His Little Wife Lie: A Billionaire Fake Marriage Romance

by Storm, Sloan

  When I rounded the corner and walked into his bedroom, I saw him squabbling with Jules.

  "For the last time, no!" Papa swatted at her.

  Jules leaned away, defending herself from the feeble strikes. "Mr. Foster, please!"

  I rapped my knuckles against the door. "Am I interrupting?"

  The chaos came to an end, and they both looked at me. Jules hovered over him, clutching a handful of tubes and wires. I had no idea what they were for or why Papa resisted them.

  He looked away from me and scowled at Jules. "Go on, we'll finish this conversation later."

  Frustrated, Jules shook her head and stepped away from him, dropping the tubes and wires nearby.

  "You." Papa pointed at me. "Get in here."

  You? So that's how it's gonna be?

  While I stood there, Jules raced past me. I tried to give her a friendly smile, but she wasn't having any of it. I don't think I'd ever seen her so pissed.

  Papa had that effect on people.

  Once she left the room, I walked toward him until I reached his bedside.

  "Not looking so good, Papa," I said, gesturing toward the tubes and wires. "Maybe you should think about letting them do their jobs around here."

  Papa scoffed at me, a nasty snarl escaped from his mouth. "I didn't bring you here to talk about my health."

  Yeah. No shit.

  "I'll get right to it." He crossed his arms at his chest. "I know for a fact you aren't going to be able to satisfy the terms of my will. Because of that, I…"

  Whoa, whoa. What? I cut him off. "Hang on, Papa, I just need a little more time."

  Papa wasn't having any of it. "You need a lot more than time boy, and mine's almost up. It's clear to me you've got no interest in the family legacy. I was foolish for even giving you a chance."

  "What? So, that's it?" I had plenty of poison of my own to spit. "So, just like that, I'm cut out? After everything I've done to turn this company around, save it from extinction? Why, I…"

  Papa arched an eyebrow. I bit my tongue, short of saying something disrespectful. I knew I was walking a fine line.

  "Don't be so dramatic," he said with a casual flick of his wrist. "I'm sure you've got something set aside. If you don't, then you are even more irresponsible than I thought. I'm not doing this to punish you. I'm doing this because it's the only way you are going to learn."

  "Papa, I have no idea what you're talking about. What exactly am I supposed to be learning?"

  "It doesn't matter anymore." Papa changed subjects. "You might be interested to know I had a visitor recently."

  No clue what he was talking about. Outside of attorneys and the medical staff, the only person that visited Papa was me.

  "Anyone I know?"

  His eyes narrowed, and the rage returned to his pupils. "Your ex-fiancé."

  "Wait, you mean Lily came here?" I kept rattling off questions. "What did she want? What did she say?"

  Papa's anger morphed into a sinister chuckle. "That's between her and me. What I can tell you is that we left things on good terms between us."

  This wasn't making any sense. Sneaks wouldn't answer any of my texts or calls but somehow found the time to come and visit Papa? What the fuck?

  "Anything else?" I said, masking my concern.

  Christ. I couldn't think of a single innocent reason she would've come here and plenty that would've torpedoed me.

  "Yes." He nodded. "She told me that you two were no longer together."

  "Okay, now I think I understand," I lied. "Yeah, things are a little rocky right now. We've had a couple of misunderstandings, but as soon as I leave here, I'm going to see her."

  Papa kept shaking his head. "To hear her tell it, you won't get past the front door."

  "Don't worry about it, all I need is a few minutes alone with her. We'll get it sorted out and be back together, better than ever."

  "I don't know if that's in her best interest."

  "What are you trying to say?" Now he was just pushing buttons and pissing me right off. "I'm being sincere. I know I've screwed up with her, but the situation is complicated. I'll tell you this much, though… My life will be incomplete without her in it. If you want to cut me out, so be it. I'm not giving up on her."

  I didn't give him a chance to respond. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to hear me out.

