The Billionaire’s Forgotten Fiancée

by Nadia Lee

  “He’s family too,” Ceinlys said.

  “Yeah, familia non grata.”

  Ceinlys gasped. “Vanessa!”

  Justin squeezed her shoulder, but Vanessa crossed her arms. “I told you I wasn’t happy with him.”

  “He brought Shane home,” Ceinlys said.

  “Ginger brought me home,” Shane corrected.

  Vanessa looked at a spot between him and Ginger. “See?”

  “Why don’t we order?” Mark said loudly.

  Hilary pushed a basket of bread toward Vanessa. “Try the rolls. They’re really buttery. Just the way you like them.”

  Vanessa didn’t move, and Justin plucked one and put it on her plate. Tension radiated from Ginger, and Shane glared at his family. What the hell was wrong with them?

  “Can we play a game?” he said. “Anybody who says anything mean has to go downstairs and sing ‘Oppa Gangnam Style’ and do that weird horsey dance in front of the diners. I’m sure it’ll make a great Facebook post, complete with video.”

  “Shane!” Ceinlys exclaimed.

  He raised a hand. “I’m not finished, Mom.” He turned to everyone else. “I didn’t come home to be bombarded with tension the minute I meet and have a meal with my family for the first time in a year.”

  Ceinlys, Iain and Mark looked at Vanessa. Jane and Hilary suddenly developed a fascination with the silverware.

  Finally, Vanessa sighed. “Sorry, Shane. I’m just so worried for you.” She stole a quick glance at Ginger, then looked at him again. “I’ll try to be gracious.”

  Shane pretended like he was considering it, then turned to Justin. “Think she can pull it off?”

  “Oh, yes,” Justin answered with mock gravity. “I wouldn’t have married her otherwise.”

  Their waiter came in to explain the seasonal specials. Shane took the opportunity to lean over to Ginger. “You all right?” he asked in a low voice.

  “Fine. Thanks.” She gave him a small smile. “That was very…commanding of you.”

  “You liked that? I can be commanding in other places too.” His gaze dropped to her lips.

  She flushed. “Behave. We’re with your family.”

  “So?” He grinned, then straightened. “I’ll have the seasonal special,” he told the waiter. He had no idea what it was, but it didn’t matter. It was going to be great.

  * * *

  The dinner went well from then on. The food at Éternité was to die for. Shane could see why it was such a success. Mark was a freaking genius, although he was sure tons of work had gone into creating a restaurant of this caliber.

  He stared at the empty dessert platter. Red and purple berry sauces streaked the pristine white china. “Mom, would you disown me if I licked my plate?”

  “I very well might,” Ceinlys said, arching an eyebrow. “I taught you better.”

  “Gotta tell you, I’m tempted.” He licked his lips. “So tempted.”

  “I’d give you mine,” Vanessa said, her tone serious. “But I’m eating for two now.” She patted her belly.

  Justin pushed his dessert her way. Iain made a whip-cracking noise; Vanessa threw her napkin at him, then yelped when he snapped it out of the air and threw it back at her. The table dissolved into general mirth—although no more napkins were launched.

  Shane relaxed against the back of his chair. This wasn’t as terrible as he’d thought it might be. Was it because his dad was missing? Or was it something else? His mother was different from what he’d expected. He’d thought she’d be demanding and stiff. Instead, she seemed warm and genuinely happy.

  Maybe he’d been wrong to judge his family without giving them a chance.

  His phone vibrated. He picked it up and saw the name Dane flash on the screen. What the… He’d left a message days ago, and he was getting a call back now? “Excuse me,” he said, then got up and went to the hall. “Took you long enough.”

  “Unlike you, I actually have responsibilities,” came a cold voice. “Now that you’re home, I can cross ‘babysitting Shane’ off my list.”

  Shane’s shoulders tightened. “Don’t strain anything with all this brotherly love.”

  “Love has nothing to do with it. We’ve all been suffering at home over family dramas. It’s only right that you share in the pain.”

  “Asshole.”

  “Very original. Now if you’re done with the juvenile insults, I was calling to make sure you’re where you should be, and not lost somewhere in L.A.”

