Chapter 1

Every step through the hallway brought him closer to the inner sanctum of his father”s sumptuous suite of offices. Ignoring several partners” curious and veiled looks on his journey up, Marcel continued, barely glancing at the paneled walls, his Italian loafers sinking into the lush honey-gold carpet.

He had been summoned and had a sinking feeling that he knew what it was about. The outer office was empty, and he was not in the least bit surprised. It was after office hours, and his Dad’s assistant had probably left for the day or had been told she was not needed.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the double doors open and stood poised in the doorway, taking in the scene. His mother and brother were also there. Matthew looked over at him, his handsome face slightly apologetic.

The office was large and comfortable, with a stunning city view. The baronial desk where James Hadley sat had been there since Marcel could remember, and it perfectly suited his father’s imposing six-foot-three frame.

“Come on in and close the door.” The deep voice had an authoritative ring to it that was familiar.

“I had no idea this was a family meeting.” Striving for nonchalance, Marcel did as he was told and entered the room. Walking over to where his mother sat on a plush chair, he bent down to kiss her cheek and noticed the paleness of her face.

“Darling.” With a light touch on his face, she attempted a smile.

“Matthew.”

His brother acknowledged the greeting with a nod from the corner of the room where he was leaning against the wall.

“Sit.” His father told him brusquely.

“I prefer to stand.”

“Very well.” James Hadley eyed his son with cold precision. He was the middle child, and what they said about children born in the middle was not true for Marcel.

He was devastatingly gorgeous. Matthew was merely attractive, and their youngest sister could be passed for beautiful in a pale way, but it was as if the good Lord had decided to spend a lot of time on Marcel.

He had inherited his mother’s thick, sable brown hair, streaked liberally with gold, and her beautiful amber eyes. Both of his sons had inherited his lofty height, of course. Both boys had graduated from Harvard Law, but Marcel was brilliant and had been at the top of his class.

Matthew was happily married and expecting his first child, and Julia was engaged to someone. This left the painful topic of his middle son, one that had been going on far too long now and had to be addressed.

“Rumors are circulating about you and Simone Wellington.”

“It’s just rumors.” Marcel walked over to the cabinet and shoved his hands into the pockets of his immaculately cut dress pants. “I hope you don’t mind if I have a drink. It was brutal in court today.”

“Her husband came to see me earlier today.”

Marcel forced his fingers to relax as he poured the drink. “He is a senior partner here; why should the fact that he came to see you be an issue or of particular importance?”

“He wants you fired or married.”

Marcel turned to face him, drink in hand. “Are you serious? I cannot be fired. I am a Hadley and a very integral part of this firm.”

“That’s precisely what I told the poor man.”

“Well then,” Marcel lifted the glass and took a sip. “And he and Simone are about to be separated anyway.”

“Was that what she told you?”

“Yes.” He bit out. “He is not good enough for her. She is beautiful-”

“And a tramp.” His father’s steel gray eyes smoldered.

“James-”

“This law firm has been in the family for nearly a century. We represent the elitist society. There has never been even the slightest breath of scandal after the debacle of a few years ago when that mad man we employed started accepting bribes from drug dealers.” His eyes flashed as he stared at his son.

“You are not just a member of this team, of this firm; you are my son and are supposed to be an example. I will not tolerate you seeing a married woman and trying to break up a marriage.”

“What marriage?” Marcel snapped. “He is fifteen years her senior-”

“And no one held a gun to her head! She saw a good deal, and she jumped at it. Peter had money, and she wanted a man with money. You are the fool who believes that she needs rescuing. She has set her eyes on a bigger fish - a Hadley, and you are too blind to see that she is using you.”

“She loves me.” His eyes flashed. “Look, we did not mean for this to happen. I like Peter, and he is an excellent lawyer and an asset to the firm-”

“Do you think I give a damn about that?” James had risen from his chair, his hands pressed against the desk”s edges. “Do you know what kind of scandal this will be? Of all the women-” Taking a deep breath, he sat back down. “But fortunately for us, there is a solution.”

“What are you talking about?” Marcel stared at his father warily before looking at his mother and brother.

“It means that you are getting married.”

“What?” He was so shocked that he almost spilled his drink. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Darling, what your father means is that you must get married to squash the rumors and prevent a disaster.”

“I see. And who am I supposed to be marrying?”

“Nikki Johnston.” Matthew supplied.

Marcel simply stared at his brother and then his father. “That’s not happening,” he said coldly.

“I am afraid it is.”

“How are you going to force me to do that?”

“You are getting married in two months. You will start going out on dates with each other; I believe they still call it courting. The press, as well as everyone in this firm, will see a couple who are in love with each other. After three weeks, the engagement will be announced, and the wedding will occur.”

“Once again, the question.” Marcel’s jaw was clenched so tight that he had no idea how he got the words out. “How are you going to accomplish that?”

“If you refuse and if you do anything to jeopardize it, you are out on your ass. You are twenty-eight and will not enter your trust until you turn thirty. The townhouse you live in belongs to the company, and everything you enjoy belongs to the firm.