  "Do you hear me? Nothing is going to stop me from making her my wife. I love and respect you, and I know that you have decisions to make. Those are not within my control. What is within my control is what I do about her. Now, unless there's something else, I'm leaving."

  Papa shook his head. "No, there's nothing else."

  When I turned around, it hit me. This was it. I'd never be able to fulfill my goal of being in control of Foster Holdings. It was a dream I had for as long as I could remember. My entire life, goals always came easy to me. I fucking crushed all of them. This was the biggest defeat I'd ever suffered. Yeah, it stung, but I knew right then and there, I would bounce back.

  The reason?

  None of them, no matter how big, would matter without her.

  With my back to him, I started to walk out of the room. "I love you, Papa."

  I'd almost reached the door when he called out. "Griff! Wait…"

  I turned. "Yeah?"

  He motioned for me to approach. After walking back to his bed, Papa looked up at me and blew out a deep breath. "I know I'm going to regret this. Hopefully, I don't live long enough to realize it."

  Now what?

  He pointed a bony finger at me. "I can see that you're serious about winning her back."

  "I am. I've never been more serious about anything in my life."

  Papa folded his hands in his lap. "If you can patch things up with her, get her to marry you, I'm willing to honor the original offer I made."

  I really didn't know what to say. I was happy the crazy old man changed his mind. At the same time, it got me thinking about the conversation they had. What the hell did she say to him? That would all come out soon enough. For now, I had to take advantage of his change of heart.

  "I appreciate the second chance."

  “Again. Don't make me regret it."

  On the way out of the room, I realized I'd dodged a bullet. For whatever reason, Papa had a soft spot in his heart for Sneaks. Against all odds, I still had a chance to make this happen.

  Now all I had to do was convince her to take me back.

  If I ever needed a miracle, it was now.

  30

  It (Lily)

  Even though I'd been unsure about going to see Papa, it turned out to be a smart decision. For some reason, I felt a huge weight lifted off of me.

  I don't know whether it was coming clean with him about what I'd done with Griff or not, but that night at the hotel, I slept better than I had in weeks. So good, in fact, I woke up the next morning ready to deal with Mom.

  It wouldn't be easy.

  She'd taken such a liking to him when she visited, the news of our breakup would be hard on her. Maybe even harder on her in some ways than it was on me. Needless to say, I wasn't looking forward to the conversation.

  After checking out the next morning, I drove across town and turned down our street. Pulling up to the driveway, I noticed an unfamiliar car parked there. The good news is that it wasn't an exotic sports car or even a beat up old pickup truck. While it may not have been Griff, I had no idea who it was.

  After grabbing my bag and heading inside, I heard the sound of Mom laughing. Weird. Aside from a few lighthearted moments in Portland, Mom hadn't done much laughing in years.

  Not kidding.

  "Mom!" I closed the door and set my bag aside. "Where are you?"

  The sound of more than one pair of footsteps approaching got my attention, but it couldn't have prepared me for what I saw next.

  "Surprise!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air.

  What the… The last thing I needed right now were more surprises, especially on
es like this. My knees wobbled. Fainting seemed like a legit possibility. I managed to shake off the feeling and pointed.

  "What the hell is it doing here?"

  Mom raced across the room, waving her arms. Don't freak out. "Don't call him that! You know how much I hate it. Just give him a chance to explain."

  I couldn't imagine how the expression on my face must have looked to her. Even more confusing was her behavior.

  Give it a chance to explain?

  "Why should I give it a chance to do anything?" I pointed toward my lowlife stepdad, searching for the perfect insult. God, I had so many stored up over the years! Where were they when I needed them the most?

  Mom reached for my arm, trying to calm me down.

  "Uh! Don't! What is going on with you? Why is it here?"

  It tried to explain itself. Yeah. It. Or Carl. I stopped thinking of him as a replacement for Dad a long time ago, right around the time he ran off like a coward, leaving us destitute.

