“Where have the two of you been?” Dane asked, his eyes travelling from back and forth between the women.

Allyson leaned in to let her husband kiss her as she stepped into the apartment, her mother-in-law trailing after, their chauffeur hauling bags not too far behind.

“We got your wife a new wardrobe,” Liliana replied.

In one swift, gentle motion, Dane grabbed some of the huge bags from Allyson’s hands, took several shoe boxes from his mother, and led the chauffeur into the master bedroom of their Manhattan apartment.

“What’s all this about?” Dane whispered to his wife once the bags and boxes had been set down and the chauffeur had left. They all stood awkwardly in the living room.

“Could you give us a moment, please?” Allyson smiled at Dane’s parents as she slipped her hand into his and pulled him into the nearest room. Their bedroom. She shut the door and leaned against it, closing her eyes for a moment. “Your mother dragged me to every upscale boutique in town,” she said as she opened her eyes and gestured at all the boxes and bags. “I guess it makes sense to buy new things now that I’m going to be socializing with upper-class people.” They’d spent the entire afternoon shopping, and it was now evening. Her feet were killing her from all the walking, but she had to admit it felt incredibly good to splurge on new clothes.

Dane groaned. “Don’t tell me she’s trying to dress you like some version of herself.”

She reached into one of the bags, pulled out a slinky, gold cocktail dress, and laid it out on the bed. “What do you think?”

Her husband stared at her, unable to hide the hot, stark desire in his blue eyes. “Definitely not a clone.” He wrapped his arms around her, pinning her to him. “I think I need to find an excuse for you to wear that dress. I can’t wait to see you in it.”

Warmth crept up her face and her body trembled at the thought of wearing the tighter-fitting dress just for him. Dane pressed his lips to hers, taking her mouth in an urgent, needy kiss. She melted against him, the heat of his hard body practically setting her ablaze. As he thrust his tongue into her mouth, she moaned softly in the back of her throat. Their tongues entwined, his expert kiss making the place between her legs throb with need.

“Dane!” Her father-in-law’s voice sounded from the living room. “Can you come out here?”

With a groan, Dane pulled away to abruptly end the kiss. “We’ll pick this up later,” he assured her.

She smiled, the delicious sensation of his lips on hers lingering. “I can’t wait.”

He took her hand in his, and they walked out of their bedroom to head into the living room.

“You two look so happy together.” Dane’s father smiled at them from his seat on the leather sofa. “Don’t they look happy, Liliana?”

Liliana turned to them, her mouth set into a firm line. “It would’ve been nice if they could’ve shared some of this happiness at a publicized, well-attended, high-society wedding. What did the two of you wear to the ceremony anyway? Swim suits and sandals?”

“We have photos.” Dane retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and handed it over to his mother. Then, he took a seat on the leather sofa opposite his parents, and Allyson sat beside him. She wasn’t sure if her face was burning from the heat in the bedroom or what her mother-in-law thought of their wedding.

Allyson looked down and realized they were still holding hands. It settled her nerves. She’d missed him during the shopping trip. The trip had only lasted a few hours, but being so near him now reminded her how much she thought of him when they were apart. Even before they fell in love, they were nearly always together. She realized now how much it meant to her.

Suddenly, Dane brought her hand to his lips and he kissed it. Her stomach fluttered as his lips brushed against her skin. 

Liliana stared at Dane’s phone, speechless for several moments. The older woman blinked rapidly and then cleared her throat. “You look lovely in the wedding gown, Allyson. Beautiful, in fact.”

It was high praise coming from a woman as gorgeous and obsessed with appearance as Liliana Prescott. Allyson smiled at her mother-in-law, grateful for the praise. “Thank you. We didn’t get married suddenly to disrespect you.”

Alfred took the phone from his wife and smiled when he gazed at it. “There’s only one bride I’ve ever seen as beautiful as this. And she’s sitting right next to me.”

Liliana’s face turned bright pink, the faintest of smiles playing on her lips.

Biting her lip, Allyson stared across the living room at her father-in-law. Memories of Dane’s parents arguing in the hospital came flooding back. Alfred threatening to divorce his wife if she didn’t accept Dane’s engagement to Allyson. She and Dane hadn’t discussed brining up his parents’ marriage woes, but she sensed Dane must’ve been concerned on some level. Despite the tension between her husband and his mother, she knew it would be gut-wrenching for him to be faced with his parents’ marriage crumbling because he had found his own happiness. “I overheard you two arguing at the hospital the night of Holly’s fall,” Allyson said quietly. “I hope everything’s all right. I’m sorry if I’ve been the cause of so much tension between the two of you.”

Alfred sighed. “It’s unfortunate you heard that, Allyson. I apologize for that. Please understand one thing: Our son means the world to us. We want him happy. He’s clearly that when he’s with you. So, we’ve decided to do the right thing. Liliana is going to accept your marriage, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Allyson smiled, feeling suddenly giddy. Maybe things were going to be okay after all. “I know we’ve had our differences, but I’d like a fresh start if that’s okay with you.”

