He threw money on the bed after our one-night stand.
I threw it back in his face at his own inauguration.
By sundown, we were engaged. By the week's end — married.
Franklin Flemington needed a wife to secure his empire. I needed a miracle to save my family. For two years, we played our parts flawlessly — the golden couple the whole city envied.
Behind closed doors, I was invisible to him.
When the two years were up, I handed him divorce papers without blinking.
He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "I've given you everything a husband should. What more do you want from me, Octavia?"
I smiled, signed my name, and walked out.
I thought that was the end. I thought I'd finally won.
I forgot one thing — Franklin Flemington has never lost anything in his life. And he has no intention of starting with me.
Game on.

I intentionally chose not to pick Octavia up. It didn't feel right, and frankly, I didn't want to. While I was legally and strategically obligated to marry her, I wasn't about to play the part of the doting fiancé behind closed doors. I left that task to Walter, my driver.


I was out on the green with my grandfather, Frederick. The afternoon air was turning chilly as we moved across the sprawling private field he owned—a piece of the Flemington legacy I was destined to inherit. I glanced at my watch, wondering if Octavia had already arrived at the mansion.


Right on cue, my phone vibrated. It was Walter.


"She's at the mansion now, sir," he reported.


"Understood," I replied curtly and ended the call. I turned to my grandfather, who was currently positioning himself for a difficult putt. "Octavia is at the estate, Grandpa."


Chapter 11 - ~ 11