Chapter 16

“Explain that discrepancy to me,” I tell my team, pointing at the slide they presented to me.

Farhana, my CTO, instantly begins to type furiously. “That doesn’t look right to me,” she agrees.

Mitch, my CFO, leans in to look at Farhana’s screen. “Let me recalculate that,” he says, his voice trembling. “I have no idea how this could have happened.”

“How the hell did none of you spot this when I noticed the figures couldn’t be right at a glance? I’ve told you countless times how important this project is — especially as it’s a joint one with Windsor Real Estate and Thorne Developments. These kinds of elementary mistakes make us look bad not just in front of the client, but in front of our peers, our competitors. No one is leaving this room until these figures are resolved and these slides are presentable.”

As if on cue, the doors to my conference room swing open. “I’m afraid I can’t just let you enter,” Sam says, his voice frantic, but there’s no stopping my future wife.

Sierra walks in, her beautiful eyes tinged red, like she’s been crying. My heart wrenches as I rise from my seat, the implication clear. She found out about our engagement, and she isn’t just unhappy about it, she’s devastated. For once, she’s caught me entirely off guard. I didn’t think she’d respond well to the news, but I never expected it to make her sad.

“Sierra,” I say, nodding politely, my tone mellow, cautious.

Her eyes roam over my board members, and her cheeks turn beautifully rosy. “I’m sorry, Mr. Kingston,” Sam says. “I told her to wait, but the meeting lasted longer than expected, and she thought I was just stalling⁠—”

“— you made her wait?” I ask, my tone carrying a hint of danger. He should know better than to make Sierra wait, but then again, she’s never walked into my office during office hours. She’s only ever broken in, wreaking havoc for me to find the next day.

“Xavier,” she says, her tone weary and lacking its usual fire.

“Get out.”

She recoils and I instantly realize she misunderstood. “I need to speak to⁠—”

“— get out,” I repeat, glancing at my board members. “I need a word with Ms. Windsor, in private. You have until tomorrow to sort out the figures we just discussed.”

My team all breathe a sigh of relief, no doubt grateful for the reprieve. The door closes behind Farhana, and I take a step toward my fiancée. Her breath hitches when I come to a stop in front of her, leaving nothing but an inch between our bodies. I thought she might step back, but she faces me head-on, her expression unwavering.

“Why did it have to be you?” she whispers, sounding pained.

I thought she might try to convince me to speak to her grandmother and end our engagement — I did not expect quiet acceptance.

I push down a hint of panic and try my best not to overthink my response. “Why not me? This merger would make our joint company unstoppable, and though you might not want to acknowledge it, we’re better off working with each other, instead of against each other.”

“You’d marry me for the sake of your business? Xavier, you already have over half the market share. There’s no need⁠—”

“I want more,” I say, knowing full well she’ll misunderstand. She always does.

She turns her back to me and runs a hand through her hair, her face tipped up toward the ceiling. I’ve never seen her look quite so helpless. It isn’t a look I like on her, and I fucking hate that I’m the cause of it.

“I’ll marry you,” she says, turning to face me, her expression crestfallen. “If that’s what my grandmother wants, I’ll do it, but I hope you know it’ll never be a conventional marriage.”

I raise a brow and lean back against my conference table. “What does that mean?”

“We’ll pretend in front of our families, and we’ll show them exactly what they want to see, but behind closed doors, I don’t want anything to do with you.”

I smirk despite the way my heart aches. “Sure didn’t look like that when you wrapped your legs around me, your lips on mine.”

Her eyes flash, that fire I’ve gotten used to making her emerald irises sparkle. She steps forward and places her hand on my chest, anger radiating off her. “If we’re to be married, I expect you to adhere to some rules.”

“What rules?” I ask, wrapping my hand around her wrist, keeping it in place.

“I expect discretion from you. Don’t let your flings into the home you share with me, don’t get caught cheating, and don’t tell anyone about our marriage. If my grandmother sets the same rules for us as she did for my brothers, we’ll only have to be married for three years. You can manage those three simple rules for three years, can’t you?”

I stare at her wide-eyed and shake my head, a humorless laugh escaping my throat as barely contained rage takes hold of me. “Discretion, you say?” I reach for her and grab her waist, catching her off guard as I turn us around and lift her onto the table. My hands move to her thighs, and she gasps as I push her legs apart to stand between them, her skirt riding up. “Kingston men don’t cheat,” I tell her, my grip tight. “There won’t be any need for discretion, Sierra. I won’t look at anyone but you, won’t touch anyone but you. For as long as you’re my wife, I’ll be loyal and faithful to you, and I expect the same in return.”

She searches my face, and I’m certain I see a flicker of hope in her gorgeous eyes. “Don’t pretend you’re actually going to stay away from Valeria, and I won’t pretend I’ll stay away from Graham.”

I clench my jaws, my thumbs brushing over her soft skin in an attempt to control my temper. “I don’t know what’s going on between you and him, but it ends now. Don’t fucking test me on this. The only bed you’ll find yourself in is mine, Sierra.”

“I’ll never want you,” she snaps. “Not in a million years.”

I cup the back of her neck, my thumb brushing over her pulse point. “Then I’ll wait a million years and a day, Kitten. I’ll wait forever if I need to, so long as you understand that you’re mine as much as I’m yours.”

“So not at all then,” she says, something unfamiliar flickering through her eyes.

I sigh and drop my forehead to hers. “She’s family,” I say carefully. “I get how it looks. Truly, I do. But I swear to you that you’re entirely wrong about Valeria. It isn’t what you think, and quite frankly, the mere insinuation is sickening.”

She pulls back a little to look at me, betrayal written all over her face. “I know your family, Xavier — every single one of them. I’ve seen them at various events for nearly a decade now. Do you take me for a fool?”

I thread a hand through her hair and force her to face me. “Fuck the past and everything you think you know,” I snap. “Fuck every goddamn misconception you insist on having, and listen to me. I will never, ever, cheat on you. I am yours, and yours only, Sierra, whether you like it or not.”