“It’s more than okay,” her father-in-law said. “Which is why I have a confession to make.”

She exchanged a worried glance with Dane. “Go on,” Allyson said gently.

“It’s my fault the tabloid reporters showed up to your apartment that night,” Alfred said.

“How so?” She’d suspected that Dane’s mother had told the New York press about their engagement to sabotage them. Or that somehow Monica or Katherine had figured out they were engaged and spilled the beans. In fact, she had been so sure of it that she hadn’t given it much thought, chalking it up to yet another betrayal.

Alfred stared down at his hands, regret flashing in his warm brown eyes. “I was doing an interview with a business magazine, and in my excitement I spilled the beans about your engagement. That’s how word must’ve gotten out to the local tabloids. I saw all the trouble I’d caused you, and in the hospital I lashed out at my wife for not accepting you. When you left town, I thought I’d messed up beyond fixing. Then Dane took off. Liliana thought he’d gone after you to permanently end things. I prayed it was different.” He smiled and blinked, his eyes shining. “However, my irresponsible behavior almost ruined everything. Not to mention the danger I put your sister-in-law in.”

Her father-in-law was still recovering from a heart attack, and dwelling on the past would only make things more stressful for him. “You made a mistake, Alfred,” she said. “Everyone’s done that. I’ve made plenty of my own. But your mistake brought Dane and me together.” She smiled. “So, really, I should be thanking you. And Holly’s doing better.”

“I’ve said a hell of a lot worse to the press.” Dane chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, Dad. I’m glad you told us.”

“Thank you.” Her father-in-law flashed a shaky smile.” I’m so glad my son’s found such a perfect girl.”

“Enough of the emotional overboiling.” Liliana stood. “Before we head out, I have a few suggestions.” Her no-nonsense tone made Allyson sit up straighter. She knew her mother-in-law was more likely to make demands than merely suggest, but she was determined to stand up to Liliana if she had to. “First, since you two decided to run off and get married, you ought to do something to make up for your rash decision. The press is going to have an absolute field day when word gets out that you had a secret wedding. And after the scandal of your fake relationship, you’re going to have to do something to counter the high-society gossips who want you to fail.”

“Why don’t you plan a reception?” Dane shrugged. “You and Allyson’s mother could throw a party for us, and you could use it to welcome Allyson into the family. Invite your friends. Have the press show up to take some photos for good publicity.”

“You want me to plan it?” Liliana asked in disbelief. “I was starting to think you wanted nothing to do with me.”

“I said you and Allyson’s mother,” Dane pointed out. “I want what Allyson wants. I want us to start over. Be a real family. All of us. The Smiths and the Prescotts.”

Liliana raised an eyebrow. “Even Allyson’s sister?”

Dane’s jaw clenched. “Maybe not everyone. Monica’s taken our relationship personally, and that kind of jealousy is difficult to contain. I don’t trust her with Katherine Handel. They’re dangerous together.”

“They’re not the only ones.” Liliana shook her head and began to pace. “Some people are rooting for you two to fail. They want to see you torn apart, your stature diminished, your empire crumbled, and your wealth gone. I’m not trying to harsh, but that’s the reality. People don’t like winners. Fairytale story or not. They’re not going to accept Allison with open arms. It’s easier to burn her at the stake.”

“Mom!” Dane leaned forward but Allyson put her hand on his knee.

“She’s right. There are more Katherines and Monicas in this world. I need to be prepared for that. I’m going to do what I can. Whatever it takes. I think getting my MBA is a good start. Let me prove my worth. Even if it takes starting from the bottom.”

Liliana nodded approvingly. “Good. I also think you’ll need to take private etiquette lessons. We don’t want society’s doors closing on us. We have business deals we need to make, powerful people we need to network with, and Prescott Global’s reputation is still on shaky ground. Let’s not give these blue bloods any more reason to doubt that Allyson belongs here.”

“Seriously? Etiquette lessons? Do they even exist?”

“That’s only the beginning.” Liliana leaned forward, her blue eyes like ice. “Allyson, Katherine Handel is not going to take a middle-class girl like you usurping her and suddenly marrying my son lying down. That means that she and your sister are your first test as my son’s wife. And you cannot fail.”

Allyson nodded. She had no idea what she was getting herself into, but she knew one thing: She wanted to prove to Dane and his family that she could do it. Whatever it took. “I won’t fail. I promise.”

 

*  *  *

 

“You can’t seriously be thinking about taking Katherine and Monica head-on,” Dane said.

It was early the next morning and Allyson had made pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausages. Now she was busy frying bacon. “I’m not thinking about it,” Allyson said firmly. “I’m doing it.”

