His Little Wife Lie: A Billionaire Fake Marriage Romance

by Storm, Sloan

  After fighting so hard to get Sneaks back, I had no choice.

  I can't lie, though. Those pictures and the text messages. I couldn't imagine what she must be thinking. It tore me apart, picturing the look on her face, the pain it must've caused her.

  My guess is she'd probably taken off. Gone home. Unfortunately, there wasn't a goddamn thing I could do about that right now.

  The guys knocked at the door.

  I walked over and opened it. The two of them looked at each other and then at me.

  "Jesus Christ, bro." Trav said, half a chuckle spluttering from his mouth. "What the hell happened to you?"

  "Yeah, you look like shit, Griff. What gives?"

  Neither one of them looked much better. However, they'd spent the whole night getting their dicks worked, so at least they enjoyed themselves. My luck had been far shittier.

  "Come in." I stood to one side and motioned for them to enter. "I'm hoping the two of you have some answers for me."

  They walked inside, and Trav turned around. "Answers about what?"

  I didn't have any time to waste. "The whore. Name's Tabitha. Did you guys hire her?"

  They took a quick look at each other and shrugged.

  "I mean, I really couldn't say," Gunnar replied. "A bunch of girls came later. Maybe she was one of 'em. Why do you want to know?"

  I spent the next few minutes telling them everything I could remember. Tabitha showed up right after I came back from their suite. She made herself a drink and gave me what was left of the soda she used. That's how she did it. Once I was unconscious, she'd taken a bunch of pictures of the two of us together and sent them to Sneaks.

  "What the fuck? Are you serious?" Trav asked.

  "As a heart attack."

  Gunnar whistled in astonishment. "That's fucking insane."

  Even though I didn't enjoy asking the question, I had no choice. If it was true, then there was going to be some serious hell to pay. If it wasn't, at least it was one less thing I had to worry about.

  "I hate fucking asking this, but was this your idea of a bachelor party prank?"

  Thankfully, the two of them shook their heads and vehemently denied knowing anything about it.

  "Dude," Trav groaned, giving me a glare. "Seriously? No fucking way. You know how we felt about Lily. We would never do something like that."

  "Yeah, I know," I grumbled. "Sorry. Had to ask. Goddamn it."

  "Don't sweat it," Gunnar said. "What's going on with Lily? Have you talked to her?"

  Wiping a hand of frustration down my face, I shook my head at him. "No idea, she won't answer when I call. My guess is she's long gone by now."

  "Damn. She'd just leave like that?"

  I didn't have any interest bringing up what happened with Dillard. It wouldn't have made any difference, anyway. The only thing I cared about was finding this Tabitha chick, and sooner rather than later, because if Trav and Gunnar weren't pranking me, I realized I had much bigger problem.

  Someone was trying to sabotage my wedding to Sneaks.

  But who?

  And why?

  I confessed my suspicion to the guys. "I think somebody did this to me on purpose, but I have no idea who. Look, I need the two of you to talk to all of the girls from the party last night. One of them must know who she is."

  Trav shot me a look, pulling out his phone at the same time. "Are you sure that's her name… Tabitha?"

  "Yeah. Tabitha. That's what she told me, anyway. Fuck me if that's even real, but that's all I've got."

  "Okay, man. We'll get on it and see what we can find out. Wanna meet later and talk about it?"

  I shook my head. "Can't. I'm cutting the rest of my trip short and heading back to Portland. If she's still there, which I doubt, the only chance I'll have to convince her I'm innocent is in person since she's not responding to my texts or calls."

  Trav stepped forward and gave me a slap on the shoulder. "Try not to worry about it. We'll track her down, and once we do, we'll be in touch."

  While I wasn't crazy about leaving Vegas without her info, I really had no choice. If there was any shred of hope Sneaks hadn't already bolted, I had to get home in a hurry to stop her.

  Within a matter of hours, I was home, and on the way to her room, I spotted something on the kitchen counter. Shit.

  She'd left the engagement ring behind and a note, scribbled in her cute girly scrawl.

