The Billionaire’s Secret Wife(46)
A stunned silence, then he said, “To whom?”
“Justin Sterling.”
“Prenup?”
She frowned. “No.”
“You did well then.”
“There’s more to a marriage than a prenup or lack thereof.”
“Of course. But it’s nice not to sign one, especially if you’re a woman and have fewer assets.”
“Do you ever actually listen to yourself?”
“Yes. And as a high-priced lawyer, you know I’m right.” He hung up.
She glared at the phone. She should’ve known Dane would be callous about the whole thing. Not even a token “congratulations.”
Well, what did she expect from the manipulative jerk? At least her three other brothers were nice. Since she no longer knew Shane’s number, given all his travels, she emailed him a short message, letting him know she was married and that she missed him. It wasn’t like Shane to be gone so long, as adventurous as he was.
Then she debated who she should call next. It was going to be either her mom or dad, and she flipped the “inner conflict resolution” quarter she kept in her desk drawer. It came up heads.
She dialed and waited. Ceinlys picked up on the fourth ring. “Hello dear.”
“Hi, Mom.”
A beat of silence. “What’s wrong?”
Vanessa closed her eyes briefly. There was no escaping the maternal mood radar. “I just wanted you to know that I, ah, got married. To Justin.”
“You what?”
“I married him. Justin Sterling.”
“Justin Sterling.”
“Yes.”
“When did this happen?”
“About seven weeks ago.”
“Vanessa!” Ceinlys gasped. “And you never told me. He didn’t mention it either…and both of you came over to my party!”
“Well, we weren’t going to tell anybody for the time be—”
“I am not ‘anybody.’ Really, Vanessa. Keeping an affair like this from your own mother. Marrying someone like him isn’t just a matter of love.”
Ceinlys would know from experience. Vanessa covered her face with a hand.
“Did you negotiate your own prenup?” her mother asked.
She sighed. “There isn’t any prenup.” Not for a lack of trying. She would’ve preferred everything to be laid out crystal clear.
Ceinlys made a vague humming noise. “I see. Well. When is the honeymoon?”
“Whenever Barron decides is good, I guess,” Vanessa grumbled.
“That man. Don’t let him walk all over you. You’re family now, not one of the servants.”
“Don’t worry. By the way, I haven’t told this to anybody except Justin, but I’m pregnant.”
“Oh.” A short pause. “Is that…? Never mind. We should meet and talk about this. Can you get away? I’m in downtown at the moment, and I can be at the Starbucks across from your office in about ten minutes.”
“You don’t have to change your plans for me,” Vanessa said.
“Don’t be silly. It’s just some shopping.”
Ceinlys hung up, and Vanessa stared at her phone. Did she have enough time to talk to her dad? Maybe yes, maybe no. Biting her lip, she dialed his number and sighed with relief when it went to voice mail.
“Dad, I married Justin Sterling about seven weeks ago. I thought I should let you know before Barron calls. Love you, bye.”
She picked up her purse and got up, then hesitated. What the heck. She took her briefcase too. She had a feeling she wouldn’t be coming back to the office after talking with her mom. It looked like the partners really wanted her to take time off—anything to keep Barron Sterling happy.
There were stares as she left, but she kept her chin up. She would not be cowed by something like this.
Ceinlys had already ordered a drink by the time Vanessa had made it to Starbucks. She got an iced tea and joined her mother at a table in the corner.
Ceinlys was dressed in black slacks topped by a dark magenta silk blouse with a round neck. Stilettos encased her impeccably pedicured feet, and not a fleck of gray showed in her hair. Her makeup was perfect, her skin smooth and flawless. With diamonds at her ears and throat, she looked like the proverbial million bucks despite going through what had to be a stressful divorce. When people had the kind of assets Ceinlys and Salazar did, divorces rarely were clean and easy… even with a prenup.
Despite her cool disinterest, a few men were checking her out. Vanessa almost bared her teeth at them. Her mother wasn’t on display at a meat market.
“So. The baby,” Ceinlys said, getting straight to the point.
Vanessa sighed. “Almost eight weeks.”
“Is that why you decided to marry?”