she stared from Tomas to Charles to Jasper. The lawyer’s face was utterly impassive while he checked data on his tablet, as if his boss made outrageous queries every day. He’d said to follow his lead, but this was almost barbaric.
‘It seems...er...that you can marry today if you really want to,’ Jasper said, sending his boss a covert look. ‘There’s no notice or stand-down period required. Just the fee, two witnesses and passports.’
‘Good,’ Tomas said, ignoring that warning plea in the tone from his lawyer. ‘So we can leave now.’
Zara stared at her uncle, trying to read his reaction. Surely he’d say no to such a preposterous suggestion? Surely he’d have some compunction?
But a greedy light entered his eye. ‘You’ll be my nephew-in-law.’
‘That’s right.’ Tomas nodded. ‘We’ll be family.’
A prickle ran down Zara’s spine at something in Tomas’s tone. There was something so very cold when he said that word.
Uncle Charles smiled. ‘She can cook.’ He nodded, as if suddenly approving of her skills. ‘She’s a virgin too, you know.’ His proud smile made her skin crawl. ‘She’s been very sheltered.’
She closed her eyes, engulfed in scalding shame and mortification. He was talking about her as if she were a thing to be traded. And as if her sexual experience were anything that mattered?
‘Then it’s decided. Zara, go pack your bag.’ Tomas issued the order without even looking at her.
Sickened to her soul, she knew she had no choice. If she stayed she’d be her uncle’s skivvy and, increasingly, his punchbag, for the foreseeable future. His temper would only worsen the more his business failed. And now she knew how he really saw her. How he’d trade her for some stupid business deal.
‘Wait.’ A suspicious twist tightened her uncle’s mouth. ‘I’ll come with you to the register office.’
‘Of course,’ Tomas said unblinkingly, staring her uncle down. ‘You’ll want to witness the wedding. Go and pack now, Zara.’
Her uncle hadn’t even bothered to ask her how she felt about it. He was acting as if he owned her. But then, that was how he’d always acted. She meant absolutely nothing to him. She’d been a source of money—and when that had gone, she’d become little more than another of his staff. Only he hadn’t had to pay her.
She left the room without a word. And then she ran.
* * *
Zara poured steaming-hot chocolate into two mugs and blinked back the tears at the recollection of how little her uncle had cared for her. But she was away from him now—and so much stronger.
She sprinkled a hint of cinnamon on the top of each. She found a half-empty packet of biscuits at the back of the cupboard and added a few to a small plate and loaded the wooden tray she found in a cupboard.
It had all happened so quickly it was almost a blur. Yet those moments were seared in her mind. There she’d stood in the council offices shivering in a cheap sundress and make-up covering the mark from where her uncle had hit her.
The ceremony had been ridiculously brief. Uncle Charles had witnessed it. Jasper had been the other signatory and given Tomas a ring to slide onto her frozen finger. Heaven knew where he’d found it so quickly.
She could have said no. She could have tried to tell the officials that it was all a farce and that her uncle was insisting she marry a stranger. But she didn’t. She’d just said yes.
There’d been no photos. No glasses of champagne. No speeches. And no kiss. Tomas had given her a cool peck on her cheek when the official had given the corny ‘you may kiss the bride’ permission. She’d pushed away that fleeting feeling of disappointment, reminding herself it wasn’t real.
Her uncle had stood practically rubbing his hands in glee as she married the wealthiest man either of them had ever met. But Tomas Gallo had flipped the tables on Uncle Charles completely. He’d waited until they returned her uncle to the marina before dropping the bomb. He’d told her to remain in the car, but she’d opened her door already and could hear every word between the two men now eyeballing each other.
* * *
‘I’ve changed my mind about the deal,’ Tomas said coolly. ‘I’m not going to buy into your company.’
‘But you just—’
‘We signed nothing and there was no formal agreement,’ Tomas continued, ignoring the interruption. ‘Jasper, Zara and I are leaving now and you won’t see us again.’
‘You...you...’
For the first time she saw her uncle lost for words. Suddenly he spun towards her, his face contorted with rage.
‘You manipulative little...’ He lunged for her through the open car door but Tomas stepped in front of her like an avenging angel.
‘She’s my wife.’ Tomas bit the words out. ‘And you’ll leave her alone.’
‘Your wife? She’s worse than useless. She won’t be—’
‘I neither want nor expect anything from her,’ Tomas interrupted, still ice-cold. ‘She’s not a commodity to me.’
He jerked his head at Jasper and the lawyer closed the car door, sealing her away from the ugliness and the threats. But she could still hear their conversation.
‘Try to contact her again and I will destroy the little you have left of a life.’
She shivered at the ruthless promise.
Her uncle fell back a step. ‘You can’t destroy me. I’ll go to the media—’
‘And tell them you sold your niece to a total stranger? The same girl who bears the bruises from your fist?’ Tomas coolly goaded. ‘You’re a gambling man. You know it’s time to cut your losses and leave.’
Tomas got back into the car and drove them away. The last time she saw her uncle he was red-faced, sweaty and defeated.
Tomas’s mouth was held firm and she didn’t dare speak a word as he drove them away from her uncle and towards the hotel he was staying in. She could feel the cold rage rolling off him. Jasper, sitting in the back seat, was utterly mute.
Tomas glanced at her and suddenly broke the silence. ‘Don’t be frightened. He won’t bother you again.’
She was still afraid. She had no idea what she was going to do.
‘You’ll fly to London in the morning,’ Tomas continued, turning his attention back to the road. ‘I have your passport from your uncle as we needed it for the wedding. Jasper will ensure the marriage is annulled in the next few days. I will gift you a one-off payment. You never have to return here and you never have to see him again. Or me, for that matter. You’re free to do as you wish.’
Her fears melted away. She bit her lip. She didn’t know how to thank this man. She couldn’t even look him in the eyes; he was so