Even the bloody Porsche you drive and the clothes you wear.” James gave him a weary smile. “You are accustomed to the privileges the name Hadley affords and will not want to be deprived of it.”

“You are bluffing.”

“Am I?” James lifted his brows. “I have watched my father and grandfather work their asses off to build this firm, making investments, and I have done the same. I respect marriage and the sanctity of it. I have been propositioned by more women than you can think of, but yet I have stayed faithful to your mother.

Simone is a married woman who knew she was marrying a man much older than she was. I will not have that tramp destroying what I and my ancestors have worked so hard to achieve.”

“I am not marrying her.” Marcel felt his head spinning, his stomach churning. “You cannot make me.”

“Oh yes, I can. Today is Friday and the Governor’s ball. Nikki will be there, and you will start showing great interest in keeping the gossip mill occupied. Peter and his wife” The emphasis on the word did not go unnoticed. “They will also be there, and people will be watching to see what you do and how you behave.”

Tossing back the drink, Marcel slammed the glass down. “This woman has agreed to this farce?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“The proper incentive.”

Marcel’s lips curled. “I take it you mean money?”

“Yes, but not the way you mean. Her mother has a debilitating illness that requires round-the-clock care and a private nursing home. She has agreed to do this because the firm will be footing the bill, which is natural for someone who will be a family member.”

“So she is willing to sell her soul, marry a man she does not know or love -”

“To care for her mother, and I think that is commendable.”

“Does she even like me?”

“No.” His father said bluntly. “She is aware of the rumors as well. She is willing to make the sacrifice.”

“I would not exactly call it a sacrifice,” Marcel said bitterly. “She will be getting a hell of a lot from the deal. As Mrs. Hadley, her status in life and this firm will increase drastically. Why is it different from what you claim Simone did to Peter?”

“That woman is greedy and grasping and would have married a snake to achieve her goals. She married Peter to get ahead in society; Nikki is doing so to give her mother a better life.”

“How humane of her.” Marcel jeered. “I will be certain to tell her that what she is doing is to be lauded.”

“You will be nice and turn on the legendary charm. You are dismissed.” With a flick of one hand, James opened the folder in front of him. Marcel strode across the room without a word, yanking the doors open and leaving without closing them.

“I will go after him,” Matthew told his father quietly.

With a curt nod, James leaned back in his chair, waited until his older son had left, and closed the doors behind him.

“You disapprove.”

Wendy smiled gently, a tiny frown marring her perfect brow as she crossed the lush carpet to the man she had been married for nearly thirty-five years.

James watched as she approached him, a smile gentling his stern features. Sitting gracefully on the edge of his desk, she took his hand in hers. “No, I approve of the idea, just as you did. He is going to rebel, darling. Marcel is his own person, and he is-”

“Spoiled.” Her husband concluded grimly.

“That’s entirely my fault. He looks so much like me that I could not help it.” Her eyes twinkled. “But he has your strong will and acute highhandedness. He does not like to be told what to do.”

“Tough,” James said harshly, even though he had to acknowledge that his wife was right. Of all three of their children, Marcel bent or ignored the rules.

He was not afraid of authority and always did his own thing. James secretly admired him and realized long ago that he was the true leader, not Matthew. “He will fall in line, or I will make good on my threats.”

“I feel you chose Nikki for some excellent reasons.”

His thick brows lifted. “Care to share your observations, darling?”

Smiling at him, she lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of his. “She is beautiful and a brilliant lawyer.”

“Go on.”

“She is also a powerful woman. I have seen her in court and have noticed how she does not take nonsense from anyone. She has also resisted the many come-ons from the male lawyers since she started working here.”

“There is a reason for that,” James said with a chuckle.

“Which is?”

“She is in love with our son.”

Wendy’s tapered brows winged up as she stared at him. “Pardon?”

He laughed softly at her stunned expression. “As much as she needs the money to care for her mother, Nikki would not have agreed to the marriage even if it was not for that reason.”

“She told you that?”

He shook his head. “I figured it out for myself, and she did not deny it when I mentioned it. If that woman did not so blind Marcel, he would have seen her, and the romance between them would have sprung up naturally.”

His good humor faded. “Peter is in love with his wife and is desperate to keep her with him. It’s not his fault that he is blinded by her beauty, so much so that he cannot see past her looks to the shallow deceitful slut she is. But I am certain she will not take my son down with her.”

*****

“You don’t want to speak to me right now.” Marcel was stuffing documents into his leather briefcase, intending to leave the building.

“You are mad.”

He looked up at his brother framed inside the doorway, his handsome face displaying an incredible look. “What gave it away? How long have you known about this—this completely distasteful plan?”

“A week,” Matthew told him quietly.

Marcel stopped clearing his desk to look up at his brother, the hurt and pain of his betrayal evident on his face. “We played tennis on Wednesday. We were together in court on Thursday. We were in meetings this morning, and you never said a word of it.”

“I did not want you to do anything impulsive.”

“Like what? Knock your teeth down your throat? You are my brother, and I thought we were close.”

“We are, and Dad is just looking out for you.”

