A Hollywood Bride (Billionaires' Brides of Convenience Book 2)

by Nadia Lee

  “Are you aware that your fiancée has quite a few …detractors? I saw at least three comments on social media about wanting to put her in her proper place, and I wasn’t even trying to find anything in particular about her.” Benjamin harrumphs. “Normally I would chalk it up to idiotic people being loud-mouthed, but given what happened to her sister…”

  “Damn it. Damnit, damnit, damnit.” I shove a hand into my hair and tug until it hurts. It’s all my fault. I should’ve known she might become a target. Haven’t I been harassed by some truly deranged “fans”? What would stop them from transferring some of their obsession from me to Paige?

  I let my pride, my needs, trump common sense. I wanted to show Dad I wouldn’t make myself miserable to fulfill the conditions of getting Grandpa’s portrait of me. The revenge couldn’t just be me getting the painting, but showing the world, especially Dad, I’m having a grand fucking time doing it. I told Paige I wanted the wedding of the century, all the publicity and the kind of glitzy show that would leave people breathless as they watched our fairytale marriage unfold for a year.

  Why the hell didn’t I stop to think how it would impact Paige?

  No, not just Paige. The people she cares about, too.

  If she’d known agreeing to marry me for a year would jeopardize her stepsister and her baby, she would never have done it.

  “Oh, one other thing,” Benjamin says.

  “What is it?”

  “My man at the police department also said there was a nurse who tried to attack you at a hospital some days ago…?”

  “Yeah. Typical wack-job fan. What about her?”

  “She was bailed out. The woman threatened to take you away from your fiancée using whatever means available. At that time, the authorities just assumed she was ranting, but given the circumstances, they are trying to locate her. Just in case. It’s better to dot all your is and cross all your ts, especially when it concerns a member of a family that’s always been generous with the department.”

  “They let her out? I told them she was a psycho, and that she was likely to come after me again. I specifically asked them to keep her in jail as long as they could until the trial…or at least notify me if she got out on bail or something.”

  “Mm. About that… The DA has decided not to prosecute.”

  This is starting to sound like something out of Kafka. “Why the hell not? The woman bit me, for god’s sake!”

  “I agree it’s strange. And I can’t quite figure out what’s going on, because there are elements of the situation that don’t really add up. For example…”

  Benjamin pauses, and my gut twists until I taste acid in the back of my mouth.

  “…apparently, it was you who told them to drop the charges.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ryder

  My hand tightens around my phone until my knuckles are white. “What the fuck?”

  “I knew you would say something like that.”

  “No, seriously. What the fuck?” I repeat. “Me? Let her out? There’s no way.”

  “I’m inclined to agree, but my source told me it’s true, and he isn’t the type to make mistakes on things like this.”

  I press my thumb against the spot between my eyebrows. There are two people in the world who can act as my representative. Mira and my lawyer.

  But neither of them received any instructions about the nurse. There wasn’t any reason, since the DA was handling it.

  “Did your buddy say anything else?” I ask.

  “No. But I suggest you talk to your people.”

  “Oh, you can count on that,” I say grimly.

  I end the call and am about to dial my lawyer when Paige knocks on the door and sticks her head in. “Ryder, you ready to go?”

  You go ahead, something came up is on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow the words. I promised to go with her to the hospital, and I do want to see how Bethany’s doing. It’s a hundred percent obvious now that her being hurt is my fault, and I need to make sure she and her baby are all right.

  I ask Paige to drive since I can’t do that and text at the same time. I send a quick question to my accountant.

  “Are you all right?” Paige asks. “If it’s something I can do, just let me know and I’ll deal with it.” She gives me a small sideways smile. “Probably be faster that way.”

  Pain knots behind the spot where my forehead meets my eyebrows. This is one thing I can’t delegate to Paige. If she finds out, she’ll rip up our prenup and tell me to go to hell.

  “Nah, it’s nothing,” I say, flashing her Reassuring Look Number Four. “Don’t worry about it.”

