Page 6 of Marrying a Billionaire

Orson situated himself on one of the armchairs and motioned toward the other. “You signed a non-disclosure agreement,” he said as he shuffled through the paper. He said a quiet “ah” and then raised a sheet. “Right here.” He pointed to a signature.

“Okay?” she asked.

“Well, Williamson Investments doesn’t believe that if you walk out that door, you will keep what happened here a secret. You’re a liability.”

She shook her head. “What are you saying?”

“They think you’ll auction off what you learned here today to the highest bidder,” Reed said. He knew what Orson was saying. She’d signed a contract, and they weren’t going to let that go. Inside he cursed his mom. Why did she do this?

Lillian glanced over at him. “But I didn’t know what I was signing.” She began to pace. “So, what? I have to stay married to Reed?” She waved her hand toward him.

His stomach twinged at her reaction. He wasn’t that terrible. Was he?

“Yes. Until his grandfather declares that he fulfilled his inheritance stipulation or passes away, you must remain married to Reed.”

Her face fell. “And I have no say in the matter?”

He hated what this was doing to her. He’d make it right. “Of course you do. Orson, you’re being ridiculous. Let this poor woman out of the contract.” The last thing he wanted was to be married. Much less be married to a woman who didn’t want to be married to him.

Orson shook his head. “I’m sorry, Reed. I don’t work for you, I work for Williamson Investments. They own this contract. Until you are declared owner, you have no say.” He sighed. “The only person who can null this contract is your grandfather, but I’m guessing you don’t want me to tell him what your mother attempted.”

Reed ran his hand through his hair. No, he didn’t want that. He shot Lillian a sheepish look. Would she do this for him?

Her expression turned serious. “And if I walk away?”

Orson shook his head. “You won’t want to do that. You signed away all your assets. You’d be homeless and owe Williamson Investments the amount they promised to pay you.”

Lillian fanned herself with her hand as she quickened her pace.

“Listen, I’m just the middle man. We thought we were hiring someone to play this part. We wanted to make sure that information wasn’t leaked. We had to put that in the contract to protect Reed and this company.” He gave them a smile. “I hope you understand.”

Lillian just scoffed and kept pacing.

Orson straightened the stack of papers and laid them on Reed’s desk. “They’re ready for your signature as well,” he said as he stood and made his way toward the door. Right before he left, he turned to Lillian. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Take advantage of it. Reed’s a great guy.” He shot Reed a smile before slipping from the room.

Once he was gone, Reed turned his attention back to Lillian. “So,” he said, trying to gauge her reaction.

She stopped and stared at her hands. Then she slowly glanced up at him. “I guess I have to pack up my apartment and tell my landlord.”

He nodded. This whole situation was ridiculous, but he was willing to do whatever she needed. “I could call a service to do that. After all, you’re marrying a billionaire.”

Her lips parted as her jaw dropped slightly. Then she shook her head. “No. I can do this.”

“Of course.” He smiled over at her. “Don’t worry, my apartment’s nice.”

She cleared her throat. “I’m going to be living with you?”

Heat boiled to the surface. What was he thinking? “I’m not sure. I’ll have to read the contract. But knowing my mom, it’s probably the case.”

Her gaze moved toward the stack of paper. “Yeah. I should probably read it as well. Try to figure out what other things I committed myself to.”

He nodded. “I’ll bring a copy over to you.”

She pulled the strap of her purse up higher on her shoulder. “I should go. If I don’t, I might find myself contractually obligated to more.” She turned and made her way out into the hall. Just as she disappeared, he realized that he didn’t have her contact information. He followed after her.

“Hey, Lillian?” he called to her retreating frame.

She hesitated and then turned. “Yeah?”

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