  “I’m fine. I’m at Éternité right now.”

  “Good. I can’t be there, so I’m sending you a Macallan Sixty Year Old in Lalique. I hope you haven’t lost your palate along with your memory.”

  “I’m fine, and the memory’s starting to come back.” Not that he needed it to know that Dane was a dickhead. “Ginger’s been helping.”

  “Tell her she can go now. My assistant’s going to set you up with Dr. Marsh.”

  “Ginger’s not going anywhere. She’s my fiancée.”

  “Ex-fiancée.”

  “It was a misunderstanding. We’ve reconciled.” Giving her the ring again would be a perfect finale to the process.

  “Really. Because she wasn’t there to work out a misunderstanding or reconcile. She’s already dating somebody else.”

  Sudden jealousy exploded in Shane’s chest, stealing his breath. Clenching his hand around the phone, he managed, “You’re lying.”

  “Why would I lie about something like that?”

  “For shits and giggles? To revel in someone else’s torment? To meet your daily quota of unpleasantness?”

  “Fine. Ask Vanessa. She saw Ginger out for a stroll with her new boyfriend.”

  Vanessa had seen Ginger with another man? Shane concentrated on breathing slowly as a vein throbbed at his temples. He undid another button on his shirt. Suddenly it was hot in the restaurant.

  “But who cares?” Dane was saying. “If you want to take her back, you take her back. None of my business.”

  “If she was dating somebody else, why did she agree to come out to be with me?” Shane ground out between his teeth.

  “Money. Didn’t she tell you?” Dane named a sum that made even Shane’s mouth drop. “Very few women would say no that.”

  Shane ran a thumb roughly across his eyebrow. Of course. Fucking money. Lots of it.

  Dane was still talking, but all Shane could hear was a bunch of gibberish. He hung up in the middle of it and pressed his fists against the wall, desperate to punch something.

  The idea of Ginger dating somebody else felt like a spike through his heart. The ache in his chest intensified, and he rubbed the spot with the heel of his palm. Why hadn’t she said something? Was money such an overriding motivator for her?

  He dug his hands into his hair. Damn it. He should’ve never answered Dane’s call. Then he wouldn’t have known. He could’ve been happy.

  Happiness built on a lie of omission.

  Another set of images flashed through his mind. His mother in a gorgeous dress… Her hand on another man’s shoulder. She looked up, her mouth curved in a seductive smile. The man responded in kind. She was stunning. What man would say no?

  His father watched. His eyes held black rage and pain, but he watched, then pulled another woman into his arms and kissed her like he didn’t give a damn who saw.

  His mother saw. Her face twisted. Bleak bitterness filled her eyes. But after she blinked a few times, it was gone. She was again the ever-perfect, ever-beautiful Ceinlys Pryce. She whispered something into the man’s ear. The man put an arm around her waist and pulled her away…

  Shane’s gut twisted so hard he almost gasped. Anger and jealousy surged inside him, a powerful and ugly tsunami of bile that threatened to drown him. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. The walls seemed to close around him.

  He had to get out of there before he got sick.

  His legs carried him away from Ginger…outside, to where the city lights obscured the stars. He looke
d up at the hazy night sky and focused. There was a sweet sanctuary where nobody could bother him. He knew it. He could sense it. It was just at the edge of his memory, teasing and tormenting him.

  But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember how to reach it.

  Chapter Ten

  “Where’s Shane?” Ceinlys asked.

  Ginger shook her head. “He had a call and went out to take it,” she said.

  “What could take so long though?”

  “Let me check.” Iain left.

  After the door closed behind him, Vanessa said, “So Ginger, what are your plans? You’re still with the guy I saw, right?”

  “No. We broke up.”

  Vanessa opened her mouth a couple of times, then closed it. Justin said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “I’m not. Dating Robert was a mistake. I realize that now.”

  “Before or after Dane contacted you about going to Thailand?” Vanessa asked, apparently having recovered.