  * * *

  Paige

  Now I know something is wrong. Ryder’s insouciantly confident glance is one I recognize from his movies, but have never seen him use in real life. It’s too practiced, too…perfect.

  However, I also recognize the stubborn set of his jaw. He’s not going to tell me anything right now.

  So I keep my eyes on the road and think. I’ve never seen him not delegate tasks. If he could, he’d delegate eating and sleeping.

  His phone rests next to his thigh. Who was he texting? And about what?

  Anthony.

  The name slips into my mind. I scowl. What could he and Ryder possibly have to say to each other now? He knows what my leaving his condo for Ryder means, and he told me that hurting me didn’t give him the satisfaction he wanted.

  But he also said that didn’t mean he was going to stop.

  Okay, true enough. But he seems too sensible to pursue something that won’t give him anything in return. At least, I hope so.

  I breathe deeply. I shouldn’t drive myself crazy with whatever private business Ryder has. It won’t do me any good, and right now, my priority needs to be making sure Bethany and her baby are all right. Once that’s done, I can take the time to talk to Ryder about going overseas and…anything else.

  Even with so little time before the wedding, it’s probably a good idea to go somewhere away from the paparazzi and media circus. Try to unplug and pretend that none of the craziness is happening.

  The hospital looks brighter and nicer on a sunny day. I park the car, and Ryder, cap and sunglasses in place, comes around to open my door and help me climb out.

  We reach Bethany’s room and peek around the corner. It’s private, and large enough that it has a couch that can be used to sleep on. Oliver is seated on it, thumbing through a magazine. I take a quick glance at Ryder and mouth, thank you. The hospital wouldn’t normally have given her this level of treatment.

  Bethany’s asleep, her face toward the window, away from the door. I make sure to be as quiet as possible so we don’t wake her up.

  Oliver notices us and gets up. He hugs me, then shakes hands with Ryder. My brother-in-law’s shoulders look even narrower than normal, his usually round face slackened into a gaunt oval. Dark circles show under his eyes.

  “Did you get any sleep?” I whisper.

  He gives me a smile. “Some.” He nods at Ryder. “Thank you for the upgrade.”

  Ryder shrugs, shuffling a little. “It’s nothing. The hospital people here like me.”

  Wrapping my arm around his waist, I give him a quick squeeze. It’s so sweet to see him uncomfortable about his generosity. If it had been a strip show, he’d be relaxed and bragging about how he paid top dollar for the girls with the best assets.

  Bethany murmurs something, then turns to face us. I can’t help it; I actually gasp at the sight.

  She looks like she’s been in a boxing match…and lost. Red gashes run across her swollen forehead, cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Ugly yellowish-purple blotches discolor her left temple and jaw.

  “Should’ve seen me yesterday,” she jokes, her voice raspy. “I’m actually looking pretty hot this morning.”

  “Oh my god…” My hands shake.

  “Don’t. I’m feeling okay.” She looks over my shoulder at Ryder standing behind me. “Hey, Ryder.” She gives
him a quick smile like he’s just some guy, rather than one of the most famous actors in the world, which is of course what makes her so awesome.

  “Bethany,” he says, his gaze somber. “How are you, really?”

  “I’m going to be rich if I get a dollar every time somebody asks me that. I’m doing fine.” She sits up, and Oliver jumps to rearrange the pillows so they support her back. “I had another exam this morning. Everything’s okay, nothing’s broken, and the baby”—her hand rests over her belly—“is doing great. We heard its heartbeat. Strong, loud and fast.”

  Oliver kisses the crown of her head. “The doctors think we’re okay, but they said to let them know immediately if we notice anything even remotely abnormal about her condition. Just to be on the safe side.”

  “My worry right now is my comic schedule—”

  “Bethany!” I can’t believe she’s thinking about work!

  “—and the contract.”

  “I’ll handle it,” I say.

  “Huh?”

  “I said I’ll deal with it. You need to get well and not worry about comics or contracts or…anything like that.”

  “Thanks, but I can take care of all that,” Oliver says.

