman with a mind that stayed sharp to the very end. The artist had put a small curve to her lips and softened the lines around her eyes. A complete lie. Shirley Pryce had never smiled easily, and her eyes had always been hard and vigilant.

“You wanted your grandkids to marry well. And gue…guess what? Vanessa snagged Justin Sterling! Can you believe it?” He toasted his mother. “Amazing what that girl can do, eh? Despite your worries about her ‘over-education’.”

He staggered over to the liquor cabinet. “S’pose I should call and congratulate Vanessa,” he mumbled. “But that would take energy.” Ever since Ceinlys had hired Samantha Jones, Salazar hadn’t been able to focus on anything.

Why now?
He couldn’t figure it out. Did she think he’d change his mind about the prenup? Or was it something else?

It was really too bad the best liquors in his cabinet couldn’t help him. Because he’d do anything to numb the bitter ball of panic in his gut.

Chapter Fifteen

His hands still on the keyboard, Justin took another look at his phone. Vanessa hadn’t called him back or returned his texts about their weekend getaway to Mexico. Maybe she was occupied doing the busywork her partners had given her. Even though it was clearly bullshit, she dedicated herself to the work, just like always. He appreciated that about her, even though her work ethic could be annoying from time to time.

When his phone rang, he answered immediately. “Justin Sterling.”

“Holy shit, you dog!”

He made a face. “Nate?”

“You married Vanessa Pryce? And you didn’t tell me when I asked you why you were flying to L.A. so much?”

“
What are you talking about?
” Justin flipped through all the possibilities in his mind. “Who told you that?”

“Barron. He had his assistant send out a text blast to everyone in the family just now. He said he’d already gone to L.A. personally to welcome her into the family.”

His stomach dropped like somebody had disemboweled him. “You’ve gotta be kidding. When did he go?”

“This morning.”

Justin bit back a curse. “How did he find out?”

“Unlike your erstwhile brother, Barron is a suspicious bastard. He probably checked on why you were flying back and forth between San Francisco and L.A. so much. I told you to watch your expenses.”

“Damn it.” Justin gritted his teeth, thinking
shit shit shit
. “Okay, thanks. Gotta go.” He hung up. No wonder Vanessa hadn’t contacted him. She was probably furious right now. He tried her number again, but it went to voice mail. He tried the next person on his list.

“How are you doing, Justin? I hear the doctor gave you a clean bill of health, but I don’t know if I can trust it.”

Justin reined in his temper at the droll tone. “Barron, what did you do?”

“Be more specific. I’ve done a lot of things in my life. Actually you can hang up now. I’m right outside your office.”

Barron cut the line and simultaneously opened the door to Justin’s office. He looked hale and happy, his color high as he walked inside and took an armchair near Justin’s desk. “You horrible child. You should’ve invited me to the wedding.”

“Have you considered the possibility that maybe we didn’t want to make a big deal about it? That we wanted to keep it to ourselves?”

“Why on earth would you do that?”

“Various reasons.” It wasn’t really a lie. Vanessa had her big reason, and Justin had the reason of wanting to show support and make her happy. “We were going to keep it quiet until July.”

“July! Ridiculous.”

A secretary scurried in with a tray of hot tea and sugar cookies. She left it on the table by Barron and ran out as quickly she could.

When the door closed behind her, Justin said, “It may seem ridiculous to you, but not to us. You should’ve at least talked to me first.”

The good humor leeched from Barron’s face. “You were unreachable this morning.”

“Not on purpose.” He’d been on a commercial flight and unable to use his phone.

“I wasn’t going to wait. This is about the family.”

“No. This is about you trying to show everyone you’re still in charge.”

“I
am
in charge. I’m the head of this family!”

Justin stared at Barron, who stared right back.
This is it
, Justin thought. If he didn’t put his foot down now, Barron would continue to interfere whenever he felt like it. No more. No way. “Then I’m resigning.”

“What?” Barron said in a booming voice.

“I quit. If you want to be in charge, you don’t need me. I won’t play this game, Barron.”

“Do you think you’re irreplaceable?”

Justin gave him a slight smile. “I wouldn’t go that far. Let’s say…very difficult to replace. You’ll want a family member who’ll be okay with attempting to run the company while all the executives try to gauge
your
intentions. But Sterling & Wilson is your legacy, so of course you’ll want that person to be trained. And you have Kerri, Nate, Robert, Benjamin and Beatrice to choose from. Thankfully they’re all intelligent…it won’t be that difficult to mold them.”