Page 35 of The Exception

My mind whirled with possibilities and questions. Why was Fred so motivated to push Moretti’s agenda? Had Moretti offered him some sort of incentive? Or perhaps issued a threat?

I was sick of dealing with the board’s bullshit. And seeing the concern hanging over my siblings. If I had those shares, we’d never have to worry about losing control to the board again.

“I know you can handle it, and I have other business to attend to if we’re going to stop this merger.”

Like making sure everything was in place if I needed to pull the trigger on my plan to marry Liliana, because I was done with being at the whims of the board. Of letting Moretti and his cohorts pull the strings. I was sick of worrying about what would happen to my grandparents’ legacy.

My siblings and I had had enough taken from us. I wanted to reclaim control, and if that meant going through with this sham of a marriage, so be it.

I wondered what my family would think if I married Lily. If the circumstances had been different, I would’ve tried to wait a few months to establish our relationship with our family and friends and make it seem more legitimate. But Moretti’s formal offer had definitely accelerated the timeline.

My family would certainly be surprised by my sudden nuptials. But would they be supportive? Or would they question my relationship with Liliana? Suspect the truth behind our “whirlwind romance” and think it was motivated by my desire to secure the additional shares, unintentionally casting doubts among the board?

Hell, maybe they didn’twantto know. Jasper had been so eager, so relieved, to hear that I was handling the situation with the merger, that he hadn’t pushed for too many details. Now that I thought about it, neither had Sloan.

It didn’t matter. I’d made my decision, and I was ready to see it through.

That said, I wasn’t sure where Lily and I stood after last night. She hadn’t said no, but she hadn’t said yes either. Resolved, I tapped out a quick message.

Me: Have dinner with me tonight.

CHAPTERNINE

Josephine glanced up from her spot on the couch. Her legs were curled beneath her as she edited some content for her blog. “Where are you off to, looking like that?”

We’d spent the morning enjoying a facial and a massage, which had given me a lot of quiet time to consider everything. Even when Jo and I had been lounging by the pool, creating content for my blog and her YouStream channel, my mind had been preoccupied with thoughts of Graham and his proposal. Almost twenty-four hours later, my head was still spinning.

Several unread text messages from my architect were sitting on my phone. Any time my phone buzzed, I jolted, worrying it was from him or one of my family members. I needed to respond to my architect, even if just to let him know I needed more time to decide on some of his requests regarding various restoration projects, but I kept delaying the inevitable. Because I knew what every text meant: more money.

“Lil?” Josephine asked.

“Dinner,” I said, knowing she already had plans to meet up with another content creator she’d been dying to collaborate with.

“With…”

“My old boss.”

“Graham?” She practically choked on his name.

“Yes. It’s not a big deal. Okay?”

“Mm.” She gave me a once-over. “Then why are you dressed likethat?”

I glanced down at my dress, smoothing my hands over the fabric. It was a gorgeous blue ombre maxi dress that hugged my curves. The top was low, nearly dipping down to my navel. I’d used a ton of fabric tape to make sure it stayed in place. And I’d paired it with a starfish necklace and earrings. I’d twisted my hair—Francine again but refreshed after our impromptu swim last night—back into a low, messy bun.

“Too much?” I asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

“Depends on your goals,” she said, waggling her brows. “Is this a business meeting, or something else?” She gave me a meaningful look.

In truth, it was both. But I couldn’t tell her that.

“Tell me honestly,” she said, leaning in. “Do you have a crush on Graham? Because I always sort of suspected… And then last night…”

“I, uh…”What am I supposed to say?

She smirked. “Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you aren’t attracted to him. The man looks like he walked off the cover of a magazine. And the way you always talked about him, I just sort of assumed.”

“Assumed what?” I asked, resisting the urge to cross my arms over my chest, though I didn’t disagree. Graham was something. Dark, curly hair. Chiseled jawline. Full lips. And those enigmatic green eyes that made me want to squirm beneath his perusal even while they heated my skin.

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