Chapter 161
-LIVIA-
Dad’s office always felt like a courtroom.
I had been in here for report cards and every time I got in trouble.
Tonight the tension was tighter. The lamp on the desk made a small gold circle on the blotter.
Everything outside that circle felt like it was waiting to be sentenced.
“Sit.”
I sat.
William Monroe did not sit with me at first. He stood behind the chair like the articles were stacked in his
hands.
I could still smell Roman’s jacket on me. I should have taken it off. I had not. In some ways, it gave me
comfort.
“I saw the pictures,” he said. “The articles. I gave you one chance not to make the same mistake twice. You made a larger one.”
“Nothing happened in the hotel with Luca Vescari.” My voice came out soft, not wishing to anger him further. “There was a girl there. Charlotte. His best friend. He ordered food. We spoke a little. That is the entire hour I stayed there.”
Dad’s eyes were cold in a way that had nothing to do with whether he believed me.
“Do you think the people who saw those articles will believe that? With the reputation Luca Vescari has? Club footage last week. Hotel room tonight. It’s a pattern.”
“The pattern is a lie.”
“The pattern is what I have to manage.”
He walked to the window, then back. Each step sounded like a decision already filed. When he spoke again it was louder, sudden.
Then a name dropped.
“Nico Shaw.”
What did Blair’s brother-in-law have to do with any of this?
I frowned. “Why are you saying his name?”
“That is the man you will marry at the end of the month.” He watched it hit my face. “I am being generous. I gave Blair less than a week. You get the rest of the month. Announcements start at the end of this week. You will be seen with him. Dinners. Photographs. It will be enough to stop all the articles about you and Luca. It’s the distraction that is currently needs.”
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I stared at him.
The room seemed to shake. End of the month. Nico. Grayson’s brother. The man who ate leftover pasta in Blair’s kitchen and helped me to get Luca’s number.
“You cannot be serious. Grayson’s brother?”
“Grayson is a great man. A great son-in-law. His brother will be no different.” There was a short pause. And since you are clearly interested in F1 drivers, Nico is one. I thought about you. This is not cruelty. You seem to like men who can race. Nico is an excellent driver. Your marriage will perform.”
I stood up so fast the chair scraped. “I am not marrying Nico Shaw. I barely know him. That is not a husband. That is an ambush.”
“Sit down.”
“No.”
“You will sit, or you will stand and hear it anyway. The announcement goes out. The wedding happens. I am not stopping it. I gave you a chance Olivia. You can’t say I didn’t.”
“I told you the truth.”
“The truth does not stop the scandal.” His voice rose. Not shouting yet. Worse. Controlled. “You used the chance I gave you to walk into a hotel with a player. A man known for sleeping around with women everywhere he touches down.”
“He is not the same-”
“I do not care.” He put both hands on the desk. “You will marry Nico. You will smile in the pictures. You will stop handing this family’s name to reporters.”
My throat burned. “You cannot do this to me, father.”
I almost told him I was in love with Roman. Almost.
“I can protect this family from the next scandal. That is what I have always done. Blair survived it. She is happy. You may be too. You may not. Either way, you will not be the girl associated with Luca Vescari
anymore.”
“Blair was forced. You are lucky it actually worked out for her.”
“Blair is married to a man who takes good care of her. Who stayed. Who put this family back together after a disaster you are now repeating with a different last name.” He leaned in. “Nico is available. Nico is respectable enough. I do not have to introduce a stranger. He works well for us. You will also be close to your sister. Like you’ve always wanted.”
“I will not sign anything.”
“You will not have to for the papers to print it. The announcement will be out whether you like it or not.”
We argued until my voice went raw and his did not change.
I told him I would run. He told me there was nowhere to run that did not have a camera.
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The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
“Roman-“I cut myself off.
ad’s gaze sharpened. “I do not want to hear anything else Olivia. It is already decided for you. All you had to do was stay out of trouble but you couldn’t even do that.”
The jacket felt heavier. I wanted to scream that this was unfair, that I was in love with Roman, that it wouldn’t happen again.
I had no intention of seeing Luca. It was a one-time thing. A reaction from getting hurt by the man I actually wanted to be with.
I swallowed it. Dad would hear Roman’s name and the problem would become bigger than Nico.
“This is my life,” I said.
“This is my family,” he answered. “You live in it. You will not destroy it for a night you claim was innocent
Destroy it? In what way?
“It was innocent.”
“Then marrying Nico will be easy. You will have nothing to hide.”
I laughed once. “You are unbelievable. What a father you are.”
“I am caring.” He straightened. “I care about my children and their futures. I do everything in my power to keep them secure and away from scandals. This wedding is happening. End of the month. Announcements by the end of the week. Prepare yourself.”
I left the office in total shock.
End of the month.
Announcements by the end of the week.
And the only person I wanted to run to had just been sent home by my brother.
Things weren’t exactly smooth between us either. I made it clear I was going to keep my distance from him from now on. I inwardly groaned, questioning why I had to blurt that out in the heat of the moment.
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The Mockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
Dex Morgan
Dex works to elevate each story with clean writing, emotional balance, and thoughtful flow for readers.