Chapter 17
Latham almost burst out laughing. “What, you think I’m going to hit you? I don’t hit women p>
“You’re the one who walked into the wrong room that night. You also proposed to me, remember p>
“My family was on my case, so I agreed when you asked. Now what’s this about getting a divorce p>
Dorothea let out a quiet sigh. “Mr. Stephens, I didn’t actually propose to you. I thought you were Mr. Stevens. The whole thing was a misunderstanding. I need to marry him to get what I want. We’ve only been married two days. Getting divorced won’t affect you p>
Latham gave her a crooked smile. “Mr. Stevens? Guess who that was outside the club yesterday, the guy who grabbed you p>
Dorothea’s eyes went wide. “You mean that was Mr. Stevens p>
“Who else could it be?” Latham said, almost bored. “Why do you think the security guards didn’t step in p>
Afterwards, Latham had fired all those guards. The manager even called a meeting for the staff, made it clear that no matter how powerful a guest was, they couldn’t just ignore what was right.
Just thinking about Harper made Dorothea’s stomach twist. Elise must be out of her mind. She always knew Elise didn’t care about her, but she never thought she’d set her up with someone like that. When Dorothea remembered the shares in her father’s hotel, she felt completely defeated. She lowered her head. “Thank you, Mr. Stephens p>
Latham saw her looking so down, and something flickered in his eyes. “Being married to me isn’t going to hurt you. I’m sure the Brown family won’t back out of their promise just because you married me instead p>
“You just need to play the part of my wife. Whatever you asked for before, I can do it p>
Dorothea felt a little spark of hope. “Really p>
Latham nodded. “I wouldn’t lie to you. But there are a lot of rumors about me out there. People say like men well need to have a big wedding to clear all that up. Do you have any questions p>
Dorothea hadn’t expected that. “No, that’s all. I just… I’d like to see your health report, if that’s okay p>
She just wanted to make sure he was healthy, that there weren’t any ugly surprises.
Latham lounged back on the sofa, spinning a lighter between his fingers. The flame flickered to life. He squinted at her, half-smiling. “Sure. I might be a flirt, but I take care of myself p>
Dorothea went quiet. “Mr. Stephens, I just want to be careful p>
“That’s enough. I’ll have my dad talk to your family about the marriage.” Lathan stood up “Since we’re already married, you should move in soon. Normal couples don’t live apart p>
Later that day, Elise had a good talk with the Stevens family. They were generous with the wedding gifts: a piece of land, a villa, and a sports. car. They were really showing off their sincerity the land was what Layton wanted. The villa and the car would go to Dorothea.
“Babe, didn’t the Stevens family seem extra easygoing today?” Elise asked. Especially when it came to the wedding gifts.
Layton gave a cold laugh. “Did you see the news? Harper’s in the hospital after harassing a woman. Of course his family was easy to deal with p>
Elise nodded, suddenly understanding. No wonder Harper didn’t show up. She thought he was just a player, but now it looked like his character was a problem too. “So if Dorothea marries him p>
Layton’s eyes turned hard. “Elise, everything’s already set. There’s no going back now p>