Table of Contents
THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECOND-CHANCE BRIDE
NOTIFICATION FOR THE NEXT BOOK
THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECOND-CHANCE BRIDE
(The Bride Series, Book 6)
(The Romero Brothers, Book 1)
Shadonna Richards
Copyright 2013 Shadonna Richards
Smashwords Edition
All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Author Contact:
Website: www.ShadonnaRichards.blogspot.com
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/AuthorShadonnaRichards
Twitter: @Shadonna
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you, God, for all my blessings. To my cherished son and husband for your unconditional love. With gratitude to my family and friends for your endless support. To Solomon, Jermaine, Merdella, Nesitta, Godwin, Monica, and Percell. To my editor M.M. for always being brilliant.
Praise for Shadonna Richards’
AN UNEXPECTED BRIDE
"Her debut novel, An Unexpected Bride, has burst onto the scene, zooming up the bestseller lists and racking up fans faster than other writers racking up words....a smash hit!"
- KINDLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
Dear Reader,
Welcome to The Romero Brothers, the hot new series by USA Today bestselling author Shadonna Richards. They’re hot, sexy, powerful and eligible! The wealthy, handsome bachelors of the Romero dynasty have had their share of heartbreak and tragedy, yet they make their waves in the trendiest industries. Come enjoy their journeys as they find the right woman who can tame each of their hearts.
The Billionaire’s Second-Chance Bride (The Romero Brothers, Book 1)
Betrayed by Mr. Wrong. Could she ever trust Mr. Right?
Meet Lucy Shillerton – twenty-nine, single and heartbroken. She’d lost her fiancé, Jeff, in a tragic accident with his mistress. But when she finds out that her eccentric aunt died and left her a company to run, Lucy braces herself for what is to come: Dream Weddings Inc. Her current project is to present an outrageous wedding for her latest client, a wealthy, older tycoon who wants to marry his young nurse.
In comes sexy, rich, dripping-with-charm and sworn bachelor, Antonio Romero III, the grandson of said tycoon, who has a good reason to shut down Lucy’s “scam wedding” business. However, when he meets with sweet, wounded Lucy, shutting her down is the last thing on his mind.
Book one of the hot new romance series, The Romero Brothers!
PROLOGUE
“Four children. Eight grandchildren. All successful college grads and professionals yet no great-grandchildren. No wedding invitations on the horizon. What is wrong with this picture?” Antonio Romero, Sr. wasted no time in chastising his grandchildren as they were seated in the cozy study of Romero Manor on the grand Romero Estate.
Seated in his temporary wheelchair, Antonio, Sr. looked out at the verdant garden through the French doors of the study. He had gathered the group for a family meeting to discuss his wishes following his fall down the marble staircase the previous week. He was lucky to have survived the ordeal. He had just finished riding his horse and had gone inside the mansion to change. Eager to get going to a meeting, the eldest Antonio lost his balance and toppled right on over the hard stone of the stairwell. His bones were fortunately strong but apparently not strong enough.
His nurse Shelly had just finished changing his dressing on his knee when the meeting was called.
“Grandfather, you know it’s not that simple. We don’t want to just bring anybody into the family,” Antonio Romero, III, his grandson, chimed in. He leaned over by the fireplace with his elbow resting on the counter. He had just finished work in the city of Toronto and flew in by helicopter and landed on the family property. The Romero estate was situated two hours from Toronto and was a four hour drive from Buffalo, New York. They truly had the best of both worlds. The family owned real estate across the globe-buildings, skyscrapers, clubs, restaurants and hotels but the real estate Antonio Senior had in mind was the property located within the heart. When would his scions ever settle down and provide heirs for the Romero dynasty? It was a coincidental disaster that none of his eight grandchildren from four different children had settled down with anyone.
Were the Romeros blessed with success in business while cursed in love as to their personal lives?
No.
Antonio, Senior refused, absolutely objected to any notion to believe that.
