WIFE WANTED (A Billionaire Bad Boy Romance) (24 page)

“Sorry, couldn’t get a cab,” Phoebe said, feeling her own face light up when her mom recognized her.

“That’s all right. Charlotte kept me company.”

Phoebe kissed her cheek and thanked her friend before she sat down on the bed beside her mom. Charlotte left the two of them alone. “You feeling good today?”

“I am. Doctor Chambers tells me I’ll soon be ready for surgery, but I have told him it’s not possible.”

“What? Mom, you have to have that surgery,” Phoebe said, panicked.

“We can’t afford it, sweetheart. I’m well enough to understand how far in debt you are, and you are not going to put yourself in any more to try and give me a few more years.” She squeezed her daughter’s hand as Phoebe shook her head.

“But I have the money,” Phoebe told her.

“How? Phoebe, what did you do?”

She shrunk in on herself. “I have a boyfriend who’s willing to put up the money.”

Her mom stared at her long and hard. “Phoebe, you don’t love him.”

“That’s not the issue. The issue is you having this surgery, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

“Phoebe Anna Baron, you listen to me right now,” her mother said, and she turned to find her mom’s eyes narrowed. “You are not to take this money. The second you do, you are going to feel bound to this person forever. I will not let you feel like that just so I can have a surgery.”

“But Mom…you have to have it… You’ll die.”

“Oh, sweetie,” her mom said, wiping the tears away from Phoebe’s eyes as they started to fall. “I know that lately I haven’t been there for you, but I can see what pain you’ve been through. I can’t ask you to keep putting me first like this. Ever since your father died, I haven’t been myself. I miss him so much. I was supposed to go first, you know.”

“Neither one of you was supposed to go,” Phoebe muttered.

“Everyone has their time, Phoebe. If mine comes sooner rather than later, well, I’ll get to see your father then.”

“I can’t let you do this.”

Her mom grinned and leaned in close. “I’m not giving you a choice. It’s my head, remember?”

Phoebe smiled and let her mother hold her close, a feeling she hadn’t had in a long time. Being comforted by the one woman in the world who understood her better than anyone.

“Now, Charlotte tells me you had a falling out with this other man?”

“Course she did.”

“Well, what’s wrong with him? She said you were quite fond of that one.”

“It’s complicated, Mom.”

“So un-complicate it. Phoebe, life is too short for complications. If you love the man, then tell him,” she said. “Don’t waste time. Please, for me. If I am only going to live for a short while, I’d like to see you happy before I go.”
Phoebe and her mom clung to each other tightly as they talked about men and love, the ways of the heart, and how precious time was. A few hours later, Phoebe left the hospital and her mom, knowing what she had to do. She headed to Mitch’s place first. It was late enough that he would be home. She pounded on the door, and the second he answered, she hauled back her fist and punched him in the face.

“Ow, damn it,” she cursed as he rubbed his jaw and stared at her, confused.

“What the hell was that for?” he muttered.

“You lying to me, just like everyone else has. I’m sick of it. I know they paid you to keep me away from those files,” she snapped. “I’m done playing this game by their rules, and I’m done with you.”

Part of her hoped he’d deny it, but he just stood there, arms crossed over his chest.

“Fine, be that way. See ya’ around, Mitch.”

“Phoebe, what are you going to do? You can’t go up against them. Yancey will make your life a living hell if you get in the way of their plans.”

She stopped and turned back to glare at him. “Not if I make his life a living hell first.”

Without another word, she turned and stormed down the hall. Mitch called out to her, trying to get her back, yelling about her mom, but she tuned it all out. Her mom had been right. Her heart would never let Mitch in, not all the way, and she would never be able to trust him. This was her only option, breaking ties with him and putting this business behind her once and for all.

When she reached the street, she pulled out her cell and made a call. “Yeah, it’s Phoebe. We need to talk.”

***

Riley walked into his office, holding a laptop bag, still trying to make sense of this plan Ben had. He said the laptop had come to him from an anonymous source, but he’d checked it out. The laptop was Riley Marston’s, his grandfather’s. He’d questioned his friend about it, but Ben had refused to say who had dropped it off. Said it didn’t matter. What did matter was catching the mole and getting rid of Diane Chandler’s meddling.

It was still going to leave Riley in a legal clinch, but he’d figure that out if they made it through this morning’s events.

“Diane is on her way up,” Ben called out from Linda’s desk.

The woman in question was seated behind him and didn’t even look up. She seemed scared almost, and Riley knew that all this time, he and Ben had been blinded by her charm and sweetness. Riley felt for Ben, having to accept the fact that Linda had used him, but they hadn’t told her anything yet. First, they had to catch the big fish. Then wait and see if she turned on the others.

The cops had already been called and were waiting nearby, dressed in street clothes. Riley had informed the local detectives that some thieving had been taking place from his company and his grandfather’s private home. The second he’d mentioned Diane’s name, the detective on the phone had laughed.

“Damn, we’ve been trying to nail her for fraud for years. What time is she coming in?”

With that, the trap was set and ready to spring the second Diane confessed.

Riley stood in his office and waited, laptop bag out of sight under his desk. Any second now, she was going to appear on the floor and the game would begin. Ben stayed with Linda, just in case she tried to make a run for it. Riley felt his hands twitch impatient; then he heard Diane’s voice and forced himself to take a deep breath.

“Keep it together,” he muttered to himself. “Don’t lose your temper, not yet.”

Diane said a curt hello to Ben, and Riley caught her sideways glance at Linda, but the latter didn’t even make eye contact. “Darling, I am very busy with the wedding plans,” she said when she entered his office. “What do you need?”

