Page 41 of The Billionaire's Fake Fiancée

“After many years of life experience, Rex, I think I’d know when a man is hitting on me,” I say. “I’m telling you, he’s up to something. And that makes him paranoid. He’s paranoid of people who might be suspicious of him.”

“Meaning you.”

“Yes,” I say.

Rex discreetly checks his phone, then pockets it. “I hate to destroy your fake nephew theory, but pulling off a significant identity scam like this with all of the bribery and fraud that’s involved, it wouldn’t be worth it in Marvin’s case. Gail’s the one who married money—her sister’s kid is in no way a direct heir to the Driscoll fortune. So, posing as Gail’s nephew wouldn’t be worth risking doing time for. The best he can do is get a job in the family company, nice Christmas gifts, and the occasional ride on a yacht. Maybe a loan or two from Aunt Gail. Not that that’s nothing. I mean, he’s not exactly working as a swamper at the burger shack at this point. But for that kind of financial outlay and legal risk? The return on investment simply isn’t there. Now if he was posing as a fake Driscoll heir, that’s different. But the Driscoll money does not flow sideways to Gail’s family of origin. And again, she would’ve checked him out. A family like that has investigators and lawyers on retainer.”

“All I’m saying is that there’s something fishy about him.”

“Well, guess what?” Rex says. “You’re not being paid to think about what Marvin’s up to, are you?” He pauses here. “Are you?”

A bolt of annoyance goes through me at his utter jerkiness. “Well…”

“The answer is no. You’re not being paid to talk about Marvin or report to me about Marvin or worry about Marvin in the least. Got it?”

“I got it,” I mumble, grateful one of the cousins has chosen this moment to come up and chitchat with Rex about the market so that I can stew in silence.

Rex is right, though. I need to forget Marvin. I resolve to leave it. Another cousin joins us, a younger woman, and we smile and laugh while Rex grumbles about the market with the first cousin.

The other cousin and I go on to gush over the yacht for a while. We totally hit it off, and then she flits off to grab another drink.

I go up on my tiptoes. Into his ear, I whisper, “Killing it.” I don’t really have to whisper into his ear being that there’s nobody around, but it looks couple-sy.

“So far.”

“I’ll take that as a very sad compliment,” I say. “Though do you get the feeling that Gail really wanted to ask how we got together? I think she wanted to ask earlier. We need to work out our couples origin story.”

“Just make something up,” he says. “You think you can do that?”

I swallow. “Yes, I think I can do that.”

He sighs, like my very presence annoys him, and checks his phone again.

I grit my teeth, feeling this awful sense of déjà vu; it doesn’t take me long to put my finger on it—he’s acting like my dad after the fire and the divorce. Annoyed with my presence. I suck in a breath, hating that feeling, that old sense that somebody will hit the eject button the moment I stop being useful.

Clark comes up. “How goes it?”

“Glad you could make it,” Rex grumbles.

“A few glitches hooking up our network.” He turns to me. “You look amazing.”

I give him a sunny smile. “Thank you.”

“Everything going good?” Clark asks.

Rex lowers his voice. “Aside from the scandal with Marvin that Tabitha has turned up?”

“Marvin?” Clark asks.

“The nephew,” Rex says darkly.

“Oh, right,” Clark says. “Yeah, I met him just now. He wasn’t on the guest list.”

Rex gives me a level look. “According to Tabitha, he’s a fake. He falsified DNA tests and everything.”

“What makes you think he’s a fake?” Clark asks.

“He looked at her weird,” Rex says.

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