“All you need is a tiara,” came a voice from behind her.
Angie spun around with a gasp. “Lucius!”
“Surprise, surprise.”
Why, oh why, had he chosen this particular moment to return? Fifteen minutes earlier and she wouldn’t have yet donned the gown. Fifteen minutes later and she’d have finished trying it on and it would be safely tucked away in the closet. “You aren’t supposed to see me in my wedding gown before the ceremony.”
A small smile played at the corners of his mouth, one that caused a tremor of unease to shoot through her. “In our case, I don’t think that’s an issue,” he said, the extreme gentleness of his tone causing her nervousness to increase. She knew that tone. It was a bad tone. A dangerous tone. One he used when he was about to take down one of his competitors.
Then his comment sank in. Seeing her in her wedding gown wasn’t an issue for them because they weren’t marrying for normal reasons, such as love. Perhaps that explained the tone. Why did she keep forgetting their marriage wasn’t a real one, especially when she doubted the marriage would even take place? Ever since receiving the results from the DNA test this morning, results which proved with 99.99% certainty that Lucius was Mikey’s father, she’d accepted the strong likelihood that next week’s wedding ceremony would be the first casualty.
Angie had no idea how Lisa had manipulated the results in the first place. Perhaps she’d faked the test from the get-go, hiring actors to play the part of technicians. Or perhaps she’d paid one of the technicians to falsify the results at whatever lab they’d used. Or maybe it was a simple clerical error, the lab accidentally switching samples by mistake. All that mattered was that Lucius now had enough probable cause to have another test done, one that would hold up in a court of law.
Which meant…he wouldn’t need to marry.
Which meant…she stood before him in a wedding gown she’d never use, at least not for its intended purpose.
Oh, what did it matter? “You’re right, of course. It’s not an issue for us.” Angie started toward Lucius, her hands held out, a smile of sheer delight spilling free. “I’m so glad you’re home early.”
“Are you? Are you really?”
The barely audible questions contained an unmistakable bite and dismay swamped her, checking her forward momentum. She hesitated in the middle of the room, filled with uncertainty. Her arms slowly fell to her sides. What in the world was going on? “I…I should change,” she murmured. Because whatever was wrong, she’d rather not deal with it while wearing a wedding gown.
“Don’t. I think I’d prefer having this conversation with you dressed just as you are.”
She stilled. Something was off, seriously off. She’d suspected it when he first spoke. Now she didn’t have a single doubt. “Lucius? What’s going on?”
“An excellent question. Perhaps you could answer it for me.”
She shook her head, feeling the curls around her neck dance in agitation. “I don’t understand. Is something wrong?”
“Yes, Angie. Something is wrong. Something is very wrong.” He approached. Circled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look more beautiful. Not at all like office furniture. You’ve certainly come up in the world this past month.”
Her chest felt as though it were squeezed in a vise, and her breath came swift and shallow in response. Every instinct she possessed compelled her to run. Instead, she could only stand, frozen in place, while he circled, circled, circled. She caught a brief glimpse of herself in the mirror, saw the crystal beads fracture beneath the overhead light, shooting shards of desperate color into the room and realized it was because she was trembling.
“That should sound like a compliment.” She moistened her lips. “Why doesn’t it sound like a compliment, Lucius?”
“Do you know, I never saw it coming. I really have to applaud you. I’m not easily fooled, but I must say you played your part exceptionally well. Better even than Lisa.”
Oh, God, he knew. Somehow he’d found out that she and Jett manipulated the Pretorius Program. “Lucius, I can explain—”
He stopped his endless circling, pausing in front of her, and what she read in his face eviscerated her. She’d never seen such ruthless intent. Instead of fury, as she would have expected, she saw that he’d encased himself in ice, staring at her from eyes so cold and remote and deadly she didn’t have a chance in hell of ever getting through to him. That didn’t change the fact that she needed to try.