  Ginger forced a smile. If Vanessa kept treating her like a hostile witness, she wouldn’t be responsible for her actions. “I don’t exactly recall, counselor. Dane had been trying to get in touch with me for a while before he finally succeeded, and I wasn’t keeping track.”

  Vanessa rested her jaw in her palm. “I can’t decide what to think of you anymore.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You guys were so in love. You were sane and normal, and I was convinced Shane was the perfect guy. Like Dane, Iain and Mark were just practice.”

  “Geez, thanks, Vanessa,” Mark said dryly. “You wanna do the ‘Gangnam Style’ song and dance?”

  She waved him away. “The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but—”

  Mark snorted. “Lawyers.”

  “Whatever. If it wasn’t for Hilary, you’d still have the romantic attention span of a teenager.”

  Ceinlys sipped her wine and said nothing. Ginger blinked. That was so…odd. The Ceinlys she used to know would’ve given Vanessa a tongue lashing in that horribly stiff upper class diction for dissing her precious sons.

  Vanessa turned back to Ginger. “It just feels like…” She frowned. “I just don’t want to see him hurt. Out of all of us, he’s the most sensitive one.”

  “I know, Vanessa. I’ve been with him since high school.” And they’d shared so much, most of it stuff that not even their families were aware of. “I don’t want to hurt him either.”

  Iain reappeared. “Uh… Shane doesn’t seem to be around.”

  “Where could he have gone?” Ceinlys said, pulling out her phone.

  “I got it.” Mark already had his ringing. He waited a few beats and said, “He’s not answering.”

  “Did he get lost or something?”

  Their waiter came in, carrying a gorgeous liquor case with care. “The Macallan Sixty Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whiskey in Lalique for Mr. Shane Pryce, compliments of Mr. Dane Pryce,” he announced.

  Mark raised an eyebrow. “Dane is here?”

  “I don’t believe so, sir. This came via special courier.”

  “Where could Shane have gone then?” Ceinlys mused out loud.

  “Maybe he’s in the bathroom or something. Let’s wait a bit.” Mark signaled the waiter, gave some low instructions, and more drinks were served.

  Half an hour later, it was obvious Shane wasn’t coming back. Their waiter whispered something to Mark, who winced. “You sure you looked everywhere?”

  “Positive,” the waiter replied, his voice low.

  Ginger forced her rubbery cheeks to move so she could fake a smile as everyone’s eyes zeroed in on her. They weren’t blatant, but pity and discomfiture showed in the way they frowned and quickly averted their gazes.

  “We can give you a ride,” Justin volunteered at the same time Iain said, “We’ll give you a ride home.”

  “Just tell us where you live, and whoever’s closest can drop you off,” Hilary added.

  “Thank you. But I can call a cab. It’s no big deal.” Ginger picked up her wine and took a long, deep swallow. The pricey alcohol did very little to blunt her humiliation. If only she could wave a wand and make herself disappear!

  Thankfully the dinner ended soon after, and she climbed into a taxi before anybody could stop her.

  “Go. Please,” Ginger said to the driver. She could hear Vanessa calling to her in the background, asking her to wait.

  He started to pull away. “Where to?”

  She hesitated, then gave him directions to Debbie’s condo. She didn’t want to be alone right now.

  * * *

  Shane ended up wandering into a hotel several blocks away from Éternité. He got himself a suite and a bottle of good scotch.

  The amber liquor soothed his raw throat. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head against the back of the armchair. It was too bad he didn’t have a really good vice to fall back on when he felt like shit. Even without his memory, he was certain he would’ve indulged out of habit, just like the way he’d known exactly what do with his cameras.

  He wished he could tell Dane he was a lying sack of shit, but Vanessa… No, she wouldn’t have lied. She was in the Family group, and there hadn’t been any notes about her being a bitch. Furthermore, she seemed like a very straight-from-the-hip type of woman who wouldn’t feel the need to lie. If she didn’t like someone, she’d just say so.

  Pour the scotch into a glass. Drink. Pour another. Drink…

  Shane scowled. It was stupidly inefficient.

