Início / Romance / The Millionaire's Bride / Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

Todos os capítulos de The Millionaire's Bride : Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

117 Capítulos

Chapter 1

“You’re what?” Surely, she’d misheard. Alexa leaned forward in her chair and stared at her father in disbelief.Martin Black steepled his fingers and propped his elbows atop his desk. “I’ll be stepping down from the position of CEO by the beginning of the year. I’ll retain my title as president.”Her brother, Aiden, leaned forward in his chair. “It’s September, Dad. Caliber is your life. I don’t understand.”Alexa was having a hard time grasping the words herself. Why would Dad leave the company? How could Dad leave the family business?“I’ve paid my dues and worked my life away. I’m ready to do something new. I’ve been seeing a woman, and we plan to marry and tour Europe.”“Are you kidding? You haven’t dated in years. You don’t have to leave your career for a woman. Take a vacation, but you’re too young to retire. This is ridiculous.” Aiden stood and turned toward the window wall with his fingers interlocked behind his neck.Alexa didn’t understand, couldn’t fathom what this would me

Chapter 2

SALVATORE.Salvatore gazed at the menu without reading the words. He knew what he would order. He ordered the same thing every time he had dinner with Alexa at The Fjord.He’d suggested the restaurant for their first meeting, knowing Martin Black was Norwegian American. The Fjord was the only Norwegian-owned restaurant in Seattle, and Alexa had mentioned it was her father’s favorite. She’d told him she’d never visited Norway herself but confessed the restaurant’s atmosphere made her feel a closeness to her roots.He closed the menu and rubbed a hand over his trimmed beard as he scanned the restaurant again. It wasn’t quite seven o’clock yet, but Alexa was always early for their meetings.That was one thing he appreciated about her. She was prompt in all things. She’d never missed a meeting, always informed him of changes immediately, and she was consistent. He could respect her attention to detail and customer service. Like him, she’d expressed no aversion to keeping the location of t

Chapter 3

Alexa lifted her shoulders, rolling them back to ease the tension that knotted her spine. She looked at the clock and realized she hadn’t stood from her desk in over an hour. Picking up her laptop, she moved to her standing desk facing the window wall of her office.She stretched her neck over both shoulders and settled herself in front of her favorite view of Seattle with Mount Rainier and the cityscape stretching wide before her with glimpses of the water through the hills. Well, it was her second favorite view. Her favorite was from Lake Union Park where she had coffee and read on the weekends at the harbor. The mountains were beautiful, but her heart was drawn to the water.This view from her office—the buildings, the sky, the mountains—was stunning in a way she could appreciate in her business mind. The hustle and bustle of this city had fascinated her from childhood. Her father often brought her to work with him at Caliber, Inc. when she was young and he was still building the p

Chapter 4

SALVATOREHe checked his watch and contemplated calling it off. Sure, this had sounded like a great idea last night when he couldn’t sleep, but today, it just seemed insane. He’d wavered back and forth all day trying to decide if he should call her. She would laugh, and she certainly wouldn’t take him seriously anymore.The cool September breeze was strong coming off the lake, and he considered waiting inside the café. He was early, and she might not arrive for another ten minutes.No sooner had the thought crossed his mind Alexa walked through the parking lot tugging her long, charcoal-gray coat around her middle.When she reached him, her nose was pink, and her eyes were sparkling in the midday sun. “Hey, sorry to keep you waiting.”“Actually, you’re early. Did you walk?”“Yes, this is my favorite park. I walk here every weekend.”There were so many things he didn’t know about her, and she kept surprising him. “Let’s get you something warm to drink.”They stood in the short line at

Chapter 5

Alexa didn’t go back to the office after her meeting with Salvatore. She’d texted James, her driver, whom she only used if it was raining or freezing. Walking the twenty minutes to her condo would have been difficult. Her legs and arms hadn’t stopped shaking since Salvatore had proposed. Plus, Salvatore’s mention of paparazzi had her paranoid. She found herself giving everyone who turned her way a second look, hoping she wasn’t being followed.Of all the things she could have imagined, she’d never expected a proposal! She had to admit, his idea had merit. An alliance of sorts would secure her position in the company.She tried not to focus on the other more dangerous side of the coin. Could she lie to everyone? Could they pull off this elaborate scheme? Did she even want to if the cost of the company was compromising her morals?She’d carried the desire for a family for years now, but she never thought it would happen like this. She was a hopeless romantic in every sense of the word,