“Baggage, Gramps. A lot of girls have baggage these days,” Lucas added as he fiddled with the display on his smartphone.
“That’s rubbish. I know you’ve been heartbroken before and for that I am sorry. I’ve had broken bones many times in my life but that’s nothing compared to a broken heart. The bones heal faster, I agree,” Antonio, Sr. rebutted. “But you will never be happy if you continue focusing on the terrible things you’ve gone through and judge everyone as if they’ve hurt you. You’ll find whatever you look for in life, grandson. Remember that. Too many times you see a nice young woman or a girl in her thirties and you assume the worst. You look for the worst. And trust me, you will find it. Everyone has something unfavorable about them, but they also have redeeming qualities. If you keep thinking something’s wrong with people, you’ll end up alone. And that would sadden me immensely.”
The old man continued, breathing hard.
“You should probably rest now, Mr. Romero,” Shelly urged.
“No. I’m not finished yet,” he declared, waving her off before turning again to his grandchildren. “Stop trying to find the perfect soul mate and start trying to think of ways you can be the perfect soul mate to someone else. I’m telling you this for a good reason. You don’t want to end up alone in your advanced age because you’re looking for someone who will never exist. A flawless human being. Heck, you are my grandchildren and I love you more than I love anything else, but you sure as heck aren’t flawless either. Nor am I. I’ve been married so many times already. People aren’t perfect, but love...love is. A woman may not be perfect but that doesn’t mean she won’t be perfect for you. Your other half. The yin to your yang. Give love a chance.”
CHAPTER ONE
“We’re being sued for how much?” Lucy Shillerton asked over the speakerphone. Her jaw fell open. She could feel the air being sucked out of her lungs. She dared not take a breath.
“Twelve million dollars.” The voice sounded cold on the other end of the phone.
Lucy closed her eyes and placed her hand on her forehead. Her heartbeat pounded fiercely in her throat.
Twelve million dollars? My life is so over.
She was dead.
She was so dead and it wasn’t even funny.
She could not believe her burning ears. Her company could never recover from a civil suit of that magnitude. Heck, it couldn't recover from a twelve thousand dollar suit. Her insurance alone would fly through the roof! Lucy hunched her shoulders as she sat down in her leather chair at Dream Weddings Inc. Welcome to your new, and possibly the last, job as its CEO.
It hadn’t been six months since her eccentric late aunt left her the business in her will to take over and Lucy barely knew said auntie. And now?
How in God’s name had she gotten herself into this business?
Why didn't she contest her aunt’s will?
For all she knew, Lucy didn’t even believe in the institution of marriage. Her own father had left her mother for his secretary when Lucy was in her teens. Later, her mother, who had suffered from a rare congenital heart defect, died of a broken heart. Then, just when Lucy was about to embark on happiness with Jeff Samuels, her first and only love, he perished in a car crash two years ago—along with his mistress, apparently. So much for happy endings. It seemed as if Dream Weddings was nothing more than nightmare weddings for her now.
“Okay, let me get this straight. We’re being sued by the bride and groom-”
“No, dear. The parents of the bride and the parents of the groom are suing the company for endangerment.”
“But it was their dream wedding. We warned them about the dangers of bungee jumping off a bridge while screaming their vows. It’s all written in the disclaimer, Mr. Petri. We can’t possibly be liable. I’m truly sorry that the bungee jump off the bridge didn’t go as planned but-”
“Sorry, Lucy. You’re a sweet girl. You really are but such are the dangers of running a business like Dream Weddings. These days brides and sometimes the grooms want to go all out to have the most unusual adventurous nuptials, and they don’t think about the consequences or the risks involved.”
