A Marriage of Convenience

arranged marriage

n she hadn't fought back. She told her father flat out that sh

d pragmatic Mr. Bellavance actual

ael-he's mature, steady, clean in both reputation and background. The Sterlings are

she was i

ther, a man with impossibly high

cial circle was particularly close to him. She didn't know him

d know the

s who had fought in the trenches during World War I. A family that had accumulated gener

Mr. Bellavance dropped his usual cold

en your sister wil

ossible! Evelyn is

me, and her younger sis

're at it, you can shut down t

ft no room

was nothing her father didn't know-her

e on the chopping block, pressuring her from both side

. She was still financially dependent on them, raised in

She wasn't naive or foolish enough to

She had already

e ye

ll she w

ars passed, s

, overbearing, or insufferable man? Then he wou

ra

voice pulled he

urned her head-those deep, stormy blu

f the car, standing by the open d

rsonally held the door open for her, extending hi

ing warmth of the car interior. Under the moonlight

cuff of his tailored suit peeked out fr

dazed. Was the act

ered to the fr

instantly-a long-time employee of the Ste

cli

simple gesture-it w

en elegantly placed her other hand-four

firmly around hers, his long fingers wrapping securely aroun

se, Raphael helped

waited patiently, never

ched the ground, Rapha

his gaze calm as he looked

inger-unembellished, understated, just a fa

e the ma

alm shifted slightly, adjusting its angle as

tely n

as the wind gently lif

l, commanding frame, his broad shoulders cutting a

slightly, but

how his steps slowed

car engine behind them, she instinctivel

time, his grip

ead slightly, his ex

one. You can

but he didn't ask why. Instead,

ir duplex penthouse

eline, the renovations had only just been completed before th

tayed here fo

e-height entryway chandelier lit up,

nd modern sophistication-ornate hand-painted ceilings, r

roperties, this w

n-from the living room, she

liked lively places, which was l

asted n

side, she kicked off her

per approaching Raphael,

headed straight u

king past the spacious suite to a c

int scan, the doors s

iar fragrance

sanctuary-a vas

orange basil diffuser, its notes of bergamot

lounge sat beside a glas

binets stretched along the walls-one dedicat

f designer clothing,

s, silk scarves, perfumes, hats, and other less valuable accessories. Adjacent to it, a s

es lined the floor, making th

guest rooms, but she had knocked down

favorite part

deep chestnut hair spilled down her back like a silk cascade. As she reached up to remove

suit

kind that looked precision-engineered, e

n hit her a se

wner of those suitcases was already stand

urned h

inches away from the doorframe. He had been

outside, but you didn't re

s hand, tucking it

ips parte

dered tonight, she had somehow

our rooms-one master bedroom, two that she had

it into a priva

re was just

as her husband s