“Mr. Prescott! What a pleasure to see you!” Tanya Olson, business manager, jumped up from her seat in a booth in the far corner of the Prescott Sports Bar. “And congratulations, Mrs. Prescott. It’s about time!”

As they headed towards Tanya, Dane exchanged a glance with Allyson.

“I told her that we just got married,” Allyson explained.

Dane nodded. Tanya had been the Prescott family’s business manager for years, but she had only known Allyson in a professional capacity. Now with Allyson as his wife, Tanya was going to have to adjust to taking orders from her. If their marriage even lasted that long.

The thought twisted his gut. Allyson was so keen to help. Which was why she had dragged Dane down to meet with Tanya in the first place. After announcing her intention to talk to the family business manager she had walked right out of Prescott Global without another word, her head held high the entire time.

He wondered how long she could stand being married to a man who had nothing to offer her but pesky reporters, damaging gossip, and a mountain of debt.

Now, as they approached Tanya’s booth, the patrons in the exclusive, dimly-lit bar were staring in their direction and whispering loudly. The Prescott Sports Bar was just another one of his family’s many New York businesses, and it boasted a very exclusive clientele. The place was full of mostly businessmen and hedge fund managers who smoked cigars and ate hundred-dollar steaks while hunched over tables as they cobbled together business deals.

“I took the liberty of ordering appetizers.” Tanya greeted them by pointing to the spread on the table. Potato wedges, mini wraps, and finger sandwiches.

“Thank you.” Dane said. “You remember Allyson, don’t you?”

“Of course, I do,” Tanya replied smoothly. So smoothly that Dane got the distinct feeling that Tanya probably had no recollection of Allyson at all. “I’m delighted for both of you.”

“Thank you,” Allyson said softly. “But…things are very dire at the moment.”

Tanya nodded. “Yes, love is a beautiful thing, but business is brutal. Let’s get straight to work, shall we?”

Quickly, Dane pulled out a chair for Allyson and they all took their seats.

Out of habit, Dane picked up a menu. For the first time in his life he wondered if he could afford to order anything. Which was a ridiculous thought considering that he owned the sports bar. For now.

His eyes darted around the bar, realizing that if he didn’t get control of his financial situation the staff would be in trouble, too. It wasn’t just Prescott Global staff who were going to suffer at the hands of the Handels. The staff at all the Prescott family businesses were in trouble as well.

“The rain seems to have stopped for the day,” Tanya said, making conversation with Allyson.

Dane tried to focus on what the business manager was saying, but the bar patrons were still staring their way, pity in their eyes. To think, his biggest fear had been the fact that these men wouldn’t welcome Allyson into their elite social circle. Now, Dane had no idea if they’d let him in either.

Not that it mattered. They probably still had no idea he and Allyson were even married. Their marriage wasn’t a secret, but they hadn’t announced it in the press. He made a mental note to talk to Allyson about placing a marriage announcement in one of the local newspapers soon. With the media storm around the shakeup at Prescott Global news about the marriage would just get lost, thank goodness. Which meant there would be fewer reporters bothering his wife for the foreseeable future.

And after Holly’s terrifying fall, Dane would do anything to protect his wife from an ordeal like that. That was one of the reasons he had pushed her away earlier in his office. If she got mixed up in Prescott Global’s problems now, the press would absolutely hound her. Not to mention, he hated the idea of Allyson resorting to shadiness to try to fight unscrupulous people like the Handels. Because that’s what it was going to take. Allyson had been right about one thing: fighting fair was no longer an option. But the prospect of his wife getting her hands dirty unnerved him. He didn’t want her turning into someone he didn’t recognize. Like Katherine or his mother. 

Pushing her away had undoubtedly hurt Allyson. She would think it meant that he didn’t believe in her or trust her. When, of course, he did.

“Ms. Olson wants to know if you’ve talked to your accountant yet.” Allyson placed her hand on his arm, her touch dragging him back from the thoughts bouncing around in his head.

Dane turned to look at his wife. Damn, her eyes were so breathtaking. So full of warmth and encouragement. That was the opposite of what he wanted during this business meeting. The faster he got Allyson to give up on helping him, the easier it would be to protect her from the press and from tainting her soul to save him. Focus, Dane. “Just briefly,” Dane replied. “But he’s not going to tell me anything I don’t already know.”

“What’s your biggest concern?” Tanya asked. “Do you want to deal with saving Prescott or do you want to solve your debt problem?”