  Only the message on it was far from adorable…

  DO NOT come looking for me. ASSHOLE!

  28

  Trick Up My Sleeve (Lily)

  On the verge of complete exhaustion, I checked into the hotel and made my way to the room.

  He hadn't given up, far from it. Texting and calling nonstop. Ass. I hadn't bothered to look at any of the messages or listen to any of the voicemails. If he kept it up, I'd have to delete his number and block him.

  Not sure why I hadn't done it already.

  After I got in the room, I drew the blinds and turned off my phone again.

  I laid down on the bed for a few minutes, hoping to get some rest. Even though I'd managed to sleep on the bus, it was noisy, and the smell from the diesel engine gave me a headache. Whatever. It was worth it to get away from him. I hadn't been laying there for long when I realized there was no chance I’d get sleep here either.

  The housekeeping staff made the rounds, noise and chaos following them everywhere they went.

  Vacuums whined and doors slammed.

  Ugh.

  Grabbing one of the pillows, I pulled it over my face when Tiny Me decided to speak up.

  You can't go on like this. This is not your fault. You aren't the one who should be going around feeling tortured and devastated. He's pure evil! You know that now. You have to fight back, do something to stand up for yourself - once and for all.

  I pushed the pillow off my face.

  Okay. But what?

  The idea came to me in a flash. A burst of energy ignited my body, sending me out of bed and headed for the lobby.

  Unfortunately, the hotel didn't offer shuttle service to the airport. However, after offering the manager some easy cash for a twenty minute round-trip, I was in my car and on the way to Foster Ranch.

  Yep, it was time to tell Papa exactly what kind of grandson he had.

  While I drove, I remembered our first meeting. I came away from it liking him a lot. Of course, it didn't hurt I reminded him of his wife. Whatever the reason, he seemed to like me as well.

  That made it harder. I mean, I wasn't crazy about what I had to do. Still, I was done with being treated like crap by Griff.

  Two can play this game…

  I doubted I could get past the front gate, so I decided to follow the dirt trail Griff drove the first day we met. Eventually, I wound up at the back of the home, and after finding the closest door, I turned the knob.

  Miracle of miracles, it opened, and I tiptoed inside.

  It took me a while, but before long, I located the hallway leading to Papa's room. Determined, I picked up the pace and summoned every ounce of courage I had. I would need it.

  "Excuse me!" a voice called out from behind.

  Freezing in place, I turned. It was Jules, the head of the medical staff I'd met on my first visit.

  "No one's allowed to be here," she said, walking up to me.

  When she got close, I noticed her expression change as she remembered who I was. "Oh, hello. Lily, right? Griff's fiancé?"

  I smiled at her. "Yeah. Jules?"

  "That's right. Good to see you again." She paused, looking around. "Where's… Griff? I hadn't received notice he would be coming."

  Shit. "Oh, um, he's not here. I'm in town visiting my mom, and I thought I'd stop by to see Papa. I mean, if that's okay."

  "Hmm." She frowned, pursing her lips. "Well, he's been sleeping most of the day. Come with me and we can check, though."

  Whew. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

  "Don't mention it. Believe me, he'll be happy to see yo
u. You made quite the impression on him."

  I wondered how that might change in the next few minutes. Would he hate my guts by the time I finished? Probably. But at this point, it was too late to worry about it. I'd made up my mind, and nothing was going to change it.

  We reached his bedroom door. "Wait here for a second."

  Jules disappeared inside. My mind raced, thoughts about what I wanted to say jumbled together like a one hundred car pileup on an icy interstate. Should I really be doing this? I chewed on my lip, second-guessing myself. While I wanted to get back at Griff, I didn't want to hurt Papa.

  I didn't have long to think it over. Jules reappeared, gesturing over her shoulder.

  "Lily?" My eyes locked on her. "You can come in."

  I let out a long shallow breath through my nose, pushing the anxiety away in a heated puff. When I turned the corner, Papa came into view, raising his frail arms.

  "Lily, my dear!"