“Just to go over some quick details,” he said, forcing a smile on his face. He reached up and tugged at the silver stud in his ear. “Some minor issues I need to clear up. You were at my grandfather’s ranch quite a lot. I was wondering if you ever noticed a laptop.”

Diane hesitated for just a second before she sat down in the chair. “Laptop? I don’t think so, why?”

“Because one is missing and I was just trying to understand how long it had been gone.”

She frowned, then readjusted her blouse. “Had been gone? I haven’t the slightest idea why you’d be asking me about it. Your grandfather hardly ever discussed his past work here with me.”

“You two were very close, and yes,” he said, “had been gone. Thankfully, it turned up just this morning.” He reached down, grabbed the laptop from the bag, and set it on the desk in front of him. “This one—you don’t ever remember seeing it?”

He watched as her eyes widened, and she cleared her throat. “No, I don’t believe so. Where did you find it?”

“Well, that’s an interesting story. A good Samaritan apparently found it and after he or she opened it up and realized it belonged to this company. It was turned in yesterday evening to Ben. Quite lucky, really. To think what would’ve happened if any of this got into the wrong hands,” he said, tapping his fingers on it. “But, no matter. I have it back.”

She shifted in her chair, and he saw her hands curl around the arms of it. “Who was this person? Who turned it in?”

Riley shrugged. “Not sure. Ben met with her.”

“Her? It was a her?” she yelled.

“Is there a problem, dear?”

“No…no, of course not. I just wanted to know who it was so I could properly thank her.”

“Well, I’m afraid we will never know. Now then, I have a few meetings this afternoon with my lawyers. Changing a few accounts around and making sure that most of the company shares remain in my name. You understand, of course.”

Diane shook her head. “No, I’m afraid I don’t. What are you doing?”

“Well, that’s none of your damn business now, is it? Oh, and I think we might need to change the wedding plans, too,” he added, sitting in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “Since you are currently screwing the competition.”

Diane’s face flushed as she jumped to her feet. “That little bitch! I knew it was her!”

Riley tried to keep his face blank. “Who?”

“She’s ruined everything! He must have told her about it—” She immediately clamped her lips shut, but Riley wasn’t going to let her off that easy.

“So you are having an affair with Yancey. Did you cheat on my grandfather, too?”

“No, I did not say anything,” she argued.

“You did, didn’t you? All those business trips—you were actually over in Yancey’s office getting what you wanted from him. What deal did you make with him, huh? What could you possible get from an arrogant bastard like him?”

“More than your grandfather ever gave me,” she yelled. “More than he ever let me have. Giving everything to you! I was his everything, and he was just going to leave every last bit of what really mattered to you!”

Riley stood slowly and leaned on his desk. “I am his blood.”

“I was almost his wife! So damn close to finishing this damn merger and then that damn woman had to stick her nose in it and take everything from me! She stole it from me, that traitorous little bitch.”

“Stole what?” Ben asked from the doorway.

“The damned laptop!” Diane slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide as she glanced between Riley and Ben.

“This laptop,” Riley said as his anger boiled over. “That’s funny, I thought you never saw it before. You lying to your future husband now? And cheating on me?”

“No, that’s not what I said… No, I just…I have to get out of here and find…find…ah…”

“Shut up, you idiot!” Linda yelled from her desk.

Ben turned to glare at her, and Linda cursed and bolted from her desk. Two plainclothes cops charged out from behind a cubicle and grabbed her before she reached the stairwell.

“Get your hands off of me!”

“You’re under arrest for taking bribes and theft,” one of the cops said, quickly reading her rights. “I’m sure, once we get downtown, we’ll find a few more things to charge you with.” As they took her away, two more detectives went into Riley’s office and started to cuff Diane.

“Do you know who I am? Get your hands off of me!”

“Ma’am, I suggest you keep your mouth shut,” the detective on the left said as he thanked Riley for his assistance. “I have a feeling she’ll turn over her other associates once we get her in the tank.”

“The tank? You can’t put me in a holding cell! My lawyer will hear about this!”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s what all you rich women say. Mr. Marston, be seeing you.”

The detectives took both cuffed women to the elevator. Riley let out a breath, trying to release the last bits of his anger with it. One problem solved, but another still loomed overhead. He turned to ask Ben what he should do, but his friend wasn’t there. He glanced around and found him talking to a green-eyed woman, grinning from ear to ear.

“Phoebe!” Riley called out.

The second she heard him, she turned, her smile disappearing and took off for the stairs.

“Phoebe, wait,” he yelled, but Ben grabbed him. “It was her, wasn’t it? She found the laptop.”

“Yeah, she said she wanted to do something to make it right,” he said.

“I have to talk to her,” Riley argued.

“She doesn’t want to talk to you. Let her go, Riley. Push too hard and well…” He trailed off. It was already too late for anything. “Come on, you have two weeks to find a bride.”

Riley sighed and tugged at his ear. “You know what? You find me a damn bride. I don’t want to meet her 'til the wedding. I’m tired of this, so freaking tired.” He rubbed the back of his neck and watched his employees gossip with each other over the latest events. Soon enough, William Yancey would be facing allegations for his role in all of this. Riley didn’t even care anymore. He’d saved his company. That was all he could hope for in this world.

Love and happiness had just run out the door and left him alone for a second time.

Chapter 25

Two weeks went by in a blur, and before he knew it, Riley found himself being driven to a small chapel outside of the city for an even smaller wedding. He tugged at his ear until Ben grabbed his wrist and told him to knock it off.

“You wanted this, remember,” his friend said. “You wanted complete detachment until today.”

“Yeah, well, never said I was going to be happy about it.” Riley sulked. “You said she was pretty, right? I’m not marrying a horse or something?”