Page 26 of Bad Duke

“No, you don’t touch her hair. You don’t touch anything, just get her some new clothes,” I order, noting how amused Marina is by my reaction and how Olivia’s cheeks blush pink.

“Fine, come on, let's shop.” Marina holds out her hand to me and I take out my wallet and place my platinum card in her palm before she grabs Olivia and starts heading for the door.

“Wait…” Olivia looks helplessly over her shoulder. “How many outfits do I need? And shouldn’t we set a spending limit? I feel ba?—”

“There is no limit, sweetheart. He’s good for it,” Marina interrupts, continuing to march her out the door and when Olivia stares at me in shock I shrug and follow them out onto the drive. Once they are both in Marina’s Ferrari, I salute them goodbye, then as she purrs up the drive I quickly text Hugo to let them know they’ve left so they can be close behind.

When I turn around to head back inside I notice Will resting his shoulder against the door frame, smiling at me like a Cheshire cat.

“You sure got tongues wagging around here.” He laughs. “A fiancée, in ten short days. That's fast work. Even by your standards,” he points out.

“It’s complicated.” I shake my head and go to move past him. I’m not going to get into it with him. I don’t even understand my own feelings, there's no way I could expect him to.

“I don’t see owt complicated in it. A girl who doesn't know you agrees to be your wife just ten days after meeting you. I wonder why, Your Grace.” He smirks sarcastically then looks fucking stunned when I grip him by his gilet and slam him into the wall.

“She isn’t like that!” I get in his face and make sure he hears me. I won’t have him, or anyone else, speak that way about her. Olivia never asked for this, I dragged her into it because I can’t get a fucking handle on my compulsions.

“Alex, relax. I’m your friend, remember? I’m just looking out for you.”

We both get distracted when the gravel crunches and a bright, pink sports car pulls up in front of us. The door opens and a long set of legs slide out of the driver’s seat. The girl that gets out struts confidently towards us both, lifting her sunglasses up onto her neat, blonde bob. I drop my grip on Will and focus on her as she gets closer.

“I’m here to speak to the Duke of Hatherly.” She looks between us.

“Well, you're speaking to him.” I frown at her, wondering who the fuck she is, and when she looks at Will like he’s a piece of shit and dismisses him, I’m even angrier when he takes her order.

“I’ll be getting back to work.” He raises his brow at me and heads back inside, leaving me alone with the stranger at the front door.

“Well?” I wait for her to explain who the fuck she is. Though, I see something familiar in her eyes.

“I guess Daddy never told you about me, huh?” She laughs.

* * *

“Who the fuck are you?” I slam my office door shut once I’ve ushered her inside and try not to get riled by the fact the girl looks amused by my anger.

“I’m our father’s best-kept secret, Beatrice, my friends call me Bea.” She winks as she picks up one of Father’s paperweights and tosses it in her hand like a tennis ball.

“No. He would have told me.” I shake my head firmly.

“Listen, Alexander, I haven’t come here to make any claim or dispute any will. I came because you struck me off that little list that Samuel presented to you.” She sits in my desk chair and starts to swivel in it.

“That list was supposed to be all the organisations my father sponsored or donated to.” I stare at her confused.

“I’ve been an organisation for a while now, I think I was the St. Justine’s Hospital, up till a few years ago. You’d have to check with Samuel, he was in charge of all of that. Oh, wait, no…you sacked him.” She wrinkles up her nose trying to be cute but failing.

“He’s an asshole,” I point out.

“Yeah, well, he’s an asshole who was very good at solving Daddy’s problems. And Daddy wanted to keep me a secret, so he had to keep me sweet.” She shrugs her shoulders. “I guess he assumed you’d keep up his goodwill.” I can’t figure out how old this girl is but she sure is confident.

“I’m just here to assure you put me back on that support list so I can disappear and get back to pretending I don’t exist.” She smiles, almost psychotically.

“You want me to support you?” I stare at her in shock.

“Well, that was clearly what Daddy wanted.” She grimaces.

“He put you on that list as a fake organisation to try and con me into continuing to pay whatever it was the two of you agreed,” I point out, trying my best not to lose my temper. “The difference between me and him, Beatrice, is that I don’t care if the world knows about you. You're not my dirty little secret.” I watch the smile drop from her face and her shoulders pull back in defence.

“So, you think it’s fair that you get all of this and I get nothing?” She glares at me. “What I’m asking you for isn’t a lot. I know how much Daddy was worth. I deserve something…”

---