Lucy was beset with a massive headache at that moment. She rubbed her throbbing temples while talking on the speakerphone of her new corner office. The headquarters of Weddings Inc. was situated near the lake on Front Street in Toronto’s artsy business district. The loft-style office was on the top floor of a four-story building and had the shiniest hardwood flooring she’d ever stepped on. The walls were adorned with the coolest artwork she’d ever seen. Apparently, her elusive actually great-aunt, who really knew how to decorate, had won some lottery draw in the province and invested in helping others secure the weddings of their dreams. The company was previously called Weird Weddings Inc., then it was changed to Have It Your Way Weddings, but her aunt received some sound legal advice about changing its name. If Lucy could have it her own way, she wouldn’t even be in this situation right now.
This whole scenario was getting weirder by the moment.
Regardless, Lucy would always be eternally grateful to her aunt for sending her some of her winnings so that she could secure her own place and finish her studies. That was so kind of her, even if they weren’t close. Her aunt was ever-so-elusive and travelled considerably. The saving grace was that her aunt’s assistant, Maxine Summers, who knew the business very well, still stayed on after Lucy took over.
It wasn’t as if Lucy currently had much of a life..She wasn’t in touch with her father, had very few friends and rarely went out. She recently graduated with her Masters in Philosophy and Psychology and was about to complete her PhD. Since teaching jobs at area universities were scarce it seemed like a blessing in disguise at the time to have this opportunity to turn over her aunt’s business and perhaps complete her studies later.
At twenty-nine, Lucy wasn’t exactly a social animal but she really needed to get a life. A proper one.
“Okay, fine. I will get in touch with my lawyer, Mr. Petri, and someone will get back to you on that one.” After Lucy hung up the phone she rubbed her temples again.
“Girl, you are not having a good day, are you?” Her assistant, Maxine, walked in as if on cue after she’d disconnected the phone call. Maxine juggled two steaming lattes in her hands.
Thank God for Maxine!
“Thanks, Maxine,” Lucy said and took one of the cups from her assistant. Maxine always knew what to get Lucy when she really needed it.
“Oh, no worries, Lucy.”
Maxine plopped in the chair in front of Lucy and surveyed her. She was five-ten and had dark hair with a touch of blue and blond highlights and wore a pencil dress with tights and thick dark-rimmed glasses. Her long hair was pulled up into a ponytail. She was fun to work with and catty enough when she needed to be to keep Lucy on track and full of valuable knowledge about the business. Of late, Maxine was in talks with the Home network. She was trying to secure a spot so their business could do a segment on one of its popular reality TV shows, but Lucy could not even entertain that thought with the recent chaos in her life. Yes, she had other proverbial fish to fry.
“You sure you’re okay?” Maxine continued. “You really don’t look too good.”
“Maxine, I...I don’t know what to do. Was this what Aunt Chris went through every day?” She gave her left temple a break from massaging and picked up the latte and took a sip of the warm, smooth drink. Its rich, creamy texture melted down Lucy's throat and soothed her inside. That was just what she needed.
“Oh, every day, girl.”
“Okay, that’s all I needed to know.” Lucy hadn’t had a chance to go through all the paperwork when she took over. Mr. Petri, the part-time business manager and bookkeeper, had only informed her of her current contracts that had to be fulfilled but still went through other business matters and tax documents that needed to be processed.
“What do you mean by that?” Maxine placed her latte on the table and pulled out her iPad.
“Aunt Chris must have really hated me.”
Maxine chuckled. “Really, I don’t think it’s that bad, honey. Besides, this business really gave your aunt a lot of love.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet.”
“You know what your problem is?”
“Oh, boy! Yes, Dr. Phil?”
“No seriously, girl. When was the last time you got laid?”
“Maxine!”
“No, really. Have you even been on a date this century?” Maxine playfully arched a brow.
“Um...when was the last time you got...some?” Lucy shot back, knowing full well Maxine hadn’t been on a date as long as she had.
Maxine shot her a playful scorn. She reminded Lucy of the little sister she never had. When things got stressful around the office, Maxine was always there to lighten the mood and remind her not to take herself too seriously all the time. It just wasn’t worth it.
