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All Chapters of The Billionare's Pretend Wife: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

63 Chapters

A Toast

“A toast to Thena Robert!” Johnson Dorman, senior partner of the law firm Dorman, Wallace, and Edwards, stood at the far end of the bar with his glass lifted as whooping and applause erupted in the room. Twenty or so colleagues raised their glasses. “To Wil!”“Thanks, again,” I said. That was enough praise for one night, or even for a lifetime. I never chose to be Senator Phil Peterson’s lawyer. My boss, Johnson Dorman Sr., had assigned him to me because of my track record. For me, winning the trial was bittersweet.Domie Dorman, son of the senior partner, raised his glass to me. “To you, Wil.” When I didn’t lift mine, he clicked his sweating glass against mine and downed the last of his drink. He stood too close. His slicked-back light brown hair and perfect manicure gave an incomplete picture of a man who tried too hard to fit in with his colleagues. He said, “Senator Peterson had a rock-solid alibi, didn’t he?”“Yes, he did,” I said. Due to attorney-client confidentiality, I woul

Last Updated : 2022-08-25

The city noises

Sleep came in restless fits while I listened to the city noises, traffic, sirens. A nightmare woke me before my alarm radio began playing “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurhythmics. Far from sweet, I’d dreamed Senator Peterson was abusing other women in his office. They were shouting at me from their skyrise offices as I looked up at them. Right before I awoke, the women began throwing things out the windows at me. They hated me for helping the Senator.As the sky began to lighten, I stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. After I showered, I chose a professional outfit that fit my mood: a simple black shift accented with a heavy silver chain and mid-heel pumps. I brushed and clipped my long brown hair into an updo. I didn’t wear much makeup, just a couple strokes of mascara added to my dark lashes and a tiny dab of expensive lip gloss. Too many years of fighting with my brothers and being a tomboy took the sweet little girl out of me. If my hunch were right

Last Updated : 2022-08-25

New Attitude

A new attitude boosted me out of bed the next day. Empowered, and wearing my black pencil skirt and red button-up shirt with a stiffly ironed collar, I arrived at work twenty minutes early. Mackenzie’s executive assistant called shortly after eight o’clock. “Hello, Ms. Robert. Mr. Mackenzie will meet with you today to discuss a contract. Be at Alinea at four o’clock sharp.” “Alinea?”“Will you need a car to pick you up from work?”“I’ll manage to get there on time. Thank you, Miss —?”“Mrs. Hellenberg. I’ll tell Mr. Mackenzie that you’ll be there. Have a good day.” Now I had work to do. After Dad moved us to Normal, Illinois, he had kept in touch with Jeff Lohmann, our friend at CPD Violent Crimes Division. Jeff’s children were about the same ages as my brothers and me, so we’d gone on fishing trips and shared vacations together. They were my second family, but lately I felt closer to Jeff than my father. For one thing, he lived nearby.A few years earlier, when Jeff’s daughter Paul

Last Updated : 2022-08-25

Come to me

Richard had initially called me the night before he became a person of interest in Leung Yang’s murder. Though I followed the news, only the method of her death had been gleaned by investigators. Leung overdosed on fentanyl—China Girl was the street term—shortly before she was found. Before that, she’d been missing for two weeks. All leads to the timeline between her disappearance and the discovery of her body were dead ends. Even after I did my research I couldn’t find anything to incriminate my client. I wondered if Mackenzie would hire an investigator. He certainly had the money for it.Friday night crept up on me like a stalker. When I looked at the clock and realized that almost everyone at the office had gone already, I packed up my weekend homework and left for the private gym. I bought my pricy membership last year during the trial of another sexual predator. Though I loved the size of the pool at the YMCA, this quieter gym had additional security. And now as always, I needed m

Last Updated : 2022-08-25

Look at you

Mackenzie had gone through all the correct channels and returned the signed Engagement contract. After he wired the retainer fee in the full amount to the firm, Domie stopped by my office and offered his congratulations. He wore an ear-to-ear grin. “Look at you! Talk of the town!” I grimaced, not in the mood for his praise.“God, what I would give for a client like him!” “Domie, you don’t know what you’re saying.”“So? You’re famous now, Wil. This case is all over the news.” “If I could, I would give it all to you.” Especially, I thought, the guilt.“Want to join me for lunch?” Domie leaned on the frame of my office door. With his arms and feet crossed, he appeared to be posing for a photo.I desired to be alone, but I was hungry, and the idea of a stale sandwich from the vendor cart didn’t appeal. “Are you ready to go?” I asked with less civility than I intended.“Let me grab my phone.”Perry watched us, overly interested in our conversation. She had been spending an inordinate amo

Last Updated : 2022-08-25

For what?