  After thanking Jules again, I walked toward him, smiling. "Hey, Papa."

  I noticed he had a similar frown like Jules did a few minutes earlier. Without having to ask, I knew what the first question would be, so I stopped at the side of his bed and answered it.

  "So, Griff's not with me. I just came home to visit my mom for a couple of days. And, to see you, of course."

  The concern vanished from his expression. "Well, I'm glad to see you, anyway. With or without Griff." He patted the mattress. "Have a seat."

  I did, but before I could say anything, his frown returned.

  "All right, now that we have the pleasantries out of the way. What's Griff done?"

  I mean, where do I start? His direct question caught me by surprise. There were so many things I could tell him. Seriously, we could be here for hours.

  After clearing my throat, I pushed out the first few words. "I just want to say I think you are a very nice man. I hope that what I have to tell you doesn't affect the way you feel about me too much."

  Papa shifted his position, straightening his arms and sitting up. "I don't like the sound of that… Griff's done something terrible, hasn't he?"

  "He has." I nodded. My mouth went dry in an instant. Choking down my guilt, I continued. "But so have I. That's why I'm here."

  For the first time since I'd met him, Papa gave me a disapproving look. It sucked.

  "Come on then, out with it."

  It was a loooong few minutes, but I managed to spit out the confession. I told him about how Griff had me fired from my old job at the creamery only to propose a fake engagement with me receiving seven figures in exchange for saying yes. All of it was to fool Papa, making sure he satisfied the requirements of his will. And even though I could've left the last tidbit out, I didn't.

  What can I say? I was pissed. I told him Griff cheated on me, and I'd ended it for good.

  "So, that's it. I'm so sorry."

  I couldn't believe I'd just blurted it all out. Even more surprising to me was how easy the words flowed once I started. I sat there looking at him, trying to gauge his mood. Papa's expression hadn't really changed since I started talking.

  Was he angry?

  Disappointed?

  I felt the need to fill the silence.

  "I just want you to know, I take responsibility for participating in his scam. I knew better. It's not an excuse, but I was desperate for money and wasn't thinking straight. And also, I need to say one thing about Griff. While we are no longer together, I do believe he loves you very much and wants the best for the family."

  After the last few words of my confession sputtered out, I stood.

  "Again, I'm very sorry."

  Papa looked up at me. "If anyone didn't deserve to be treated like this, it's you. You've shown a lot of integrity by coming here and telling me the truth."

  I shook my head, interrupting him. "I'm not proud of my actions. And yes, I'm furious with him after what he's done. Still, a part of me doesn't feel right about being here and telling you this now, either."

  Papa offered his hand to me, and I took it. "I'm sorry it ended this way, my dear. I would've loved to have you as part of the family. Get on with your life. Don't waste another second of your time thinking about Griff. I'll deal with him."

  I thanked him and after a hug, left the room.

  It didn't matter to me what he meant by dealing with Griff. One way or another, he would get what he deserved.

  29

  Dark Clouds (Griff)

  It frustrated me she'd run off without giving me a chance to explain myself. On the other hand, it wasn't too surprising. I'd barely managed to get her trust back. Vegas had all but ruined that now.

  Talk about scorched fucking Earth.

  Anyway, with Sneaks gone and completely incommunicado, I had to get all the information on Tabitha I could.

  Without it, Sneaks would never believe a word coming out of my mouth. I figured if I could just get the hooker alone and talk some sense into her, maybe she'd tell me who put her up to it.

  There was only one small problem. No one knew where the fuck she was or how she found out about the bachelor party in the first place. One question led to another, and by the time Trav and Gunnar arrived at my place to update me, I was desperate for answers.

  Unfortunately, they weren't there long before giving me the bad news. After talking to all of the girls at the party, none of them knew anyone named Tabitha.

  "Fucking figures!" My fist hit the kitchen countertop. "Goddamn it!"

  Trav leaned against the marble, bracing himself with his hand. "Really sorry. We'll keep trying. Sooner or later, we'll track her down."