  He took the bottle directly to his lips. Maybe he shouldn’t hold Ginger dating some other guy against her. She’d thought she wasn’t engaged anymore. He’d dated too, and he refused to be a hypocrite…even if he wanted to be when it came to this particular point.

  But hadn’t she had a chance to tell him about the other man? She shouldn’t have done what she did with Shane if she was seeing somebody.

  Maybe she couldn’t resist you. You were just too good compared to her current boyfriend.

  Shane pressed the heel of his palm against his eyebrow. Wishful thinking.

  His parents didn’t sleep around because other people were better in bed. They did it because it was who they were. He took a big swallow of the scotch. Wasn’t there a saying about men marrying their mother?

  He lay down on the bed with the bottle. Thinking… He shook his head. Who the hell had decided thinking was a good thing? He didn’t want to think. He just wanted to sleep. And go back to the moment in the hospital when he’d just woken up, this time without his ID. And be a John Doe nobody could find.

  * * *

  “You don’t have to look so glum,” Shane said.

  “The word you’re looking for is grim,” Dane said, nursing his scotch.

  “Aren’t you going to congratulate me?”

  “For what reason?”

  Shane shook his head. “Didn’t you hear me? Ginger and I got engaged.”

  “That warrants my deepest and sincerest condolences.”

  “You know what? You’re just an asshole. I’m actually going to make a contact group called Asshole and put you in there. Only you.” Shane pulled out his phone and carried out his threat. His brother deserved it.

  A faint smile flitted over Dane’s cool face. “You think it’s going to be different?”

  He didn’t have to clarify. “Hell yeah. What Ginger and I have is nothing like mom and dad’s relationship.”

  “They weren’t always like this. At one point, they were in love.”

  Shane wrinkled his nose. His brother was awfully talkative that evening. Must be the liquor. “What do you know about love that doesn’t involve scotch?”

  “More than you, little pup. They were in love…or very good at faking it. It’s too bad they stopped making the effort around the time you were born.” Dane’s eyebrows pinched briefly. “You could’ve had a better toddlerhood, if nothing else.”

  Shane laughed, uncomfortable with the conversation. It was too deep and emotional f
or his brother. “Jeez, man. How much have you drunk?”

  “I’m perfectly fine. This is only my fourth for the evening.” Dane downed it in one violent motion. “Just don’t expect what you have with Ginger to be like this forever. If you promise me you can do that, I’ll congratulate you.”

  Something buzzing and vibrating woke him up. Shane shook his head, scrunching his eyes. What the hell was that? It was barely—he glanced at the clock by the bed. Three thirty-six?

  The noise and movement stopped, then continued again. He then saw his phone screen light up on the bedside table. He didn’t recognize the number, but then he didn’t recognize any phone number these days. He picked it up. Must be pretty important to be calling at this hour.

  “Yeah?” he rasped.

  “You scumbag, bottom-feeding asshole!” a woman screeched.

  He jerked the phone away from his ear. Then he brought it back and said, “Wrong number. Not your cheating boyfriend.”

  Just as he was about to hang up, he heard, “Shane Lawrence Arthur Pryce, don’t even think about it!”

  Okay. So maybe she had the right number. “Who are you?”

  “Debbie Chang. Ginger’s BFF. The one who cares about and protects her from jerks like you.”

  The name didn’t ring a bell. She probably wasn’t even that close to Ginger. He couldn’t imagine somebody as sweet as Ginger being friends with this harpy. “Why are you calling?”

  “Do you have any idea what you’ve done to Ginger? You threw her to the piranhas and disappeared!”

  “Piranhas? You mean my family?”

  “Oh my god, are you saying you didn’t know what you did? Ginger took a taxi to my place because she had no ride, nothing! And while you were gone, your family, especially your sister, insulted Ginger. And you can’t fool me. I don’t even believe you forgot everything. It’s too convenient, and it’s not like you suffered, not the way she did.”

  “What are you talking about?” Shane asked.

  Suddenly Debbie paused in the middle of her tirade. “Never mind. Anyway I’m not like her, so I don’t buy it. If you’re going to keep pulling disappearing acts on her, get the hell out of her life, okay? She can’t move on if you keep messing with her.”