A Royal Surprise: ( BWWM Romance )

by Tiana Cole

  “I know. I told you about her sister.”

  “The one she claimed was sick and the reason she was willing to play the game?”

  “That’s right.”

  Kieran looked alarmed. “You made contact? Without me there? Whose idea was that?”

  “Mine. I insisted on it.”

  “Like you insisted on getting married?”

  “I wanted to be positive she was real. I needed to know if she was someone trustworthy who’d just screwed up, like she said, or if this was some nefarious phase two of the plan.” James picked up Kieran’s glass and went to the bar. He poured two this time and brought Kieran’s glass to him, then sat. “Call me paranoid, but until I met the sister, I couldn’t decide what to make of the story.”

  “And she is as sick as Deja claims?”

  “So says the doctor.”

  “The truth about the sister is nice to know when deciding if you are going to be vindictive or not.”

  “Vindictive?”

  “You could take her to court. We could see if there was anything actually criminal in her actions. If she was part of a conspiracy to destroy your business—”

  “None of that crap, Kieran. I’m satisfied that she acted out of desperation. And pursuing a criminal complaint against anyone in this case, even McCabe, would make me look petty. It’s okay if I act petty, but I’d rather not advertise my shortcomings.”

  “Tell me more about this sister. What’s she like?”

  “She is quite a woman. Sick, dying, but spunky as hell.”

  Kieran laughed. “So my legal advice is that you divorce Deja and marry the sister. She sounds like a catch.”

  “I’m afraid that she’s already married and, as you know, so am I, at least for the moment.”

  “And?”

  “Clearly the marriage thing…well, that isn’t the biggest problem. It never was. It was a mistake, and one that’s fixable. What we do is complicated by the fact that I like her. I can live with having made a mistake. What was upsetting me was losing Shen Liang’s respect.”

  “And the deal.”

  “Yes. But at the last meeting I think I started to figure out how Shen Liang thinks—just scratching the surface. He’s waiting to see what I do, how I deal with this apparent calamity. It doesn’t matter whose fault it is at all. His idea of a person comes from how they deal with the events that actually happen. My initial thought was to undo the marriage quickly and move on. Now I’m not so sure.”

  Kieran tilted his head. “And hearing her story, and believing it has changed your view of things?”

  “Her story, seeing her with her sister, and spending time with her. All those things have given me a reason to ask you to put a private investigator on a couple of research projects.”

  Kieran looked up, interested. “Okay.”

  “Check out the sister’s family finances. I’m pretty sure they’ve told me the truth…now. But I want confirmation.”

  “Okay. That’s pretty easy to do.”

  “The other is about Deja.”

  Kieran smiled. “Beat you to that one. I got on it right away. My minions dug out all the links to her past, her secret bank accounts in the Cayman Islands, unreported marriages to deadbeat nobles, all of it.”

  “What?”

  Kieran put up his hands. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist. No record, no black marks we could find. She was attending the University of Nevada, going after a degree in literature. She won some prizes and had a nice future—tipped for big things. Then, she dropped out.

  I assume that was to help her sister. Her parents died a number of years ago and she had a partial scholarship. If the sister had to quit work and her husband has low paying jobs, she might’ve dropped out to work and help out. She has a job in a diner at the edge of town.”

  “Like she said.”

  “Like she said.”

  “Shit.” James rested his chin on his fist, his elbow on his knee.

  “What’s the matter, James?”

  “This whole thing has me feeling like a jerk, Kieran.”

  “No matter how pissed I’ve been with you, James, you are the injured party in this case.”

  “And I’ve acted like a self-righteous prick.”

  “We all go to our strengths, and that’s something you do so well.”

  James decided to ignore him. “That first morning, when I woke up, all I thought about was what this marriage meant to me. Okay, she screwed up this business deal for me, but worst case, if Liang has nothing more to do with me, it isn’t the end of the world. It’s a straightforward business setback. So the truth of the matter is that this injured party is suffering mostly from blows to his pride and self-esteem.”

  “So what’s on your mind?” Kieran asked. “I need some direction. Knowing that you think you were an ass is satisfying but not helpful in terms of giving legal advice.”

  “Cute, Kieran. But I need your help as a friend as much as my lawyer.”

  Kieran held up his glass. “Well, as long as you are pouring Irish, and asking nicely, I can manage to get off my high horse.”

  James ran options through his head. “Do you think you could find out about this procedure the sister needs?”

  “I can put people on it, sure. What do you want to know?”

  “If it’s real or smoke and mirrors, with someone looking to get paid to experiment on sick people. And what would the treatment really cost?”

  “I thought she told you the price. Do you think she was lying?”

  “No. I think that’s what they told her, but I know it’s a ballpark figure. I’m a businessman, Kieran, and from my perspective, the quoted price from a hospital is one that they set for insurance companies, knowing they’ll probably only get a fraction of that. That means a hospital is always open to the idea of cash discounts. Cash is good. Secondly, whatever they ask is just a starting point for negotiations. They’ll accept anything that nets them a positive return.”

