THE BILLIONAIRE NOBODY

icholas rapped tentatively on the study's oa

baritone beckoned him i

deepest oxblood hue. A massivecredenza groaning with crystal decanters and tarnished silver sporting the Westinghouse seal. And behind the ornate cher

cholas obeyed. "There are matters we must discuss regarding your, ah, rather un

This couldn't augur well - he had only been an unseemly appendage amidst the Westinghouses' exalted ran

reaction. "You know the circumstances by which I procured you into our clan through adoption, of course

emony through which he'd been legally bequeathe

e explicit terms to which you agreed. The...particulars etched in

lunged straight through the Turkish carpet. As it were, his tongue seemed glued

leather chair with surprising grace for his considerable years, he crossed

" He sipped the smoky amber libation with relish. "That spotless purity must be maintained at all costs, reg

o summon his voice. "I'm afraid you've quite lost me, sir. What exactly are thes

Westinghouse's expression ca

atronage absolving you from the sheol's trap of permanent destitution, you a

r...to the Westinghouse name and all its trappings? Surely this was some misunderstanding, some twis

ike a guillotine blade. "The official portraits and stamped certificates are already underway as we speak. A ga

not in good conscience proceed with whatever daftbrained scheme you've concocted! Being foisted into some unwitting matrimonial

protests in their tracks. "The consciousness bearing this pronouncement is

er the depths of poverty from which I liberated you, ingrate. Where the alternatives are dining regularly on cold stone bread and a hovel'

ouse's bestowals of comfort and privilege, the old tyrant's authority remained as impervious as a mountain.

The baselines of fortitude before which so many meeker souls wither and decay. If you wish to claim your place among our vaunted legacy beyond some pitiable

the seventh of this month at eight o'clock in the evening. You are expected to present yourself before the altar with sworn vows and all due n

introspectively. "But make no mistake, Nicholas – only after our sacred marital bonds are witnessed an

ncements smothered him like an avalanche weighing down his very being. In three short sunsets he would be an officially k

as some lowly coercion, Nicholas. Once consecrated under the Lord's covenant blessing, your place among us shall be unshak

s. "And most paramount...the stones upon which our fortune has solidified for centuries shall

Lord Westinghouse dismissed his stunned heir apparent. "Go, attend to your mental prep

way back to his quarters. He closed the bedroom door and leaned his flushed

days. As the words echoed hollowly through his consciousness, their implications oblite