Chapter 6

Alexa smoothed her sandy-blonde hair and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She’d chosen to let her hair hang in beachy waves tonight. When Salvatore had touched the stray wisps of her hair at the park before grazing his fingers down the side of her face, she’d almost said yes to his proposal. The dynamic between them had changed. They’d gone from a professional working relationship to possibly engaged in just a few days, and she wasn’t sure how to process the shift in her emotions. She certainly didn’t want to shun the idea of a romantic relationship with him. He was a good man, and she’d worked hard to keep any feelings for him at bay over the years. Any woman who met him was enthralled from the beginning, and she wasn’t exempt. Always early, the intercom buzzed at ten minutes before seven. It was James. “Miss Black, Mr. Bradford has arrived.” James was an American military veteran, and he’d been a part of her security team since she was sixteen. “Thank you. Please tell him

Chapter 7

Salvatore. Salvatore watched Alexa as Roman rattled off a description of every single ingredient that went into the first course of the evening, and none of it made a bit of sense to him. The only thing that made sense was how close he’d been to kissing Alexa. His traitorous friend had almost ratted him out for bringing up Alexa in conversation over the years. Sure, he’d spoken of her before, maybe mentioned she was beautiful and intelligent, but Roman didn’t have to tell her about it. He’d been a bit uneasy about the night’s activities when he’d seen Alexa’s reaction to Roman’s name at her condo. His friend was wildly popular with women, but he’d never looked at his friend as competition until that moment. A sickening thought rolled its way down Salvatore’s spine. What if Alexa wanted to marry someone else—someone like Roman? Salvatore was forcing her hand, even if it wasn’t his intention. This marriage would benefit them both, but would he have been her first choice if she’d mad

Chapter 8

Dried leaves scraped across the concrete as Alexa stepped from the church into the late-September wind. She could handle a little wind, as long as the sky stayed clear and blue. James was waiting for her with a car on the curb. She preferred to walk home from church if possible, and today would be a beautiful day for a stroll, but she needed to change clothes before Salvatore picked her up for their date. Stepping into the black sedan, she made herself comfortable before checking her cell. She had a missed call from Salvatore five minutes ago. He answered on the second ring, and she smiled when he spoke. “Good morning, Miss Black.” “Good morning, Mr. Bradford.” She adored his playful use of their surnames. Knowing she should temper her excitement, she asked, “How can I help you?” “Are you out of church?” “Yes, I attend the early service.” “As do I.” She detected an obvious note of happiness in his voice but forced herself to ignore it. Sure, they shared many compatible qualit

Chapter 9

It felt like no time had passed before the crew was getting ready to dock at Tillicum Village on Blake Island, a small marine state park accessible only by tour or private boat. Salvatore held her hand securely as they disembarked with a blanket and a picnic basket. It was just past noon, and her stomach would be growling soon. “The beach I want to show you is about a fifteen-minute walk down the eastern side of the island. Are you okay with that?” “Of course.” The trail offered lots of natural sights, and she stopped a few times to observe the view. She spotted a few picnic tables ahead and Mount Rainier just over the water. “This is a gorgeous view,” she remarked. Salvatore turned back to her and smiled. “I thought you’d like it.” She couldn’t take her eyes off the scenery long enough to be much help unpacking their lunch. When she looked at the table, it was full of foods and drinks. “Goodness, Salvatore, did you think we were camping out?” He chuckled. “No, but my persona

Chapter 10

Alexa turned off her Google alerts the evening after their date. Her personal e-mail inbox was full of intimate photos of her first kiss with Salvatore. The news of their relationship had reached the mainland before they had last weekend, and she’d stepped back into reality with a host of missed calls and messages.Nothing from her parents, who didn’t put stock in media news, no less than ten missed calls and texts from Lorie, and one text from Aiden that had her lungs constricting as she read it.You can’t be serious. What a spectacle.It was a good thing she’d waited until after her good-byes with Salvatore to check her phone because the text had put a rain cloud over the once-perfect day.Later that evening, she’d heard from Salvatore that his parents were thrilled to be hosting a dinner with her family. She’d ended the call with Salvatore and called her family to tell them about her relationship and invite them to the dinner.Both parents had been thrilled, and her father was happ

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