“Neither. I want to get my family’s money back,” Dane said. “I have to step away from Prescott. It’s obvious my leadership didn’t work.”

“People are going to be laid off,” Allyson said, emotion in her voice. “What happens to them?”

“I caused this,” he said bluntly. “Me stepping back in will only make the problem worse for them.”

His wife shook her head. “I don’t believe that. Whatever setbacks Prescott has had is a direct result of the merger. Everything leads back to the Handels.”

“I agreed to the merger,” he said tightly. “My judgment did this.”

Tanya crossed arms, her spiky grey hair giving her an aura of authority. “Look, folks. It’s touching that you’ve got feelings, but the best way to get that money back is through Prescott Global itself.”

Dane frowned. “How?”

“The shares Nicholas got his hands on are tied up with Prescott Global,” she said. “Based on the fact that his sister has taken over, it’s most likely that he doesn’t plan on taking the shares out of the company.”

“But the shares are worthless after today’s news,” Allyson pointed out.

“They’ll be worth far more than what they used to be worth if Prescott Global manages to lay off half the work force,” Tanya muttered. “That’s the plan. They want to use Prescott to make a giant profit. After that, they take the shares out. If Prescott tanks permanently after that, the Handels won’t care since they’ll have hundreds of billions more than what they originally started with.”

Allyson inhaled sharply. “Was this their plan the whole time?”

“Most likely,” Tanya responded with a grim nod. “A plan like this isn’t some spur of the moment kind of thing. For all we know, they had this cooked up long before the merger got finalized.”

Anger raged inside him, making his insides feel like molten lead. The Handels were trying to increase their already-sizeable wealth at the expense of working people. “So, they played us,” he bit out.

“I felt so guilty about faking our relationship to get the merger deal, and this whole time they were knifing us in the back,” Allyson breathed. “I was such a fool.”

“We all were,” he said bitterly.

“If this wasn’t in the works before the merger, the Handels might have concocted this as payback for that little charade you both pulled to get the merger.” Tanya winced, probably regretting that she had to point out their own less-than-honest behavior.

“Our relationship has caused so much pain,” Allyson said. Her face paled as she lowered her eyes, crestfallen.

As much as he disagreed with her, he didn’t blame Allyson for feeling that way. In the wake of everything that had happened since he first agreed to escort her to her brother’s wedding, things had all but collapsed. Prescott Global’s investors had gotten skittish after the scandal of their fake relationship broke. Then came his father’s heart attack. After that, Holly had ended up in the hospital. None of those things were Allyson’s fault, but he could tell the guilt was distressing her.

Still, even now, Dane felt like the luckiest man in the world. For some reason, Allyson was still by his side. Maybe she believed that their relationship caused pain but, to him, his love for her was the only thing keeping him from going crazy. 

Tanya shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I don’t know what you plan on doing with the Handels, but they have all the cards in the deck now. The best way to get your fortune back is to get Prescott Global back. Dane has to become CEO again.”

In other words, he’d have to do the very thing that Allyson had insisted on earlier that morning. Despite his refusals, she had been hell-bent on him running Prescott Global again.

His wife furrowed her brow, lost in thought. “How do we get Prescott back?”

“That, I don’t know.” Tanya let out a loud sigh. “Dane’s still on the board, but he doesn’t have the power to push Nicholas out or fire Katherine.”

“If we can’t fire them, what if we got them to step down instead?” Allyson asked.

Dane stared at his wife.

Tanya’s eyes widened, a shocked expression on the middle-aged woman’s face. “I can’t tell if that’s brilliant or naïve.” Her phone rang suddenly, and Tanya held up an apologetic hand as she reached into her purse to answer it.

With Tanya on the phone, Dane turned his full attention to his wife. He was very interested in what she had to say. “I assume you have some sort of plan.”

Annoyance flitted across her face. “Even if I did…I doubt you’d want to hear it.” Her comment was glib, but he saw the way she tensed up.

A cold, sinking feeling settled over him. Allyson was keeping her plans from him. Holding her secret close. He sensed the determination radiating off her. Saw the wheels turning in her head the way they always did when she had an idea. Only, this time, he knew that whatever she was planning was dark. And dangerous. And reckless enough to destroy them both.

 

*  *  *

 

Brilliant or naïve. That’s what Tanya Olson had called her.