“You don’t want me to fire Katherine and I don’t have the authority to fire Monica,” he reminded her. “You’re also not working at Prescott Global right now, so how do you plan on pulling off something like that?”

It was hard to hide the skepticism in his voice. He loved his wife, but he didn’t like the idea of her getting into it with Katherine and Monica. Besides, Allyson wasn’t the cutthroat type. Sure, she knew how to handle people when she had worked for him, but there was something so horribly personal about dealing with her own sister. Not to mention, she had taken a lot of Katherine’s cruel and derisive comments to heart. As if, deep down, Allyson still believed she wasn’t worthy or good enough to be part of his wealthy family.

She furrowed her brow, her lovely face scrunching up. “I haven’t figured that out yet. But enough is enough. They’ve threatened me and you. I’m tired of playing fair. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder, wondering what they’re up to.”

He was sitting on a stool at the kitchen island, watching his wife cook breakfast. Grabbing the glass of orange juice in front of him, he took a huge gulp. “I know my mother can be very dramatic, but that doesn’t mean you have to do something crazy to prove yourself to her.”

“I’m trying to prove something to myself, Dane.” She turned off the stove and set the sizzling strips of bacon on a plate resting on the granite counter. “Besides, you keep telling me that I’m good enough. That I’m worthy. Yet, you don’t seem to think I can handle this.”

“It’s not that I don’t think you can handle this,” he said carefully. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Your sister seems vindictive enough to try to turn your entire family against you. Not to mention, Katherine Handel is cutthroat. It wouldn’t surprise me if she had a hand in her brother stealing Handel and Company out from under their father’s leadership.”

Monica and Katherine had already succeeded in bullying his wife into walking away from Prescott Global. Sure, it was just a leave of absence, but he had only suggested that temporary measure because she looked like she was going to quit outright. Dealing with them now could send Allyson over the edge and make her throw her hands up entirely, giving up any chance at staying on at Prescott.

Anger flared inside him. It wasn’t fair that Allyson was being forced out of the family company. She had just as much right to work there as Katherine and Monica. In fact, as his wife, she had even more right. Not to mention, her idea for setting up a woman’s division had been a brilliant idea. One that he was certain could expand the company, bring on even more workers, and do so much good for the local community. He loved Prescott Global. Maybe things had gotten rocky with the staff after their fake marriage scandal, investors panicking, and Nicholas Handel seizing temporary control, but Dane wanted to share it all with his wife. The leadership. The wealth. The good that Prescott did and could continue to do with someone as smart and caring as Allyson in a senior position.

She hadn’t wanted to permanently stay at their island getaway in the Bahamas, yet working side by side at Prescott Global was just as good. Getting to run the family business with the woman he loved made him eager to start their lives together. It killed him inside that Katherine and Monica were roadblocks to that happiness.

“It shouldn’t be your job to deal with them,” he continued.

Allyson started piling food high on two plates, taking one plate for herself and setting a plate in front of him. She took a seat across from him and drizzled syrup onto her pancakes. “Then whose job is it to deal with my sister?” she asked. “Yours? That doesn’t seem fair. Especially since you didn’t expect me to deal with your mother.”

He paused. “And I don’t expect you to do all this. You didn’t have to cook, you know. My housekeeper brought bagels. Or we could have gone out to eat. You’re my wife now. You don’t have to do all this work.”

“I like making breakfast,” she said. “It helps me think, and since I’m not working at the moment it gives me something to do.”

“Is that what you plan on doing with your free time? Cook?” He took a bite of warm bacon. “Damn, this is good.”

She beamed at him, obviously pleased that he enjoyed her cooking. “I’ll be taking lessons and doing evening classes, so that should take up some of my time. Cooking is better than sipping cocktails and getting manicures all day.”

Dane wracked his brain, trying to remember all the things his mother did in her free time. “My mother volunteers and fundraises for charities whenever she isn’t working. It isn’t often, but it does make the headlines.”

Allyson’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea. Maybe your mother and I could to some of that stuff together. Not the headlines part, but maybe some bonding.”

The idea of his wife and his mother improving their relationship sounded good, but he had to admit he felt uneasy about his mother’s influence. Allyson might have brushed off his concerns about proving herself to his mother, but to his mind, his mother had already gotten into Allyson’s head. Had already managed to convince her to deal with Monica and Katherine Handel.

Still, it didn’t seem fair to refuse his mother reaching out to Allyson. He had wanted his mother to try to accept her. To respect her. Maybe there was a chance of that finally happening.

“Just keep your wits about you when you’re with my mother,” he warned.

She frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He could feel the tension building between them. “It means that my mother tried to pay you off to divorce me. It means she’s capable of anything.”

“I thought you said that you wanted us to start over and become a real family.”

“I do,” he said. “I want that more than anything. All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t let your guard down.”

