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EPILOGUE
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The Marriage Conspiracy PROLOGUE
A private meeting reserved for special people only…“Congratulations,” Devin Richard Crighton said gleefully rubbing his hands together. “The project ‘Double J’ has been finally launched. This asks for a celebration. Where’s that champagne?”“It’s not that I was getting cold feet but I’m glad it’s all over,” the practical lawyer, Sean Palmer commented handing Devin his glass of champagne. “Oh come on Sean! You have to admit that it was fun,” Devin rebuked playfully while sipping his drink. “I think I agree with Sean, Dev. The battle between your son and you has been going on for quite a long time now,” put in the third accomplice, Doctor Nash Cooper. “Well, I was getting pretty desperate myself after the failure of ‘Project Barnes’.” “I know. You could hardly wait for Rachel to turn twenty-five,” replied Sean with a benign smile. Ever since college, Devin has been the leader of their group of four, including the late Trevor Lloyd. “Yeah. It was as if our ‘Emergency Plan’ w
The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER ONE: THE TRAP
“What?!! What the hell are you talking about? Have you gone out of your mind?” Jake Crighton shouted at his father at the other end of the phone. Jake simply could not believe his ears. He’d thought that at the age of thirty-one, he was through with such kind of shocks. But apparently he’d been wrong! “Look son, why don’t you just calm down?”“How do you expect me to calm down when you’ve…” he paused and sighed outrageously “… announced such news to me!” he spat making it clear what he thought of the ‘news’ his father had just given him out of the blue. “Come on, son! Be a sport. You’re acting as if I’m going to commit a great crime. For Heaven’s sake, I’m only getting married!” “Well, yeah. I guess it’s a question of opinion,” Jake sneered derisively. “How can you even think of getting married at this age, dad?”“What do you mean at this age? Here is not question of my age. I told you I want a heir-at any cost,” he added in a tone that was all too familiar to Jake. He alw
The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER TWO: THE FACE-OFF
“So you see I was really desperate,” Rachel concluded after having explained her current situation to her best friend since high school, Kyra Hart. “Well not that desperate I’m sure,” drawled a familiar voice from behind which she would have recognized anywhere. Her heart slammed against her ribcage so hard that she feared anyone could hear it. Closing her eyes briefly for a moment of recluse, she took a deep breath and whirled around with a jerk. There he was! Her worst nightmare. Jake Crighton. With much difficulty, she tried to control her erratic breathing. God! Anyone hearing her heartbeats would think she’d run a marathon. In one glance, she took in greedily his appearance. His hazel-green eyes. His high cheekbones. Aristocratic nose. Wide shoulders. His long lean legs. Muscular model-like body under an immaculate suit emphasizing his stance and status. No, he had not changed. Not one iota. He was still as impressive as ever. It was only then that she realized
The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER THREE: THE WEDDING CEREMONY
“What the hell is going on here?” Rachel whispered to Jake. “Beats me,” the latter shrugged and she believed him, as he appeared as confused as she was feeling. A week had gone by since they had their latest discussion. And their plan had been working perfectly or so had thought Rachel until she’d received a call from Jake. He’d sounded disturbed and had briefly told her that Devin had summoned both of them. Apparently, Devin was not satisfied with the way things had turned out. That was maybe the reason why he’d called them. Too bad for him!Nothing was going to change. Whatever it takes, vowed Rachel silently. They were both prepared for any of Devin’s strategies. There was no way he could manipulate them into something they didn’t want, not for a second time. Once bitten was twice shy, wasn’t it? And in this case, she couldn’t even count the times they’ve been bitten.Nevertheless, Rachel couldn’t shrug off completely the sense of premonition engulfing her as she followed
The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER FOUR: THE HONEYMOON
“I should have sensed something like that coming!” Jake exclaimed, his voice thick with frustration as he impatiently raked a hand through his hair. Rachel was simply dumbstruck. Shocked, she could only stare fixedly at the sight that lay in front of her eyes. Petals of red roses were scattered all over the silken black sheets on the ‘matrimonial’ bed invoking an atmosphere of hot passion. She opened her mouth to protest but only a pathetic squeak came out. “It seems that words are failing you. Not something that happens very often,” Jake teased her in attempt to lighten the atmosphere. Rachel knew he was trying to make feel less embarrassed as he’d always done when she’d been a teenager. It had been that particular consideration of his that had made her fall for him in the first place. And it was working again. Briefly, she wondered who could have done such a vile thing and only a name popped into her mind. Devin, of course. Who else? As if he hadn’t done enough already,
The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER FIVE: THE COUNTERACT
“And it’s been going on since the two weeks we’ve been married,” Rachel said trying to sound as aggrieved as a wife who’d just discovered that her husband was having an affair. Devin stared at her for some time and Rachel braced herself praying she wouldn’t give herself away. She made a lousy liar and she knew that only too well. “How can you be so sure?” he finally asked looking as serious as hell. Rachel understood his reluctance for not believing her. It would have been hard even to her to believe that Jake could be capable of adultery. But she had repeated every word Jake himself had taught her. He was supposed to be the villain in the story they’d invented. “Well, there have been signs. Like he kept working late during the last two weeks repetitively. I am never able to contact him at the office when he’s supposed to be there. And once I caught a lady handkerchief in his jacket.” “And how do you feel about it?”Oh bloody shit! She was not prepared for lying more. An
The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER SIX: THE CONTINGENCY PLAN
“Please, don’t tell me it took you about ten years to work out a simple thing like that. It was so obvious, you know?” Kyra remarked when Rachel told her about her new feelings for Jake. “You knew?” she asked incredulously. “Sure I did.”“Why haven’t you ever told me?” Rachel asked feeling perplexed. Devin had also told her the same thing the other day. Had it been that obvious to everyone? And what about Jake? Did he know about it too? Somehow, she didn’t think so. But now that she herself knew, she doubted that she would be able to hide from him-not for long. “Because it was up to you to discover your feelings at the right time,” her best friend answered in a soothing voice. Kyra was right. Her mind had subconsciously blocked out that truth from her simply because she hadn’t been ready to accept it. But now she was. Ready and strong. “You know how I finally admitted it to myself? It was thanks to that famous thing you were always telling me,” Rachel said and related the
The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER SEVEN: THE TEMPORARY SOLUTION
The kiss that followed was a novelty to him yet again. Rachel was responding to him with a fervor that matched his own. A flash of heat seared through his belly and he drew her closer and lashed his tongue into her mouth, drawing with a desperate intensity wanting to wrench her soul.A surge of primitive pride rippled through him as he remembered that he was the only one who had ever kissed her, the only one who had ever awakened such kind of desire within her. The only one who had taught her the art of kissing.Feeling encouraged, he moved his hands to her breasts underneath her blouse where her nipples had puckered into two rigid peaks and rolled them with his thumb. She moaned sounding delighted and arched towards his hands.Slowly, tantalizingly, he undid her buttons one by one and met the barrier of her bra. Overridden with urgent need, he fumbled with the clasp of her bra like an awkward teenager. He was usually so in control but right now he was trembling as he stepped back one
Latest chapter
- The Marriage Conspiracy EPILOGUE
- The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER ELEVEN: LOVE CONQUERS ALL
- The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER TEN: THE SIZZLING CHEMISTRY
- The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER NINE: THE COMPROMISE
- The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER EIGHT: THE DEAL OR ORDEAL?
- The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER SEVEN: THE TEMPORARY SOLUTION
- The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER SIX: THE CONTINGENCY PLAN
- The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER FIVE: THE COUNTERACT
- The Marriage Conspiracy CHAPTER FOUR: THE HONEYMOON
