Page 71 of Necessary Cruelty

Twenty-Two

A year isn’tthat much to ask.

I’ll bring up the pregnancy requirement eventually. After I got her to agree to the marriage, Zaya seemed so on edge that broaching the topic now might destroy our fragile deal before we can even ink out a contract.

Eventually I can figure out the best way to tell her, when the time is right.

I’m not a complete monster, I’ll make sure that she has everything she needs. She might enjoy playing Mrs. Cortland, assuming she quits the moping enough to enjoy anything. Aside from when I’m just trying to torture her, she has always managed to enjoy our time in the dark together.

We sit silently in the car as I drive to my uncle’s office for the second time in as many days. I glance at her a few times, looking away before she catches me, if just to convince myself she’s still there. Her body language is as tense as ever, but her gaze flits over my profile every few seconds when she thinks I’m not paying attention. Her impressive resolve is weakening, whether she wants to it admit to herself or not.

She said yes.

And she’ll keep saying it until I have what I need.

I can’t fight the triumph that surges through me at the thought. My inheritance is in reach with only a few hurdles left. Zaya has already promised me a year, and eventually I’ll figure out how to broach the subject of having my kid.

I’ve already convinced her of this much, what’s this one last thing?

It’s not like I’d expect her to raise it, that’s what nannies are for. I saw more of my nanny than I ever did my father or Giselle, and I turned out just fine.

Maybe I could even convince her to give it more than a year.

I force away the rogue thought as my fingers tighten on the steering wheel. That is the craziness talking, the impulse I seem to have for destroying things that were working just fine before. This isn’t about love or any other fluffy emotions. Love is a weakness that opens your heart up to being ripped apart.

Zaya Milbourne betrayed me once, I’m not going to give her a chance to do it again.

I want to own her, possess every part of her, and I want everyone in Deception to see me do it. Then I’ll toss her away when it’s all over and done with.

Securing my inheritance is the glorious icing on the cake.

But it isn’t about love.

“Are you okay?” she asks.

I force myself to look at her, finding her staring at me. “Fine.”

The district attorney’s office is busy because it’s a Monday morning. That doesn’t stop me from breezing past the reception desk like I always do.

“You can’t just go back there,” the secretary calls as she half-stands, but I hear the resigned note in her voice.

Because she knows as well as I do that yes, I can.

But Zaya hesitates, falling back by a few steps as she looks nervously around the crowded office. I grab her wrist and pull her after me, loving the little squeak of surprise she makes.

“You’ll be a Cortland, too,” I murmur just loud enough for her to hear. “Get used to the fact that normal rules no longer apply.”

She makes a disgusted sound, but follows behind me as we push through the glass doors that lead to the offices. I can’t help but notice she doesn’t pull her hand away.

West is on the phone when we burst in. There isn’t any surprise on his face, just resignation, as he waves at me to shut the door. He usually has the male equivalent of a resting bitch face, so it’s an angry expression that passes over us as we step into the room. I have to drag Zaya over to the desk and push her down into the seat because she is so obviously intimidated.

People think that West only got his position through nepotism until they come face to face with him in a courtroom. The man is like a pit bull who grabs ahold of things and refuses to let go. I hope his mood is amenable today, but it’s impossible to know for sure until he opens his mouth.

Zaya sits gingerly, tucking her hands underneath her thighs as if she worries we’ll see them shaking. She shouldn’t bother, West is amazingly perceptive when it comes to people. I’ve always been able to read her like a book, so he’ll know her every secret at a glance.

West barks something into the phone that I can’t translate because it’s in advanced legalese, before slamming the down the receiver and turning to us. “The next time you bust in here like this, I’m having you arrested for trespassing.”

I doubt the threat is a serious one, but who can ever really be sure? Slouching down in the chair like everything bores me, I cross my arms over my chest. “That’s no way to treat family, dear uncle. I always thought you enjoyed our time together.”

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