The CEO'S Wrong Sister (The Black Sheep Bride)

ra the meeting

n, and Nora in the chair slightly that had always been slightly to the left, and nobody thought to mention that the man sitting across from

he same time ev

father and said, "I'd like to marry your daughter," and then turned thos

oom s

fway to her wine glass. Her father made a sound that was

anding there that she didn't know about. There wasn't, there was only the wall and the paintin

ned bac

was still lo

elf for noticing this, later, i

t to say. Tall even sitting down, broad shouldered, dark hair with one piece falling slightly forward that he didn't both

like a man who

this all ve

, because someone had

" he

ooked

d

se finishing the sentence felt cruel, and she wasn't cruel even when people deserved it, and Madison wa

who I looked a

ways got quiet for it anyway. He picked up his water glass, and took a measured sip, and set it

s still off guard. She was so far off guard she co

arted, recovering. "Per

Xavier said simply. "I

e," Nora

es

e's a

ere

ded to control this conversation and was watching that intention walk quietly out of the

Nora said. "Fo

her wine glas

Meaning everything it always meant don't,

d back at

ot quite calculation. Something in between. Something that made her feel like s

find this

ly, "but I'd like someone to explain it to me

en he said it. "The debt, you know about the debt, Nora. Xavier has proposed a bu

r a daughter,"

went qui

aid. "A marriage of mutual ben

r said, without looking away from Nora. "I can e

right now,"

dn't been watching him the way she'd been watching him since he sat down with the wary att

," he

had decided to take a breath and hold it. Like everyone at the table understood that

son

manicured hands on the table. But Nora had spent twenty six years le

ed at he

erfecting since they were children, the one that looked like lov

ons, Nora," s

frightening thing that had ha

d back at

nbothered. Like a man who had already decided how this ended

e shelf in order of how many times she'd re-read them. Her quiet, independent, entirely her own life that

with you," she said

y nodded once like she'd said something obvious, like he'd bee

rse," h

stoo

et four in

chin up. She refused absolu

as a little impressed, she w