Alpha Billionaire’s Bride, Part Three (BWWM Romance Serial) by Mia Caldwell Page B

face fell. “That’s never good, not when a woman says it
like that. Have I done something—”
    “Oh, no. It’s not you. It’s me. You’ve been wonderful, and
I’ve ... I’ve been lying to you. I’ve got a secret. I’m so sorry. I have to
come clean.”
    She watched a train of expressions cross his features:
confused, startled, disappointed. Her stomach ached. Something big and dry
lodged in her throat.
    “Should I sit for this?” he asked.
    “It wouldn’t hurt.”
    She followed him over to a sofa and they sat down. She
steeled herself for his anger.
    “It’s about Marina,” she said rapidly, ripping off the
bandage with one, merciless pull. “She’s involved in the marriage license scam,
unwittingly of course, but she’s involved. And I’ve known since yesterday and I
didn’t tell you because ... well, because I didn’t. I’ve been lying by
omission, which is wrong, and I know that. There’s no excuse, I know that, too.
I feel terrible, but she’s my sister and family’s family and, I don’t know.
When you hear everything I’m sure you’ll understand. I hope you will, anyway.”
    Ian’s brow furrowed. “That’s your secret? That Marina was
part of the scam and you didn’t tell me?”
    “Yes. And when you hear the whole story—”
    “That’s everything? You aren’t hiding something else?”
    “No. That’s it. It’s enough, I’d think. I mean, I’m pretty
sure everyone on the estate knows the secret except you, and that’s plain
wrong,” Jada said, wishing she’d shut up but was apparently unable to stop
digging herself into an ever-deeper hole. “Maybe Trey doesn’t know, but I think
he’s the only one. And maybe some of the staff, but everybody else knows. And
that’s terrible because you should have been told first, not kept in the dark.”
    He took her hand and squeezed it between his big ones.
“Jada, I already know about what Marina did.”
    “What?”
    “I already know. I’ve known since yesterday.”
    “Wait.” She pulled her hand away. “You know what Marina did?
All of it? How she got CGTV involved and helped the woman who was bribed ...
and ... everything?”
    Ian nodded. “Yes. All of it.”
    Irritation roared in out of nowhere. “Who told you? It
wasn’t Marina was it? I mean, she’s told everybody else, but she couldn’t have
told you, could she? I’ll kill her if she did. Seriously. Don’t tell me if she
told you.”
    Ian smiled. “No, it wasn’t Marina. It was Elly. I ran into
her not long after she overheard Marina telling you everything. Elly looked
upset so I asked her what was wrong. The next thing I knew she burst into tears
and started babbling about not being invisible. I’m still not sure what that
was about. When I convinced her I didn’t care if she was invisible or not, she
told me about overhearing Marina’s confession, and I got an earful about what
had happened in your room.”
    “You’ve got to be kidding me. Elly is the squealer? But she
promised!”
    “Don’t blame her, Jada. She felt terrible that she told me.
When she finished her story, she said she wouldn’t be able to look you in the
eye again.”
    “Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen much of her since
yesterday. I bet she’s avoiding me.”
    “Undoubtedly.”
    Jada took a moment to chew over the new info. “So, you knew
all along. Why didn’t you say something?”
    “I was testing you.”
    “Seriously? I think that pisses me off. But then, I wasn’t
being honest, and you don’t know me, not really, so I could see why you might
not trust me, but still—”
    Ian barked out a laugh. “I’m joking, Jada. I wasn’t testing
you. I figured you’d tell me eventually. I understand loyalty to your sister
and how you couldn’t know what my reaction would be. I was giving you time. And
see? I was right to do it. You’ve told me everything and we can move on.”
    “That’s so logical and even-handed, it’s almost ridiculous,”
Jada said.
    “Thank