  I cross my arms. “No, you need to be with your wife, making sure that she and the baby are fine. I’m good at handling details like this. Trust me.”

  “Well…I hate to involve you, but it isn’t that complicated,” Bethany says. “There’re just some notes that need to be taken to my lawyer. I didn’t get to type them up before, you know…”

  “No problem. I can do that.”

  Bethany has the neatest handwriting I’ve ever seen. Her lawyer won’t have any problem understanding what she wants. And if he needs clarification, he can always call her.

  “Well, okay. If you insist. They’re on my desk in my office.” She smiles. “And thanks.”

  * * *

  Ryder

  It’s pretty obvious that Paige wants to take care of the contract stuff for Bethany as soon as possible. Since I’d also like some time alone to figure out who’s pretending to represent me, I tell her to take the car and go. I’ll arrange for a ride later.

  “Are you sure?” she asks.

  “Positive. I know you’re going to worry about it otherwise, and the traffic’s not too bad right now.” Not that that’s saying much. It is L.A. after all.

  “Okay. Thanks.” She goes on tiptoe and kisses me on the mouth. The spontaneous public display surprises me. She’s never done it before. Warmth curls in my belly. I hug her tightly, wanting to prolong the moment.

  “Catch you later.” She gives me a quick smile and slides into the Mercedes.

  I watch her leave, then pull out my phone when the car disappears from sight. The lawyer’s office has already responded.

  Lex is on vacation. Will be back next week. If urgent, we can have one of his associates take a look, but it may take longer.

  Of all the time to be on vacation, naturally it has to be today. The other people in his office aren’t as familiar with my situation…but I don’t feel like waiting.

  Yes. Have somebody else get me the answer. It’s urgent.

  I also text Mira, but she’s out of town as well for some emergency meeting with production people for one of her clients. I consider calling and asking her point blank, but something stops me. It’d be better to see her reaction in person when we talk about this. Can you swing by as soon as you’re back in town? I text.

  Will do.

  The sight of Bethany’s face won’t leave me. She looked awful, and I bet there were a lot more bruises and injuries underneath the hospital gown. The woman is admirably upbeat, but I wish she’d at least groused about how unfair it was that she’s hurt or something. That might’ve made me feel…

  I narrow my eyes. Less guilty? The realization doesn’t make me particularly proud of myself.

  If someone on my team caused Bethany’s accident—directly or indirectly—I have to take care of it. And without involving Paige. Keeping her in the dark is lying by omission, but the alternative is losing her.

  And I can’t lose her. Not now.

  Chapter Twenty

  Paige

  Even with the lighter than normal traffic, it takes a little over an hour to reach Bethany and Oliver’s house. My phone’s been buzzing nonstop in my purse, but I’ve been ignoring it. I never talk on the phone when I’m driving, not even for Ryder.

  After I park the Mercedes in front of the house, I check the log. I have like a gazillion unread texts and over twenty missed calls.

  All from a number I do not recognize.

  I frown. My number isn’t exactly a state secret, not the way Ryder’s is, but it isn’t public either. Since there are way too many texts for me to read—most of them repeating Call me back. It’s really urgent!—I dial. There is a possibility that it’s some freak who managed to get a hold of my mobile info, but it could also be somebody who genuinely has pressing business…

  It takes only two rings before the other party answers. “Thank god you called me back!”

  Every cell in my body tenses. “Shaun?”

  “I’ve tried to call you for days, but you wouldn’t answer.”

  “I had your number blocked, obviously! Do you honestly think I want to talk to you?” Then something else occurs to me. “Are you stalking me? I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to talk to you after what you pulled.”

  “Okay, okay, don’t hang up!”

  “Go to h—”

  “Paige, I didn’t do it! I swear!”

  Anger and something far uglier churn in my heart like a dark, stormy sea. “Riiight. A camera just set itself up in your closet and happened to start recording when we were having sex. Then the video conveniently uploaded itself to YouTube through your computer.”