  I looked at him, half-listening. "I guess I'm not surprised none of the girls knew who she was. I mean, like I told you before, I didn't remember seeing her at the party."

  Gunnar nodded. "Yeah, I know you mentioned that. How can you be sure?"

  "Man, just trust me. She would've been the hottest thing there. Both of you would have been trying to get with her."

  They glanced at each other while I continued talking.

  "I mean, think about it. None of the girls know her. You didn't hire her. Where the fuck did she come from? If you guys didn't bring her in, who did?"

  They didn't respond, just looked at me, shaking their heads.

  "Well, someone did," Gunnar said, at last. "Those girls don't work for free."

  "I wish I knew, man, I wish I knew…" My voice trailed off, all the same thoughts kept rattling around inside my head.

  Whoever put this scam together knew exactly what they were doing. Everything was spot on. The timing couldn't have been more perfect to strike a death blow to my relationship with Sneaks. Not only that, but without a wife-to-be, I had to contemplate a future as something I never thought I'd be - fucking broke.

  Trav and Gunnar chatted, bouncing ideas off each other about what to do next, how they could find out where she was, who paid her, and so on.

  I grimaced at them. Fuck. It wasn't totally hopeless yet, but it was beginning to look that way.

  Just then, my phone rang. I grabbed it from the countertop and looked at it. It was Jules. This couldn't be good. He'd been pretty stable for a while now. The last thing I needed was the old man taking a turn for the worse before I could get this mystery unraveled.

  "What's up, Jules?" I answered. "Is everything all right with Papa?"

  "Hi, Griff. Sorry to disturb you."

  "Not a problem. What's going on?"

  "Papa's fine. He's asked for you to come see him."

  I pulled the phone away from my ear and frowned before responding. "Okay? Did he say why?"

  "No. Just to contact you and let you know he needs to talk to you. Immediately."

  I reached up and scratched my head, trying to sort out what reason he might have. Shit.

  "Do you think it's urgent? I'm busy putting out some fires right now, but I could be there as early as tomorrow night. Would that be okay?"

  "Umm, let me check." She put me on hold.

&nbs
p; Jules wasn't gone long before returning to the call with an awkward clearing of her throat.

  "He says… He says that if you don't get here by dinner time tonight, you can kiss your inheritance goodbye."

  What? I blew out a deep breath. Fucking great. Just what I need right now. I had no idea what could've set the old man off, but it didn't matter. I had no choice.

  "All right. Tell him I'm on the way."

  I hung up, noticing Trav and Gunnar staring right at me.

  "Problem with Papa?" Trav asked.

  "Is he okay?" Gunnar added.

  "Yeah, he's fine. It's just some family business." I slid my phone in my pocket and got ready to leave.

  For now, we had to agree they'd keep working on this without me. I didn't think I'd be gone long. When I got back in town, we could get together again and figure out a strategy. Tabitha may have ghosted us for the time being, but if it meant traveling to the ends of the Earth to track her down, that's exactly what I would do.

  On the flight, I managed to put Papa's crazy threats out of my mind. Looking out the window toward the horizon, I watched the blazing ball of orange descend. Streaks of fire stretched across the sky while I reached into my memory one more time to try and piece together what happened to me in Vegas.

  But no matter how hard I tried, everything after the first couple of sips was missing from my mind.

  Over the years, I'd accumulated plenty of enemies. Someone was always out to get me. It's nothing new. I dealt with it in business every single day, but this is different. Whoever was behind this knew that by hitting Sneaks, they could do the most damage possible in the shortest amount of time.

  I checked off the names of my biggest haters. None of them would've had the motive, let alone the knowledge of the party.

  No, this was someone new.

  * * *

  Kiss his inheritance goodbye…

  Jules' words stuck in my brain, a thorny reminder of the old man's vengeful side. I hadn't come up against it many times in my life, but when I did, it was never pleasant. I had no idea what got him upset enough to make a threat like that. Shit, I'd hardly spoken to him since bringing Sneaks by that day. And that went so well, I figured I had nothing to worry about where Papa was concerned.