“The way he looked out for you?” Marcel’s eyes glittered with rage. “He picked out your wife-”

“I happen to love Grace.”

“Fortunately, that worked out. He is a tyrant who is determined to have his way. He chose our sister’s fiancé, and she had no say in the matter. I am not going through with this.”

“That woman means so much to you?” Matthew demanded as he walked into the office. “Dad is right; the rumor is flying around. She was seen entering your office and staying there for half an hour with closed doors. Speculations are rife as to what happened here.”

“People need to mind their own damn business.”

“She is a married woman, Marcel, and, even worse, she is the wife of a senior partner.”

“She is not happy,” Marcel muttered, sitting on the chair wearily.

“And she came in here to cry on your shoulder.”

“So the hell what?” He snapped.

“She has a husband who is embarrassed and heartsick about his wife’s fascination with someone younger, a hell of a lot more good-looking, and with more money than he has.”

He propped his elbows on the beautiful glass desk and dragged his fingers through his thick hair.

“I am supposed to choose my bride.”

“That ship has sailed,” Matthew told him grimly. “Don’t overthink it.”

Marcel did not respond and watched as his brother left and closed the doors behind him. Leaning back against the chair, he felt the headache pounding in his temple. Simone had been threatening to end the marriage and had walked into his office to tell him that she was sick and tired of being with Peter.

“I want to be with you, Marcel,” she told him pleadingly, her blue eyes swelling with tears. “I cannot bear the thought of being with him.”

“He is your husband.”

“We share separate bedrooms. It’s not even a marriage.”

“Simone-”

“You love me!” She cried. “I know you do.”

He had not agreed or denied it because he was conflicted. Yes, he had strong feelings for her, but she was married, and he could not ignore that. She was another man’s wife, and he would be breaking up a marriage. He had nothing against Peter.

The man was an excellent lawyer, had been with the firm for many years, and was loyal.But getting married to stop the rumors was something he could not agree to. His thoughts turned to Nikki Johnston, and his mouth tightened.

She was a junior partner, and her contempt for him was well-known. She thought of him as a pampered, entitled jerk; those were not his words but hers, and after hearing them, he had resented her ever since.

She went out of her way to avoid him, and whenever they were forced to work on a case together, she made some snide remarks that pissed him off. He had to admit that she was very good at her job, but her attitude bordered on ungracious.

She was not someone who felt that she had to bow and scrape because he was the boss’s son. Her contempt was so apparent that several of the partners commented on it as a joke.

“Nikki is the only woman who does not fall at your feet in a dead faint, Hadley,” one of the partners joked. “I wonder why that is.”

He wished he could march in there and announce to his Dad that he would not follow his asinine plan, but the old man held all the cards. The firm was his pride and joy, so he would do anything to maintain its stellar reputation.

*****

Nikki kicked off her shoes and padded toward the kitchen after sliding her bag off her shoulders and leaving it in the hallway. She was tired, and as part of the agreement she had made, she would have to attend a stupid ball tomorrow.

Plunking the kettle on the stovetop, she went to get the box of tea and selected a cup from the cupboard. She had stopped at the nursing home to impart the good news to her mother, who had listened with that space-out expression, indicating that she was wasting her breath.

Norma Johnston was locked into a world of her own. After the tragic death of her husband five years ago, she had shifted into a world where she had no idea what was happening to her or was able to identify her daughter.

Nikki had been twenty-three and in law school when she received the news. At first, she thought about leaving and not finishing the course, but her advisor had talked her out.

“You would be better positioned to care for your mother,” Professor Cleary told her. “You are here on scholarship, my dear. I would advise you to make the most of it.”

She had been given the necessary time off to help her mother care for the funeral arrangements. Terrence Johnston had left them provided for with his generous insurance and personal savings, but that had been depleted after a few years.

Her mother had developed dementia and the inability to function after her husband’s death. Her condition had steadily worsened, and Nikki had acknowledged that she would not be able to take care of her on her own.

The shrill whistle of the kettle coincided with the ringing of her cell phone. Turning the flame off, she picked up the phone and recognized the firm”s number.

“Hello?”

“How did you pull it off?” The deep baritone was rife with sarcasm and laced with bitterness.

“Marcel.” Taking a deep breath, she held the phone to her ear, hunching her shoulder as she poured the water over the pouch.

“Why the hell would you agree to something like that?”

“Why do you think?” She asked casually.

“Money.” The bitterness in his voice had her wincing. “So, I guess you are human after all. Does it matter to you one bit that I would rather walk into the path of a speeding truck than be married to you?”

Nikki closed her eyes as the sharp pain sliced through her heart. “The feeling is mutual.” She lied. “You should be thanking me.”

“Why is that?”

“I am the one who is going to restore your reputation and get your mistress off your hands.”

“So, I am supposed to be grateful?” He asked caustically.

“Something like that.” She stirred honey into the tea slowly, watching the steam rise.

“Forgive me if I am not bowing down and kissing your feet.”

“That’s fine. I am certain you are not accustomed to it.”

“Go to hell,” he told her coldly before hanging up.

Putting the phone down, Nikki took a shaky breath and realized she was already there.