“At least she’s trying.” She took a bite of sausage and egg. “If I go after Monica, I don’t know how we’ll salvage our relationship. Not to mention my parents aren’t exactly happy that I got married in secret without inviting them to the wedding. I’ve gotten a few terse texts from them this morning.”

“How would your mother feel about planning a reception?” As hesitant as he still was about his own mother, he really did want the reception to go well. It was a chance for both families to come together to try to get along after everything that had passed. For Allyson’s sake. And his, too. Or maybe just his sanity.

“I’m sure she’ll be excited about it. She’ll also be intimidated by your mother,” Allyson replied. “Not to mention, I haven’t told my parents about all the stuff that’s been going on between me and Monica. At this point, I don’t even know if I want to invite my sister to this reception.”

If it was up to him he’d shut the door on having anything to do with Monica, but he knew Allyson would have a tough time doing something that permanent or drastic. Family was important to his wife. She had begged him not to turn his back on his mother, so it was unlikely that she’d cut Monica off for good.

“If you’re going after her…”

Sadness flashed in his wife’s green eyes. “I just want to get Monica to stop meddling.”

“Are you willing to cut her off entirely to do that?” He already suspected the answer, but he had to ask.

“No,” she replied softly. “But maybe we need a cool-off period. Time apart. I guess I won’t be going to many family functions if I know she’ll be there. Not that it matters. My family will just side with her anyway. Especially if they’re upset that they didn’t get to come to our wedding and use it to show off to their friends.”

Dane could tell the situation was hurting her. He reached across the island and took her small hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Let’s just focus on the reception for now.”

“And coming up with a plan to get Monica away from Prescott Global and out of my hair.”

The phone rang and Allyson answered it. Her brow furrowed, a frown tugging at the corners of her lips.

“It’s for you,” she said, handing the phone over to him. “It’s your mother. She sounds really upset.”

There was supposed to be a board meeting later today, but it was supposed to be routine. He wasn’t the acting CEO, but as a member of the board he still had to be there.

He set the phone to speaker. “What now, Mom?”  

“Have you seen the news this morning?” His mother’s voice was strained, like she had been crying. She almost never cried.

“No.” His chest tightened in panic. “Is Dad okay?”

“He’s fine. At least physically anyway.” She exhaled loudly. “I can’t believe this! I just can’t!”

His gaze slide over to Allyson, who had grabbed her laptop. “Mother, what’s going on?”

“It’s the board,” his mother replied. “They’re holding a vote today. A vote to permanently shut you out!”

He froze.

Allyson was staring at the phone with wide eyes, the color draining from her face.

The truth was, he suspected that his mother was overreacting. Right now, he had to make some calls to the senior executives at Prescott, get to the bottom of all this, and then head to work to smooth things over.

With shaking hands, Allyson turned the screen of her laptop toward him. The headline made his heart sink like a stone.

Temporary Prescott Global CEO Nicholas Handel to be Replaced by Sister Katherine Handel. Insider Reports Say Dane Prescott Permanently Pushed Out

He quickly skimmed over the article. Somehow Katherine Handel had managed to get her brother to hand over the reins of the company to her. Which meant the board meeting was going to turn into a vote.

“Why would Nicholas do this?” Allyson asked, panic in her voice. “Why would he step down and hand things over to Katherine?”

“I don’t know,” he muttered. “The vote at the meeting is probably going to be held later this afternoon. Which means we have a few hours to try to convince the board to vote me back in as CEO and block Katherine from getting the job.”

Bile was starting to rise in his throat. He knew that Katherine Handel was dangerous. But he never thought her brother would willingly hand power over to his sister. Dane needed to stop this. Needed to stop his family empire from falling into the hands of unscrupulous people who didn’t give a damn about what his family had built.

“This is absolutely horrible. I’m going to strangle them!” His mother’s voice came back on the line. “They merge with our company to destroy it?”

“Mother,” Dane shook his head “how’s Katherine going to convince the board to shut me out? As bad as things have been, they’re not going to replace me with her.”

“She’s convinced them you’re unstable. Instead of health problems, she’s citing mental health issues,” his mother replied.

“What?” He raked his hand through his hair in frustration.

His mother sniffed through the phone. “There’s more. As of now we still own most of Prescott Global even if you’re not the CEO. But Nicholas Handel just tossed aside being the CEO so he could grab a sizeable amount of the company’s shares.”

“But I hold the majority shares,” Dane said. 

“That’s just it. All your wealth got tied up in Prescott Global shares as a show of good faith during the merger with Handel and Company,” his mother said. “Nicholas got those shares for almost nothing when Prescott’s value plummeted this morning with the news that Katherine would be taking over. Your shares are gone. And mine are worthless. There’s nothing left. Dane, we’re broke. We’re screwed. Broke. And—oh, what the hell, we’re fucked. Royally.”