Page 12 of Modern Romance Collection March 2025 (1-4)

Now they were getting married.

He couldn’t categorize the strange feelings that seemed to stir up. There was satisfaction, of course. His father hadn’t bested him yet. Money was no object, so it wasn’t as though helping Lynna and her family had any effect on his bottom line.

But he had the strangest sensation ofnervesaccosting him. No, not nerves, because he refused to accept he was nervous. It was anticipation. For the next step in his plan. It was an uneasiness born of the fact Lynna was not exactly…predictable.

He wouldn’t be surprised if she simply did not show up. If she’d taken the money and run. But it seemed cowardly.

Lynna was no coward.

He appreciated that about her. She might hate him and think him the very devil, but he held a certain amount of respect for the way she’d dealt with her life since her father had passed. A certain amount of fascination with how she’d found a way to thrive.

He would even hold her up as a kind of example. He would thrive in this place where he’d been put at a disadvantage.

He was told it was time to begin the ceremony, so he made his way down to his private portion of the beach. A platform had been set up with an elaborate arbor at the end, filled with vines and colorful tropical blooms. The officiant waited there, and they would be married under the arch.

So long as Lynna did not back out.

Athan went over to the officiant and thanked him for coming. Made some small talk while staff moved around setting everything to rights. The sun had begun to set, a beautiful sunset with riotous colors painting the sky. A truly beautiful setting.

Most of the plans were Regina’s—the flowers, the colors, the beach setting. He didn’t think Lynna would mind since this was her version of hell.

Since she had not invited anyone, and obviously his father and Regina’s family were no longer coming, there were no guests. Only the officiant and the staff—his own and those he’d hired to handle the event.

“Ah, there’s the bride,” the officiant offered, nodding toward the end of the platform.

Lynna walked out by herself, though a staff member in all black helped her up onto the platform she would have to walk down to meet him at the end with the officiant.

He hadn’t seen her in anything other than careful black with colorful chef accents since they were young. Perhaps her eighteenth birthday party that he’d been roped into going to. They’d shared a dance. She’d been pretty and charming. A completely different person.

Now she wore white. An elegant white gown he had tasked one of his assistants with procuring since he knew Lynna would likely try to marry him in black if he let her. It nipped in at the waist, highlighting what she usually hid—an hourglass figure with curves interesting enough to be distracting. She was on the taller side, but still she wore heels. Her hair was in careful waves around her shoulders, though some strands were pinned up with sparkling gems and some fell around her face.

She looked like an angel in a painting. Soft and ethereal. Regal and majestic. He could watch her walk down this aisle forever. Even with that scowl on her face. Or maybe the scowl was part of it.

When she made it to the end of the aisle, she regarded him with a cool distance. “I take it this wasn’t Regina’s dress.”

“I’m a billionaire, darling, I don’t need to have my fiancées share wedding dresses.”

“Well, that’s good since one leg of mine probably wouldn’t fit in a dress that fit Regina.”

It sounded suspiciously like jealousy, which was very, very interesting. “You look beautiful,paidi mou.”

She lifted her chin, fixed her gaze on the officiant. She didn’t look at Athan at all. “I’m aware,” she muttered, making him smile. “And you should be aware I only agreed to this costume for the pictures you insisted we needed.”

“Lucky me,” Athan murmured.

He thought she might stab him if she had a pointy implement. But all she had was a bouquet of flowers and a deal to uphold.

Athan nodded at the officiant, a sign for him to begin. And so he did, speaking words of love and fidelity, promises and forever. If it made him a littleitchy, he supposed it was only because he didn’t fully believe in such things.

People were such terribly complicated creatures. Full of malice and spite and hate. Unforgivable mistakes that haunted for a lifetime. And while he’d tried to make his adult life less of all those things rather than more, it didn’t mean he expected to be forgiven for what had come before. It didn’t mean he trusted anyone to engage in love and fidelityforever.

Certainly not the woman saying “I do” who hated him and was only doing this to pay some debts that weren’t even really hers to pay.

Who scowled at him, even as he slid a hefty diamond onto her finger.

“You may kiss the bride,” the officiant announced happily.

The scowl turned into something a little more like concern. She took a step away from Athan.

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