What kind of man would I be if I can’t tell apart my girlfriend from another woman?
The entire situation was fucked up. I directed my anger toward her, Arianna. That cunning bitch had not only manipulated him but also now messed with my family. Yes, that’s it. They’re playing with my emotions. They’ll pay for that. Then something clicked in my mind. She might have gotten a tattoo. Perhaps, his idea to save her. And Orlando must be counting on it so he could prove the woman in the photos wasn’t her.
That fucking bitch.
What kind of man would want a whore like her? Either he was crazy like her or he didn’t know her real character. I touched the side of my body, where the piercing pain has subsided to a dull throb. What would I tell Alana if she asked me?
Just then the door to the office room opened. Alana entered with an exhausted look. My gaze snapped toward her and it was too late to hide the photos.
“I saw your car outside and came searching for you. What are you doing here?” she asked, her gaze sweeping through the pictures and her shock registered on her features. Her throat moved up and down. When her gaze lifted, the worry was written all over her face.
The concealer did a great job in hiding the bags beneath her eyes, but I could see through it. She looked ready to crash. “You look tired.”
“I don’t feel well.” She ran a hand through her smooth hair.
“I told you to stay at home.” Walking around the table, I reached her in a few short strides and pulled her to my chest.
“She did it again, didn’t she?” Her voice shivered. With disgust or disbelief, I couldn’t tell. She’d known about these photos. In fact, it was Alana who persuaded Henry to keep them off the media by paying away from the paparazzi.
“Your dad refused to pay the paparazzi.” All the color drained from her face and she averted her gaze. “You okay?” I caught her chin and tipped her face to meet her gaze.
“This…” Her eyes closed. “Why would he do that? This with ruin our reputation.”
“I tried, baby. He wouldn’t listen. You know how he is.”
“You should’ve tried more.” Her voice rose and she walked to the table. “Now everyone will know about her. The shareholders, business associates, our friends.”
“It’s not just that.” I shook my head. “Her rich boyfriend filed a defamation suit claiming it wasn’t her in the photos.”
“What?!” She whirled around, eyes wide like saucers. “When?”
“This morning,” I replied. “I got a call from our PR and hurried to the court.” I exhaled, averting my face to hide the grimace caused by the pain. “Listen, you don’t have to worry about this.”
“How can I not worry, Brian? If Orlando filed a defamation suit claiming it’s not Arianna, they will now spin stories saying it’s me.” She plopped on the armchair. “Oh, God!” Tears filled her eyes and sobs slipped out.
“No one says that.” I knelt in front of her, not knowing how to comfort her. “I’m sure it’s their plan. But we will get through this. She has a tarnished reputation your father tried to hide for years by paying the paparazzi.”
“I feared this will happen someday.” She bunched my shirt in her hands, leaning to rest her head on my shoulder. “She’d been a curse to this family since our birth. I’ve been trying forever to help her and this is how she repays. What am I going to do now? She goes on with her partying ways and ruins it all.” She shook her head. “The investors will raise the hell on us.” When she lifted her head to lock her gaze with mine, her face full of concern.
“I’m sorry, baby. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I wish I never had a sister.” She sobbed, her body shaking. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I trust you, Alana. I’ll fight the hell and beyond to prove it.”
Her gaze softened “I know.” She cupped the side of my face. “What would I have done without you?” A groan slipped out of my lips when she hugged me. Her knee brushed my side. I was sure it’d have bruised.
“What happened?” Alana ran her hand along my sides and I silently lifted my shirt in response. She gasped. “Oh, God, Brian. What did he do to you? It’s him. Isn’t it?” She’d noticed my bruises after the wedding and I had told her about my confrontation with Orlando, saving the details. “You saw him this morning.”
I nodded. “I warned him to stay away from you.”
“And this is how he responds? We must file a case for assault. I’m not leaving it this time.” She stood, her face fuming.