  “When it comes to money you can be cold and objective,” Kieran said, grinning. “I like that in you. I think that instead of billing you for this work I’ll send you to negotiate for the next car I buy.”

  “It’s common sense.”

  “Still, most of us would never think about challenging the price for surgery.” He smiled. “Is all this research leading somewhere I should know about?”

  “I don’t know yet. It depends on the answers we get.”

  The attorney smiled. “I think you aren’t telling me everything.”

  “And why would I do that? I have my mystique to think of, just as you have your image.”

  Kieran stood. “I’ll go get things started. I’ll have my local lawyer set up things with a private investigator and I’ll put them to work. Don’t drink up all that good Irish before I get back.”

  “If you work hard and fast I’ll order up more bottles.”

  “You are a slave driver, but I could get to liking the working conditions here.”

  * * * *

  When she reached the lobby of the hotel, Deja looked around to make sure she was alone before taking out her phone and dialing a number from memory. When the call was answered, she spoke quickly, afraid she might change her mind. “My name is Deja Fontaine,” she said.

  “Ah yes. You are the new Mrs. James Andrews?”

  “That’s correct.”

  “And did James Andrews give you my number?”

  “No. He has no idea I’m calling you.”

  “How may I help?”

  “I would appreciate it if you could spare me a few minutes of your time.”

  “I would be delighted to meet you. When would be suitable?”

  “I’m available now.”

  “Excellent. I am in the penthouse suite at the Royal.”

  “I can be there in fifteen minutes.”

  “I’ll leave your name with the attendant at the private elevator. I look forward to seeing you.”

  When she hung up, Deja’s heart poun
ded. She hoped to hell she knew what she was doing because she was certain her actions would have repercussions. If she didn’t understand people as well as she thought she did, she might just be digging the hole she was in deeper.

  * * * *

  James and Kieran walked down the hospital corridor and found the doctor in her office. When he introduced her to Kieran, mentioning that he was his lawyer, she laughed. “Are you planning to sue us into making Barbara well?”

  “Not at all, but only because I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “It’s a nonstarter,” Kieran said. “It’s against the ethics of my profession to sue beautiful women.”

  The doctor’s grin told him that the flattery was well aimed. “I was hoping to learn something about this new treatment that you think might work for her.”

  “I can’t talk about my patient with you.”

  “I am family,” he said.

  “Really?”

  “Deja might not have made it clear, but I’m her husband, so Barbara is my sister-in-law, and I am looking into helping get her treatment.”

  The doctor smiled. “I still can’t go into specifics.”

  “I don’t expect you to. I’m not actually asking about Barbara’s care, but about this treatment and whether she really could benefit from it.”

  “The last tests we ran suggest that she is at a point where there is a significant possibility of it working. Whether that means she is cured or goes into remission, I can’t say. If it is remission, that isn’t the same as a cure, but it would mean an indefinite period when she could heal and regain her strength.”

  “How would the treatment affect the pain she’s in?”

  The doctor smiled. “It would definitely reduce the amount and frequency of pain. Without the pain, her remarkable ability to recover would do wonders. As long as she gets the treatment soon.”

  “And how quickly could you could do it?”

  “It is actually a series of surgeries, done over a period of a couple of months.”

  “Is she strong enough for that much cutting?”

  “She’s tough, and by letting her recover between them, she’ll do fine. As far as when we can start, I’d need to contact the doctor at UCLA who developed it, but I know she’s eager to have more successful treatment.”

  “So it’s very experimental.”

  “Yes. She needs to prove the procedure so the insurance companies are forced to stop saying no to patients she could help. So, I’d imagine we could start soon. In a day or two.”

  James turned to Kieran. “Well, old friend?”

  “It’s your money, James.”

  “Then go see the bean counters.”

  Kieran stood and made a face. “I hate bean counters.”

  “So make them squirm.”

  He grinned. “Okay. I can do that.”

  As he turned to leave, the doctor smiled.

  “Barbara is a great lady.”

  “It seems to run in the family. Your wife is devoted to her.”

  “Almost too much.”

  * * * *

  She felt as if she started the meeting off on the back foot—off balance. She’d lost control.

  Liang had met her with a scowl that put her on the defensive. Seeing what she took as a look of disapproval, she felt a compelling need to justify herself to him. That she didn’t feel her actions were justifiable made her ramble, searching for something.

  Aware that she was making no sense, that her planned presentation was all going wrong, she stopped.

  He blinked.

  “This is terrible,” she said.

  His scowl increased. “What is so terrible?”

  “This visit. I came here for one purpose. I needed to face you and tell you, in person, the truth about what happened—to let you know all the facts.”

  “I see.”

  “Instead of doing that, and being focused, I saw your hideous scowl and started worrying about your opinion of me. I let what you think of me become important, and it shouldn’t matter.”

