Marriage Trap

Three

Valerie

Val

Someone was banging at the door.

Who the hell was banging at the door?

I blinked my eyes open slowly and realised three things at once. The first was that I wasn't in my bedroom, the second was that the banging was the sound of an alarm blaring and the third was that I was completely n***d.

I jerked up in bed, eyes scanning around the room frantically. I reached out and shut off the annoying alarm first before my gaze caught on the equally n***d man beside me.

I froze, images of the dark haired man and everything we had gotten up to last night assaulting me in HD.

Holy s**t.

I had had a one night stand with some guy from my sister and ex boyfriend's wedding.

My cheeks felt hot and I slipped out of the bed silently, gathering my clothes as quietly as possible so as not to wake the man up. I couldn't deal with this right now. I had an important business meeting this morning.

Shrugging on my clothes as fast as I could, I was about to race out of the room but at the last minute, I pulled out a pen from my purse and scribbled my number on the note pad on his bedside table.

As I jumped into an idling cab downstairs, I felt like the biggest fool on the planet for leaving my number for a one night stand.

Twenty minutes later, I was striding into the conference room of the Dover hotel in a crisp navy suit and four inch heels, hair pulled back into a ruthless bun.

"Val," my father nodded at me curtly as I took a seat at the enormous oval table, "I didn't think you would be here. Especially not after you abandoned your family last night."

My jaw clenched, "I didn't abandon anyone."

"Then what would you call slipping away in the middle of my wedding?" Zane hissed from my other side, "If you can't be happy for me, it's fine, but at least be happy for your sister."

"You can both burn_"

My father's pointed glance made me snap my mouth shut, "I was feeling a little sick and had to leave," I said stiffly, "I should have let you know. I apologize."

"It's not me you should be apologizing to. It's your sister who was hurt by your absence."

I held back my eye roll, "I'm surprised to see you here instead of half way across the world on an enchanting honeymoon."

Zane smiled. A shark like widening of his lips that made me shudder, "Oh you know how it is with Alice. She's going to spend the whole day packing so I thought I should be here."

"You're a hardworking man, Zane," my father praised.

I stared at him in disbelief. He came into work about twice a week and knew nothing about the business and hadn't bothered to learn, but here was collecting a pat to the back while I had broken my self over and over again to keep the company thriving and all I had received for my efforts was derision.

"Thanks, dad," my ex said meekly.

My eyes widened, "Seriously? You call him_"

Ahead of us, the door opened, cutting off my words and a line of men marched into the room. I trailed my gaze with disinterest from one man to the other until I got to the last one and felt my head spun like a kicked football.

No.

Oh God no.

My stomach lurched as the dark haired man in a three piece Gray suit came into view.

"Mr. Finnegan," my father stood up and stretched out his hand.

The man whose bed I had just walked away from less than an hour ago, flicked those dark eyes over my father's hand before ignoring it and settling into the head of the table.

I dropped my gaze to my lap, my fingers twisting the material of my pants.

"I have to admit I was disappointed that you didn't honour our wedding invite," Zane began in a tone that I could tell he was trying too hard to be polite. I winced.

"I'm a busy man," he sounded harder, colder. Nothing like the man who had teased me into leaving the party with him, getting drunk with him and then_

A memory flashed through my head and I frowned, trying to put into an order that would make sense.

"Of course, you are," my ex chuckled nervously.

I knew I couldn't hide my face forever, and it was a pipe dream to hope he wouldn't notice me. There was no way I was foolish enough to sleep with Killian Finnegan. My father's biggest rival and the thorn in our company's foot.

"I'm here to discuss a take over," Killian said, "My lawyers have been kind enough to draw up documents _"

"We're not selling the company to you," my father barked.

"Why not? You're on your last leg and only a miracle can stop your company from going under," he said sounding amused, "no bank is going to loan you money because your financial records are complete s**t and no other company is going to partner with you. Do you know how I know that? Because I've already put out the word that siding with you means going against me."

My father leaped to his feet slapping his palms down on the table, "Enough!" He roared, "You are never getting my family legacy in your greedy hands. You may have bought off everybody else, but the three of us in this room have final power and without us, you can never get this company. If you don't have anything else to say, I believe we're done here."

My stomach roiled with discomfort and at that moment, something glints on my lap.

What the hell?

"I want you to remember, Mr. Atwood that I gave you a choice," Killian's cold voice made goosebumps rise up on my arms and I raised my head to find his eyes locked on mine.

"You bastard!" I shook with rage.

His mouth pulled up into a smile, "Hello, wife."