“No. Please…”
We could do that but Orlando wouldn’t stay quiet. Knowing at least a few things about him, he’d stir the dirty water and won’t feel sorry about it. He’d make sure everyone knew about my brief affair with Arianna.
I also have learned enough about him in the past two months. He was silent and mostly kept to himself. But when someone messed with his dear ones… I shook my head and forced a smile.
Alana watched me intently. I didn’t tell her about the warning of our lawyers. They warned me to stay away from the Cortez family. Benjamin McCallister, one of the top-ranking attorneys in Linnesse acted like Orlando’s shadow. A dangerous combination.
“Brian…” Someone shook me. “Brian!”
“Huh!”
“You zoned out. Come on. Let’s go to the hospital.”
“No. I’m fine.” I shrugged off her hand from my shoulder and stood. “Let’s not talk about this again.” I held my side and eased out a breath.
“Why don’t you want to do something? Just because he’s a Cortez, it doesn’t mean he can hit you and get away with it.”
“I started it, Alana. And want to leave this.”
“But—”
“Let’s not talk about this, please…”
She looked like she wanted to argue but she shut her mouth.
“So, um… You saw the photos right?” I asked.
“Yeah.” Alana frowned.
“Do you have a birthmark or something that’ll differentiate you both?”
She shook her head. “We don’t have a birthmark.”
It would be harder than I thought. But given the history of Arianna, we could prove it. At least that was what our legal team said. Orlando’s words surfaced in my mind again. He didn’t look angry when he said that. And, he said something similar on the day of our wedding too.
“You okay, Brian?”
“Yeah.” I forced a smile. “It’s just these…” I waved at the photos on the table. “I’m worried about you. You don’t need this added stress.” I brushed my thumb on her cheek, tracing the tear streaks.
Alana’s gaze searched mine and she nodded. “We shouldn’t let this ruin us.” She exhaled a long breath and rested her head on my chest. “I’ll cook your favorite dinner.” When she lifted her head, the traces of worry had left her face. “We will get through this, Brian.” She smiled, kissing my chin.
With a sigh, I pecked her lips. “Okay. I’m meeting our legal team in an hour. I’ll be home in time for dinner.”
“Sure.”
Grabbing the photos from the table, I exited the room, leaving her. When I climbed in my car and started it, Alana waved at me from the door. With a tight smile, I stepped on the gas.
***
Arianna Swanson
“You’re pregnant!”
“Ari is pregnant!”
“Jeff!”
“Ari is pregnant!”
Rosie’s squeal pierced my eardrums and I held the phone away from my ears. An involuntary smile spread across my face as I imagined her bouncing around. It had been two days since Orlando proposed and I was happier than ever. I hadn’t told him yes. It slipped my mind then. Can you blame me? I had been riding high on emotions then.
This morning he’d greeted me with my favorite roses and breakfast in bed. The tiny pancakes on the tiny plate by the side had melted my insides.
“Bish, are you there?”
“Yeah…” I shook my head.
“You don’t have to cancel the trip.”
“I already did.”
I chuckled. That was Rosie. “I’ll see you next week then.”
Now I had to call Mike. He wouldn’t want to hear the news from anyone else but me. I didn’t know if Rosie saw the news, but she didn’t talk about it. I knew she wouldn’t miss a thing though. Just as I was about to dial Mike’s number the door opened and Orlando entered.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” He smiled with ease. “You called your friends?”
“Just Rosie. I’m about to tell Mike.”
“Hmm.” He nodded, suddenly looking nervous.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” His response came quickly. “Everything’s perfect.” There was a slight tremble to his fingers that combing through his thick hair.
“Is it? Then why do I feel you’re nervous about something?”
“It’s just… um… you hadn’t answered my question yet.”
“Oh.” I knew exactly what he talked about now.
Orlando loosened the knot of his tie and my gaze followed the movement. “So, what do you say?”
A smile spread on my lips. He didn’t meet my gaze. Not directly. His gaze kept flickering back and forth. He shifted from one foot to the other.