  “No, you don’t understand! Okay, I did the recording. I thought it would be…well, you know, hot to look at it later. Besides, I thought I looked good in it.”

  “Oh, for god’s sake! How do you ever find hats to fit your head?” I can’t believe I dated this man, thinking he was the best I could do. Good lord. I’d rather sew up my lady parts than be with him ever again!

  “But Paige, I swear to god, I didn’t upload it anywhere! Just think for a minute. What does the tape get me? I’m not going to become famous because of it. Nobody gives a shit about the guy in those videos, you know that. And it would only piss off Ryder, which is not what I ever wanted to do. I wanted him to star in my movie!”

  “Shaun, I really don’t give a damn what you did because the sex video is out there for everyone to see, including my parents.”

  “Did they really watch it?”

  “I don’t know and I didn’t ask,” I spit.

  “I can’t get a gig anywhere now, and Ryder’s lawyers are demanding, like, ten million dollars. What the fuck? I know he’s blackballed me.”

  “Good. I told you you’d never get anywhere with him. But you’re so full of yourself you wouldn’t listen.”

  “No, you aren’t listening. I didn’t do it! I’m telling you, my account got hacked!”

  “Sure.”

  “I’m serious. I even had to change my password.”

  “To what? Shaunisawesome?”

  A short pause. “How did you know?”

  I close my eyes. “Oh my god…” I can’t even. “Shaun, listen to me very carefully. If you ever call me again, I will tell Ryder, and his lawyers will add harassment to whatever they’re suing you for already. I’m not going to lift a finger on your behalf, so you’ve just wasted both our time. You should spend your energy trying to convince Ryder and his lawyers that you are an innocent victim of hacking!” Breathing hard, I hang up and toss the phone back into my purse.

  Just thinking about what he’s done is infuriating. But at the same time, the fact that he’s going to pay for it sends a hot streak of satisfaction through me. I told Ryder to let it go, but maybe he was right to teach Shaun a lesson. Some peopl
e just won’t learn without getting their wrists slapped, and I have a feeling that Shaun is one of the slower ones.

  I climb out of the car and unlock Bethany’s house. Her office is on the second floor, so I climb the stairs and find it tidy as usual. She absolutely abhors clutter. I see a stack of papers on the desk plus a spiral notebook. I open it to make sure it has notes for the contract. Satisfied, I put it in my purse then stop. The first page of the contract has the information about Bethany’s web comic site and the other party: The Reed Trust.

  I pause for a moment, remembering Julian’s threat. He wanted me to humiliate Ryder by ditching him at the altar. If I wouldn’t cooperate, he was going to start going after the people I care about. Is this somehow part of that threat?

  I scan the contact info further. An address in L.A. Then a name: Brian Miller.

  I blink. Brian Miller is Ryder’s business manager. Brian has other clients, of course, but this…

  And there have to be other Brian Millers in Los Angeles, I tell myself. It’s not an uncommon name.

  Still…

  I tap my finger on the paper. If Ryder had created a trust, he probably wouldn’t have named it “Reed” since he hates Julian and everything his father stands for. On the other hand, he did adore his grandfather. And he genuinely enjoyed Bethany’s comics. So he could’ve formed a trust and named it “Reed” for his grandfather, then decided to fund Bethany’s comics.

  I skim the rest of the paperwork, looking for clues. All I come away with is a sense that Ryder is not behind it. If he were, the contract terms wouldn’t be so onerous. He would’ve been tough, of course, but much fairer. He wouldn’t be asking to hold Bethany’s comics hostage for twenty-five years in the event that the partnership breaks up, and he certainly wouldn’t be demanding that Bethany match at least fifty percent of the money the trust is pouring into the venture.

  But first things first. I take the notes and go back to my car, locking the house back up on the way out.

  The drive over to Bethany’s lawyer’s office isn’t bad. The receptionist is a friendly Asian woman in her late fifties. Steel gray streaks her otherwise jet black hair, and she has large gold earrings in the shape of musical notes. “Thank you,” she says, taking the notebook. Her face creases as she smiles.