As Allyson glanced at Tanya, who had now shot to her feet to head to a corner of the bar to continue her phone call, she bristled in indignation. Why did the people in Dane’s world insist on treating her like she was some fragile fool? Sure, she wasn’t up to speed on how to run a major cooperation, but there was an awful lot of common sense some of the upper class set often missed.

“Of course, I want to hear your plan.” Dane’s voice made her tear her eyes away from Tanya.

She bit her lower lip, wondering how much to reveal to her husband. “It’s nothing. Let’s just wait for Tanya to come back.”

“There’s obviously something on your mind.” He crossed his arms. “Why don’t you spit it out?”

She shot him an icy glare. “Why? So you can remind me of how little I know? So you can shoot it down?”

All day there had been a tension between them. They hadn’t been on the same page about anything. It was obvious he wanted to hear what she had to say just so he could dismiss it. He didn’t trust her judgment. Didn’t think she was up to the task of taking on the role of a strong society wife.

“Fine,” he muttered. “Keep it to yourself. Just don’t do anything reckless.”

“That sounds like something I would say to you.”

“It’s good advice,” he said. “Sometimes being reckless backfires.”

She gave him an incredulous look. “Who are you and what have you done with my husband?”

He laughed, the deep, low sound sending a thrill down her spine. For a moment, he looked like his old self again. Like the good-natured, teasing man who made her heart race. Not like the surly, frustrating but sexy, man he had been all day. “He’s still here.”

“Is he?” she asked. “Because it feels like he’s put a wall up. Like nothing I say can reach him.”

His smile faded, but he reached out and took her hand in his. Warmth spread through her, making her want to melt in his arms despite being out in public. “You were right about something today. You suggested that I try to get back my position as Prescott CEO.”

“But you were against it,” she reminded him. “You seem to think your judgment will hurt the staff, but I don’t believe that. Not for one second.”

“I’ll consider briefly taking back my position so I can get my money back,” he said. “When I get the money back, I’ll step down permanently.”

Her mouth fell open. “You can’t do that. What about the staff?”

“I’ll hand the company over to someone responsible,” he said. “That way everyone wins. I’ll have my fortune back and Prescott Global will be in good hands again. The staff will be saved.”

She was stunned. Never would she have ever thought that her husband might get the chance to run his company again, only to walk away from it. Prescott Global had done so well under his leadership.

Then she remembered. Everything had started to go downhill when she agreed to take him as her date to her brother’s wedding. That one white lie she had told her family had led to all this turmoil.

Guilt ate her alive. Consumed her. The price that Dane was willing to pay for her love was too costly. Her breath hitched. Allyson would never forgive herself if her husband lost everything simply because he loved her. The beginning of a marriage was supposed to be happy. Full of hope for the future. That hope was fading now. “I won’t let you give up on your dreams,” she said fiercely. “This is my fault. None of this would have happened if we’d never gotten together, and—”

“No,” he interrupted sharply. “This isn’t your fault. And even if it was, I’d give up a hundred thousand companies if it meant a lifetime with you, Allyson. I’d give up my wealth all over again and live under a bridge if it meant being your husband. I love you.”

“So why do you want your family’s money back so badly?” she asked. “Especially since I have money that I can use to help you.”

“The family fortune isn’t mine. It’s something that gets handed down with each generation. I’ll be the first Prescott to lose it.” He blew out a hard breath and pulled his hand away. “But I’ll give up going after it, if that’s what it takes to keep you safe.”

“Safe?” She frowned. “What on earth do you mean?”

“I know you’re planning something,” he said, his blue eyes narrowing. “I can tell when you’re thinking something that you aren’t sharing with me. I’m asking you to drop it. Forget whatever it is you want to do. The more involved you get in this mess with Prescott, the more the media will pry. And if you get involved, you’ll more than likely be getting your hands dirty. I can’t ask you to put yourself at risk. I can’t ask you to help me any more than you already have.”

So that was why he had been pushing her away. Tenderness laced through her heart. He didn’t want to involve her or his parents in sorting out their financial troubles. Her husband was all on his own, trying to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders. Even now, after everything, he blamed himself and was doing everything he could to protect her.

A lump formed in her throat. “I’m not going to let you handle this by yourself.”

Dane’s phone buzzed loudly then. Muttering under his breath, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. His body stiffened.

“What is it?” she asked, hoping he wasn’t about to hide something from her despite the fact that she hadn’t revealed the plan forming in her head.

“It’s a text from Nicholas Handel,” he said. “He says he and Katherine want to see us at Prescott Global headquarters. In three days.”