“Yes.”
His eyes went wide and his gaze snapped to my face. “Yes?”
“Yes.”
A full-blown smile lit his face and he scooped me into his arms. Before I could protest, he walked out of the room.
“What are you doing?”
“Marrying you.”
“What? Now?”
“Yes.”
We descended the grand marble stairs with the ornate wooden railing. The staff stood on both sides with huge grins on their faces. My heart lurched when I saw the officiator waiting for us in what looked like a makeshift stage in the center of the living room. They have moved the flower vases near the stage and laid out a red carpet forming an aisle
A sudden thought crossed my head. That morning Gaby had given me a knee-length white floral dress to wear. It was simple but elegant. When she curled my hair, I’d asked why she was doing it. She’d said she was just pampering me.
Gaby’s sported a bright smile as she stood hand in hand with Uncle Frisby. They stood on the left side. Ricardo and Grandpapa Cortez stood on the right side of the aisle. I didn’t miss Uncle Rick wiping the moisture in his eyes with a quick swipe of his hand.
“Mike and Rosie are gonna kill me.” My eyes were wide when he lowered my feet to the floor. No shoes. My heart raced and my gaze swept around. He wanted us to get married. Now.
Orlando took the small bouquet of pink roses from Gaby and handed it to me. “We’ll marry again in a more lavish setting with all of them.”
“Why now?” I eyed the officiator.
“Because I’m a selfish man.” He ran a hand through his hair again. “I don’t want to wait. The two months without you had been hell and I now know how much I want you. I don’t want to delay the inevitable.”
But deep down I sensed his fear. While it kind of felt a caveman style, this was Orlando. The man who’d sworn off women. My gaze was on him, observing the telltale signs of his anxiety. Why? It could be the need to secure our relationship. As a teenager, I had dreamt of marriage with him. Now that I was minutes away from it, I wondered if we were hurrying things. “I don’t want you to regret this.” I searched his face for any signs of doubt or hesitation.
“I regret I hadn’t done this sooner.” His expression didn’t waver.
My belly dipped.
“Marriage is a lifelong commitment.”
“I won’t have it otherwise.” Determination flashed in his eyes.
“Do you have a ring?”
“Yes.”
Turning toward the officiator, I smiled. “Let’s skip to ‘I do’s’.”
Because why the hell not?
Chapter – 25
Orlando Cortez
Arianna laughed at something Mike said. She clapped and threw her head back, her laughter chimed out. The custom-designed diamond ring sparkled on her finger. If it was the lights playing tricks or was she really glowing? I couldn’t tell, but certainly, her spirits were high and she beamed like Christmas lights. Bright and warm.
Rosalinda and Mike continued to pull her legs. They reached two days after our wedding. Enrique gave me a hard time for not waiting, but he understood my need to tie the knot. Mike and Rosie had the most surprising reaction to our wedding and pregnancy news. They laughed, saying they expected me to whisk Arianna away long ago.
My wife’s cheeks and neck had grown redder on hearing something Rosie whispered in her ears. She playfully hit her best friend, her gaze briefly meeting mine. I wished this smile lasted on her face. The next couple of months would be hard on her with the legal proceedings. Thanks to her beloved sister.
I worked from home because going to work has become a headache with all the media attention. Also, I didn’t want to leave my wife alone.
My phone vibrated, flashing Benjamin’s name. “Hey.”
“Congratulations on your wedding, Mr. Cortez.”
“Thank you.”
“So, I can already see this wedding playing out in our favor.” I could imagine Benjamin smirking as he spoke. “You said she’s pregnant. I will need her medical reports.”
“Consider it done.”
“All right, then. Talk to you later.”
“Sure.”