“Besides, you know I was engaged two years ago,” Lucy’s voice trailed off as she continued. The memory was way too painful to conjure up right now. The conversation was going to a darker place she’d rather not revisit.
“Sorry, Lucy. I totally forgot. But listen, just because you lost love, it doesn’t mean you can’t go out and find someone else who would really appreciate you.”
“Maxine, you’re a sweetheart. Ever the romantic enthusiast. But seriously, I’ve learned that marriage is not for everyone.” And boy, did Lucy really mean it. It hadn’t worked out for her own parents, and although her heart still ached over losing Jeff in such a horrific accident, he was with another woman at the time. Imagine that! He was with his mistress. Apparently, according to news reports, they were in a compromising position, both partially undressed below the waist in the car, when the collision occurred. Jeff was definitely distracted when that accident occurred.
Lucy squeezed her eyes shut as if to push that horrific scene out of her mind.
No. I will not go back into the past. It’s gone. The past is gone. I will not let the past hurt me. It’s gone. I will live in the present and dream about the future.
At least that was what months of therapy had taught her during that time period.
She had to move forward. But Maxine, as well-meaning as she was, was wrong about marriage. It really wasn’t for everyone. And it certainly wasn’t for her. Okay, so she’d create dream betrothals for other people but that was as far as it would go for her. No dream weddings for Lucy Shillerton. No way in hell.
“Okay, now tell me about the outstanding contracts my aunt left...I mean, that we at Dream Weddings have left,” Lucy corrected herself.
Maxine started fingering across the screen of her iPad and pulled up a few files. She sure was quick with her fingers on the tablet. Thank God for t
echnology. It wasn’t long ago Lucy remembered digging through stuff in a regular file cabinet and pulling out stacks of paper files on documents she needed at one of her old summer jobs.
“Okay, so we have at least three or four left and then we can take that much needed break that you so crave, girlfriend,” Maxine said.
Lucy grabbed her old-fashioned notepad and braced herself to take notes.
“Okay, shoot,” Lucy prompted Maxine.
“Right now, we have Debbie and Luke.”
“And their wedding theme is...?” Lucy asked, taking another sip of her coffee.
“Mob-style wedding.”
Lucy spewed her coffee all over the desk.
“Girl, you okay?” Maxine got up and immediately went around the table to pat Lucy on the back as she choked.
“I’m good,” Lucy said after she composed herself. “Mob. Style. Wedding?”
“Yeah, it’s supposed to be a popular theme in Vegas.”
“Yeah, and this is so not Vegas. We are not, repeat, not, doing a mob-style wedding!” Lucy could hardly contain herself. Maybe she was in the wrong business. All she could think of was more injury, a gun going off in the wrong place. Not to mention...
“Mob-style weddings are not romantic! I’m sure the mob doesn’t do Mob. Style. Weddings!”
“Oh, really now? Do you know of any gangsters, Lucy?”
Lucy narrowed her eyes and scowled. “Okay, fine.” Lucy had to remember that she was in the business, however odd, of granting the dream weddings to their clients. However nightmarish they may seem. She dropped her pen on the desk beside her notepad and began rubbing her temples again. “I’m in the wrong business, Maxine. I believe in granting dreams to couples but...I can’t help but thinking this is going to be more of a nightmare than a dream. What if things go wrong?”
“Honey, they only want to use props, not real weapons.”
“Well, I figured as much, Maxine. That’s just not the point.”
“Listen, I’ve got to be heading out soon. Got a dentist appointment and I don’t want to miss this one.”
“Okay, who are the other wedding contracts?” Lucy asked quietly sucking in a deep breath. Breathe, Lucy. It’ll be okay. Just breathe. You are granting wishes here. It’s not about you, it’s about these wonderful people who want a chance at a happily-ever-after. And who could fault them, right? Maybe a little thing called...fate!
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