His Second Husband

Silas's POV I blinked once…then again as my heart kept beating in my chest. Did this mean that Emery was…alive?But when I opened my eyes, the space near the buffet where he was standing just minutes ago was empty.It was happening again. My mind was playing tricks on me again…dragging me back into years of hallucinations when Emery's ghost followed me everywhere.A year after his death, I had been hospitalized for three days after chasing his phantom ghost through the park, screaming his name until I fainted.The doctors had called it a grief induced psychotic episode…but I called it hell.“Ladies and gentlemen. We are honoured to have tonight one of New York’s most successful entrepreneurs ....” The MC's voice interrupted my thoughts. “Please welcome Silas Vaughn to the stage!”Me? How come? I hadn't even prepared a speech. My assistant usually handled these details. I had been too focused on showing up to think about actually participating.The crowd clapped expectantly as I strai

Silas's POV “Julian…what are you talking about?” Julian's hands were shaking as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out my Patek Philippe watch and my leather wallet.“I'm sorry…I swear…I was going to pay you back. I just…I just wanted to save my mother's life and I didn't know what else to do”“Julian…damn it, you think I'd throw you in jail over an ordinary watch?”“But I…”“If you want…I would buy you five watches”He blinked rapidly as his mouth opened and closed. “Wait…you're not angry? I mean…I stole from you and…”I exhaled and rolled my eyes. “You did it for a reason. I know how it feels to be desperate. When I was ten, my younger brother had an asthma attack….my parents were so poor that they couldn't even afford his inhaler. I broke into a pharmacy that night and stole an inhaler…I was caught and beaten…and by the time I had gotten home, my brother was dead”“Silas…” Julian sounded so pained. “I'm so sorry”I shrugged, trying to act casual even though I knew the w

Julian’s povI shot to my feet as I felt something burning within me. Did he think I was some sort of one night stand he could talk to and uses however he saw fit?This felt bad. I didn’t like it at all.“This is crazy,” I said in anger as my knuckles started to hurt the way I held them. “Just because you helped me with a few things doesn’t give you the right to propose such madness.”Silas didn’t even flinch. He stared at me a bit shocked by my actions but he calmed himself down.“Which part is unclear, Julian?” he asked, his voice calm. Too calm.“The part where you think I would ever, ever, agree to marry a perfect stranger! For money! What is this, some kind of twisted trap? You’re setting me up for something. Nobody does this. Nobody.” “I told you. I’m lonely. The public scrutiny since Emery… it’s relentless. A grieving widower is a tragedy. A lonely billionaire is a target. Companionship, a public presence… it’s a shield. And you…” He pointed vaguely at me, his eyes flicking ov

Julian’s povI felt like I was on a cloud while I laid in the bed. It was better than a cloud. Clouds were just wet and cold. This was… I didn’t have a word for it.I looked around the room and couldn’t believe this room was given to me. This entire room was bigger than my apartment. The whole place was. I’d been wandering around for ten minutes just opening doors. A closet bigger than my bathroom. A bathroom with a tub that looked like a miniature swimming pool. And the art… actual statues on pedestals, gleaming under subtle spotlights.A giggle escaped my lips, high and a little unhinged. This was real. This was actually happening.All of it. The mountain of medical debt my mom had been drowning under? Gone. Poof. Like magic. The constant, gnawing fear of another eviction notice? History. I was lying in a bed that probably cost more than a car, in a penthouse that belonged on a TV show, and all I had to do was play house for a year with a guy who was, okay, yeah, kind of hot for an

Julian’s pov“Look; I’m sorry for how that came out,” he apologized. “I just meant you’re new to all this. The rules are stupid, I know.”“I get it,” I said. ”I’m rough around the edges. It’s true.”“That’s enough,” he said and stopped to look at me. The busy city street flowed around us. “That’s not what I meant. Those people in there… they’re snobs. They judge everyone. I just… I should have stepped in sooner. I’m sorry.”“Whatever. It’s your world. I’m just visiting for a year.”He sighed, a frustrated sound. “Come on. I know a place. Let’s go there instead of the fancy place we were to go.”I shrugged as he took me to a quiet Italian restaurant. The owner greeted Silas by name, clapping him on the shoulder, and didn’t even blink at my t-shirt.We sat in a corner booth. Silas ordered for us in fluid Italian. When the waiter left, he leaned forward.“Look,” he said, his stormy gray eyes serious. “This is going to be hard. There’s a lot of… performance. But you don’t have to become