My wife threw the apple she was biting at, on Mike and clutched her stomach as she laughed out loud. She laughed so hard that tears pricked her eyes. My wife. That sounded so much better. There was another selfish reason why I hurried with the wedding. I didn’t want her to face the proceedings as a Swanson, the infamous twin. Now, she’ll be Arianna Cortez, my wife and the mother of my child. I didn’t want her name associated with a family that didn’t love her.
While I learned the Swanson twins barely had any physical differences that could tell them apart, her tattoo will help. But it wasn’t a piece of solid evidence. The defense would argue she’d gotten it recently and we morphed photos to resemble Alana. The media would feed onto the crap.
Alana portrayed a perfect socialite image. People believed her. To the outside world, she was a perfect daughter who followed her father’s footsteps. We needed more. Good, because I had my suspicions ever since I saw the changed color of her hair and had Marcus’ team watching over her. Mike also said he had documented her getting the tattoo to use it to embarrass her at some point in time. That was good evidence. Benjamin’s team would handle the lab tests and such.
The media vultures stalked our family for the past week. But I kept the news of our wedding, a secret. With Enrique on board, my work had reduced a lot.
My phone buzzed again. This time from the security at the gate. Swiping the answer button, I pressed it to my ear.
“Mrs. Schultz is at the gate demanding to meet you.”
Mrs. Schultz?
Switching to the security feed on my laptop, fury nicked my veins when I saw her. Oh, here comes the sister dearest. “I’m busy.”
“She’s insisting on meeting you and said she wouldn’t leave without seeing you.” The security’s voice lowered, “The media thinks she’s Mrs. Cortez.”
Fuck.
I noticed the black sedan she drove here and something struck my mind. “Hold on.” I caught Mike’s gaze and beckoned him over. He reached my side in a few long strides. His eyes narrowed at the camera feed, where I pointed.
“It’s her car,” he confirmed and pointed at the number plate. The muscle in his jaw ticked.
No wonder the media would connect that to Arianna. That cunning bitch. I swear I rarely addressed a woman with such disrespect, but her kind deserved no respect.
“Both received a black sedan on their seventeenth birthday. Arianna stopped driving it months ago since she
broke up with Brian,” Mike said, “ I swear Alana does this on purpose.”
“Let her in!” My wife’s gaze cut into mine at my growl. “Arianna, go inside. Now!” I turned to Mike. “Keep her away from her eyes. I’ll keep my phone on for you to listen.”
Arianna frowned, but followed Mike when he took her hand. Her friends threw a worried glance at me before following them. With clenched fists and jaws, I headed to my office on the ground floor.
“Here,” I heard the butler say approximately ten minutes later.
I called Mike’s number and I pressed the record button as I waited for her to show up. Unlike her usual sophisticated look, Alana dressed down to resemble. Biting the insides of my cheek, I kept my cool. The wedding ring on her hand was the only thing that gave away her identity.
Well, the media wouldn’t know my wife had changed her identity long ago. She had really kept a low key to stay away from them all.
“What brings you here, Mrs. Schultz?”
Her lashes fluttered when her gaze lifted to meet mine. Slender fingers ran through her hair as she stood there. The action struck a sense of familiarity. My gaze narrowed, wondering how similar they were. Their uncanny resemblance always took me by surprise.
I didn't ask her to sit and wasn’t planning to do so.
“I’m here to talk.”
If I closed my eyes, her voice might fool me. It was so similar to hers. But I was keen to see their differences. “Take your seat.” I gestured her to an empty seat on the opposite side of the table.
“Thank you.” She gave me a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Our gazes locked briefly and she wet her lips, averting her eyes. “The past few days were hard on our family,” she said. “Hell, it had been hard on us for the past seven years. Why would you do something like this? What did we ever do to you?”
Hmm… Interesting.
Alana didn’t meet my gaze for over five seconds. Her fingers fiddled and her lashes fluttered. My wife never did that. Arianna always met the eyes of the person she spoke with. To me, that meant only one thing. Dishonesty. Alana carried too many secrets for her own good.
Resisting Her (Moving On Duology Book 2) Page 20