Monday morning news reports filled my TV screen. Claire Russo spoke of the latest happenings in the Middle East while an alert scrolled across the bottom. Investigators were trying to link J. T. Mackenzie to Leung Yang’s murder. With the company’s CEO becoming a possible suspect in her murder, PPS stocks were declining, the newsfeed said. I took my usual route to work on the Robert Line. I owned a car, but it had been parked in the underground lot beneath my building for four months. I hadn’t secured a parking permit yet, and that was next on my to-do-list. The car was coated with a layer of grime. It needed a carwash. For now, riding the el to work seemed like less hassle. Once seated, a woman twice my size spilled into the seat next to me. Leaning my shoulder against the window, I called Bolman Underwood of Underwood Investigations. He had worked for me before, and though high strung, he was well connected and worked quickly and efficiently. “What can I do for you, Wil?”“Hi, Bolm

Last Updated : 2022-10-13

Deal

The morning of Fourth of July, my friends Roman and Jen and I went shopping on Michigan Ave. We meandered between dress racks and I dragged my fingers across a shirt here, a pair of slacks there. Unless I liked the feel of it I wouldn’t pull any garment off the rack. “How do you deal with it, Wil?” Jen referred to the media attention my job had lately gotten. Jen was a nurse in the pulmonary wing at Rush Hospital. She lived in the same building where Roman and I lived as roommates and that was how we’d gotten to know her. “I guess I ignore it.”“She compartmentalizes, like a serial killer.” Roman brushed past me with her eye on the upper racks. Roman and I had known each other longer. We met in college and our sisterly relationship had only grown stronger over the years.“Thanks!” I said sarcastically.“Teasing!” she retorted.Jen brushed her bangs to the side revealing a creased brow. She seemed broody. “All that attention would bother me. I’d never go out.” Very private, Jen hardl

Last Updated : 2022-10-13

Good idea

Richard dismissed the cook and waitstaff after the fireworks display over the lake. Darren and Maddie left because she was tired, and the baby was kicking. Shortly after that, Jack and Whitney returned to their hotel room. With a glass of Chardonnay in my hand, I followed Richard to the patio. Lake Michigan’s dark edge was clearly delineated by twinkling lights along the waterfront. The boats’ red, white, and green running lights accented the abysmal dark farther away, like stars on the night water. I stood at the balcony rail overlooking the curved shore of Lake Michigan. On the table behind me, the flames of several pillar candles flickered.His voice was low. “Do you like the view?” he asked, gazing down at me. His black hair glistened in the candlelight.I took a deep breath. “It’s magnificent.” “I need to discuss the case with you. Mrs. Hellenberg texted me about an hour ago. Leung’s body was released to her family.” I returned my gaze to the black expanse of Lake Michigan. “

Last Updated : 2022-10-13

The next day

Early the next day, Jeff called me. I was to meet him with my client at the Chicago Violent Crimes Division. Jeff had come across the same emails that Richard spoke of. They had been cc’d to Leung.Chicago VCD was raucous with activity. In the hallway, two officers dragged a thin, handcuffed man who shouted about his rights. Richard and I passed a dozen or so tables cluttered with stacks of paper and coffee cups on our way to Jeff’s office. Detectives and officers hustled about. At one desk, a couple held hands and tears streamed down their faces as a detective solemnly read from a sheet of yellow paper. In the center of the maelstrom, a hysterical woman held her young son by the shoulders as she yelled something about statutory rape. To the right, a bored detective questioned three men who were more interested in a group of scantily clad women. Half-starved prostitutes with too much makeup on their young faces couldn’t care less. Jeff waved from across the busy room and met us halfw

Last Updated : 2022-10-13

Back to work

In the days that followed, I worked on another client’s case. Though Jeff hadn’t called, I figured they were working hard at finding Leung’s killer. In the meantime, I looked for news of Leung’s funeral on the internet before turning to YouTube. There, I was lucky to find postings from Kanji Yang. In grief, he made announcements for the family and shared the family’s gratitude for the love and support from friends. While researching this, my phone rang.Richard sounded irritated. Unnerved. “Thena, early this the morning, around two AM, I got a call from an old girlfriend, Valerie Schakowsky. It was too much like Leung’s call the night before she was abducted. I’m afraid someone has taken Valerie too. I need to discuss this with you.” The news hit me like a cold splash of water. “Did you talk to Valerie? What makes you think she’s been abducted?”“Valerie sounded strange. Not like I expected. She was drugged, slurring her words. It’s not like her to get drunk, but I couldn’t understa

Last Updated : 2022-10-13

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