  "Lily, please…" It pleaded. It started walking toward me. Oh, hell no.

  My insides raged like a five-alarm fire. Long buried emotions lit me up, sending a wave of adrenaline to every nerve ending. I backed away, nearly taking a tumble over my bag.

  "Don't come near me!" I realized Mom still held my arm. I yanked free and stumbled to a safe distance. "Tell me what's going on, right now!"

  "Carl, honey," my mom purred. "Can you give us a few minutes?"

  Honey?

  My body trembled while I watched it leave the room. Once it vanished from sight, I looked at my mom again.

  She spent the next few minutes telling me everything. It showed up on our doorstep right after she came home from Portland. When she first laid eyes on it, she had the same reaction I did. Mom wanted to scratch its eyes out for all the pain it caused and the financial destruction it left in its wake.

  I scoffed at her, not understanding the change in behavior. "Okay. Then why is it still here?"

  "I think it's best if you hear from him."

  No way. I started to walk off, but she grabbed my arm again.

  "Let me go. I don't want to talk to it. Not now. Not ever! I can't believe you!"

  Mom's hand fell away.

  "That's why you need to hear the story." The tone of her voice turned gentle. "If you do, maybe you can find it in your heart to forgive him, like I have."

  Am I hallucinating? "Have you lost your mind? Hello? What about the one million in debt!"

  "It's not a problem." She seemed so calm. "He's already taken care of it."

  "What? How?"

  Mom kept reassuring me, begging me to listen and telling me things would all make sense. Even though I was reluctant, my curiosity got the better of me. If nothing else, I wanted to find out how this worthless excuse for a human being was able to reappear after almost a decade and pay off a seven-figure debt.

  I couldn't wait to hear this. "Fine. Whatever."

  With that, Mom disappeared into the kitchen. They talked for a few seconds, but I couldn't make out the words. When she returned with it close behind, my fuse lit.

  "Let's hurry this up."

  "Fair enough," it replied. "I deserve whatever anger and resentment you want to throw my way."

  "God damn right you do."

  It took a couple of steps toward me, but I showed it a palm. "You're good right there."

  Every word out of its mouth was like acid to my eardrums. It started off by having the audacity to say that when it abandoned us, its life reached a low point. It had failed as a provider and was ashamed of itself as a man.

  "And so running away… That's how you solved the problem?"

  A sorrowful look came to its face. "No. I wish I could say it did. But that would be another lie. Many more years passed before I got my shit together and straightened myself out."

  Snore. I crossed my arms at my chest, tapping my foot. "Is that all?"

  "No, not even close." it glanced at Mom. "I never stopped thinking about your mother or you. Every day I woke up, the only thing I wanted was to have a chance to fix all the hurt and pain I'd caused. After five years of eighteen hour days, I'm finally in a position to take care of your mother financially."

  I bit my lip, looking at Mom in disbelief. "And you bought this?"

  "Not at first. No. But, we've spent the past few days reconnecting. I believe him now. I've decided I'm willing to give him a chance."

  I closed my eyes and shook my head, letting out a disheartened sigh. Unreal.

  "That's all I ask of you," it blabbed. "I'm not expecting you to forgive me overnight."

  I couldn't deal. After everything that happened with Griff, this was just too much. Way, way too much.

  "Whatever." I headed toward my bedroom. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

  While I walked, I heard the sound of my mom's footsteps gaining on me. Hurrying inside my bedroom, I tried to close the door, but Mom stopped me.

  "Mom, I need to be left alone."

  "Don't shut Carl out, honey. He's…"

  I didn't give two shits about fucking Carl. "He's the last thing on my mind right now, Mom. Okay?"

  All the drama with it kept my mom in blissful ignorance, until now.

  "Wait a minute…" Her tone suspicious. "Why are you here? Why aren't you in Portland? Has something happened with Griff?"