  He leveled his gaze at her. “Then I suggest you ignore my hideous scowl and my low opinion of you and tell me this truth you came to tell me.”

  “Very well.” For the second time she found herself trying to tell the story, but this time she went chronologically from front to back without embellishment. She resisted the temptation to explain anything. It made no sense to spin things even if she knew a good spin. She was there to present the story in detail. So she told him the story the way she had watched it unfold, about Alan approaching her at the hospital, about meeting James at the club, and the marriage.

  “Which brings you to the present, and what seems to be a rather untenable situation for you both. I imagine it would be difficult for there to be any trust between you now.”

  “Perhaps not. But we are accepting what happened and building new bridges. I have told him everything, just as I told you, and we are talking, trying to decide on an honorable course of action.

  “Would that not be to have this arrangement that was arrived at under false pretenses annulled?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. That seemed to be everyone’s initial response, but is it honest to pretend that the marriage didn’t happen? A divorce ends the marriage rather than denying it, but it suggests the marriage failed. This one happened, and it hasn’t failed, although that might a reasonable ending.

  I’m willing to acknowledge that James was not thinking clearly when he insisted that we marry and that is grounds for annulment. I’m not quite sure James knows what he wants. So we are talking about it, openly, and I think we’ll figure it out.”

  A waiter entered the room with a service cart, bringing food. “I took the liberty of ordering us some food,” Liang said. “I need some time to consider what you have told me.”

  She nodded, but the smell of the food was making her feel ill. “I’m afraid…” She hopped up before she could finish speaking and ran to the bathroom, holding her hand over her mouth, certain she would throw up.

  She made it to the bathroom and vomited violently. After washing her face, she returned to the room, feeling weak. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “That came on suddenly. I’m not feeling well. I’d better go.” The food smells were nagging at her again.

  “Should I call a doctor?”

  She was unsteady, queasy, that was all. “No, I’ll be okay. It seems to be passing.”

  “I understand,” he said. “I have only one question before you leave. What do you wish me to do with the information you’ve given me? Are you asking me to think better of James, or less of Mr. McCabe?”

  “No, sir. I’m not asking you to think anything at all. I asked you for a chance to tell you the truth and you gave it to me.”

  “And why was that important?”

  “James thinks incredibly highly of you and is mortified that he let you down. I care about him and feel it’s unfair for him to be judged without you knowing my role and Mr. McCabe’s in that stupid and unforgivable game we played. I wanted to tell you myself so that you would believe it.”

  “And if you are worried about his reputation, why haven’t you gone public with this?”

  “It isn’t public opinion that James cares about.”

  “I see.” Shen Liang cleared his throat. “And what will you do?”

  “About what?”

  “About your life.”

  “My first concern is my sister. I’ll spend what time she has left with her. Then, I’ll try to get my life back on track. What that means depends a great deal on what James decides.”

  “You care about him a great deal.”

  She smiled, noting the scowl had faded somewhat. “He’s growing on me. Yes, I do.”

  Her phone rang. A quick glance told her it was Alan. “It’s Alan McCabe,” she said. “He keeps calling.”

  “Don’t answer,” Liang said sternly. “If you believe what you have told me, you will never talk to McCabe again.”

  “I won’t.”


  Liang nodded and walked her to the door. “You are a lovely lady with a good spirit. I hope you feel better soon.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You should mention this stomach problem to your husband.”

  “Why?”

  “Are you not rebuilding trust by communicating things of importance?”

  “You’re right.”

  “I wouldn’t worry. My limited understanding is that it is usually mornings that are the problem and then it passes.”

  As she went down the elevator she wondered what he meant by that.

  * * * *

  James came into Shen Liang’s suite at the Royal and took the offered seat. The older man smiled. “Thank you for coming.”

  “Of course.”

  “Do you know why I wanted to meet again?”

  “No. I am hoping it is because you are still considering working with me. I hope it is because you somehow found more puzzle pieces.”

  She smiled. “Yes. I believe I have. This woman you married…”

  “Deja.”

  “Is she a good person?”

  The question floored him. Of all the questions he could expect Liang to ask him, the nature of his wife was not on the list. “Yes. I think she is.”

  “But you feel she tricked you, yes?”

  “She was part of a trick. Still, I can’t put all the blame on her.”

  “Why not?”

  “She was more of a catalyst than the cause.”

  “Then who is to blame?”

  “I am. No one forced me to do anything. She didn’t get me drunk. I can’t fault her for being terribly attractive and appealing to me.”

  “So you like her?”

  This didn’t make any sense. Why was his wife suddenly so important to Shen Liang? Was there something he didn’t know about her? Or was Liang simply fishing for more puzzle pieces?

  “I think I do.”

  “You haven’t filed for an annulment.” Then he smiled. “My people checked.”

  “It seemed foolish to rush to a solution, even if it seemed like an obvious one. The mistake was rushing into something in the first place. Also, I don’t see that staying married for a time does any harm.”

  “You might compromise your case for an annulment.”