  Hearing his name. Not good. Even so, there was no way we were getting into it. Mom immediately began playing guessing games.

  Are you broken up?

  What happened?

  Uh! Did he cheat on you?

  I walked away from her with a groan. "I already told you, I don't want to talk about it!"

  "He did cheat on you!" She stomped her foot. "I can't believe it! That miserable son of a bitch!"

  "I don't need this right now." My hands covered my face, words sputtering between small cracks in my fingers. "I just want to be left alone."

  To my amazement, Mom backed off and stopped pushing the issue. Maybe having it around wasn't such a bad idea. It was definitely out of character for her.

  "I understand, honey. If you want to talk, let me know." She hugged me. "Do you need anything?"

  Yeah, the last two months of my life back.

  "No."

  After Mom left, I collapsed into my bed, closing my eyes. I did my best to resist the memories, but they came flooding back, stronger and darker than ever. The images of Griff's naked body and the horrible things he said to me burned into my memory like a tattoo on my brain, etched there forever.

  I bit my lip, cursing myself for the decision I made. What was I thinking going back to him? That he actually loved me? Hah! What a freaking joke.

  Rolling my head to the side, I opened my eyes and looked at my bedroom door. Carl's back. Seriously? On the other hand, I couldn't remember the last time I saw Mom so happy. I guess I'd have to find a way to deal with it, but I wasn't in a very forgiving mood.

  My phone buzzed. Grabbing it, I looked at the display, reading the message.

  i'm innocent babe, plz believe me! give me a chance 2 explain…

  Pictures don't lie. Griff Foster does.

  I didn't bother to answer.

  I never would again.

  * * *

  Something happened in that instant.

  Once I decided I'd never speak to him again, a warm rush came over me, settling my jagged nerves. The answer was there all along - just let go.

  Until now, I hadn't been willing to do it. Now that I had, the comfort of my bed was the only sanctuary I needed. Over the next hour or so, my mind released the pain, the regret, and the betrayal. Every so often I heard Mom and Carl laughing, their reunion getting stronger by the minute.

  I let out a final sigh, closing my eyes and feeling the approach of sleep coming on fast.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  What the hell! I shot upright, clutching my chest. For a brief second, I thought I'd dreamed it, but the sound of a muffled argument coming from the living room c
onfirmed I hadn't.

  Just then, one voice cut above them all, calling for me.

  "Sneaks! Where are you?"

  What the hell was he doing here?

  Go away! With that thought in possession of my mind, I jumped to my feet and ran toward my bedroom door, ripping it open. In no time, I reached the living room and caught my first glance of him. Griff stood there, his hulking, hard body filling up the doorway.

  Mom wagged a threatening finger at him like a hapless gatekeeper while Carl stood off to the side, completely confused by the spectacle.

  Griff glared at me with a wild look in his eyes. It grabbed me, riveting my feet to the floor. My heart thumped in my chest while we exchanged silent stares. I won't lie. I was half turned on, half terrified when Tiny Me came to the rescue.

  He's a cheater! He's a liar! Now's your chance!

  "What are you doing here, you asshole?" Hot air puffed from my nostrils while I stormed his direction. "I told you not to come looking for me!"

  Griff's response stopped me in my tracks. "I've been to see Papa… I know you have too."

  Shit. He must've told Griff everything about the conversation we had. While I stressed about it, he continued, his tone losing its edge.

  "I just need to talk to you."

  Mom got in his face. "Shut up! No one wants to hear your filthy lies, you cheater!"

  Griff shot a look at her. Cat's out of the bag, huh?

  "Mom!" This wasn't her battle to fight. "Stop. I need you and Carl to leave us alone."

  After giving Griff a final icy stare, she looked at me. "Are you sure?"

  "Yes."

  "We'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."

  I watched Mom and Carl until they disappeared around the corner. Time to end this.

  "I don't know why you bothered coming here." I looked at him. "After what you've done, I should just slam the door in your face."