Page 118 of River
CHAPTER 31
Billionaire
Noah
When we returned to the hotel late that night, Liv and Saffron went straight to bed, while River, Charles, and I had a last drink in the bar.
“What a wonderful family you have,” Charles told me.
“It’s small, but I have close friends, which makes up for it.”
The hotel bar had a pleasant ambient light and an impressive collection of Scandinavian design furniture. One wall was decorated with green plants providing color to the room, while another wall exhibited wine bottles that were lit up in a way that made it look like an art installation. We were sitting in front of a cozy fireplace when Charles leaned back in his comfortable leather chair and smiled. “It made me happy to see how welcoming your parents were to River.”
“Are you kidding me?” I chuckled. “They know I’ve scored way above my league.”
We all laughed at first, but then Charles turned serious. He spun his whiskey glass in his hands and looked down as if searching for the right words. “Have you two discussed the terms of your marriage?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You come from a lovely home, but as River’s father and a lawyer, I’ll be the boring guy who brings up the subject of a prenup. Have you discussed money yet?”
River looked down, clearly uncomfortable about the situation. “Charles, it’s all right. I don’t have the same obsession with material things as I used to.”
“I discussed the same thing with your sister when she married Damian, and they signed an agreement saying that whatever they brought into the marriage would remain theirs in case of divorce. River, you have a house in London and a rather substantial fortune while I don’t think Noah has had the same access to money as you have.”
I didn’t blame Charles for protecting his daughter, but the whole subject was like a bomb waiting to explode. I feared River’s reaction when she found out about my money. With our wedding only six weeks away, I couldn’t push it any longer. “It’s fine. I’m happy to sign an agreement.”
“Noah, you don’t have to.” River’s eyes were apologetic. “I don’t want money to ever come between us.”
Under the table, I stretched and fisted my right hand in quick succession. “I understand Charles’ concern, but the thing is…” I scratched my face with my left hand, wishing like hell I could have avoided this subject altogether.
“You’re in debt.” River’s eyes were full of sympathy. “Your mother told me how you bought her a house. I understand why you did it, and I’ll help you pay off the money fast so you’ll pay as little interest as possible.”
Damn, I just wanted to kiss River for being so sweet, but I had to tell her that the pattern she’d tried to break had found her anyway.
“I’m not paying interest because I bought the house with cash.”
Charles’ brow flew up in surprise.
“I told you I inherited money from my father.”
“Yes.” River nodded.
“Well, my father was a wealthy man. He owned a large oil company that he sold before dying.” My eyes went to Charles. “Unlike your grandfather, my dad didn’t trust a police officer with the company he’d built. He was sure I would have messed it up, and he was probably right. I got the money instead.”
Charles folded his hands and gave me a firm look. “How much money did he leave you?”
“Most of it is placed in investments, but it’s somewhere around three billion dollars.”
There was complete silence from both of them, and then Charles unfolded his hands and leaned back in his chair.
I was afraid to look at River, but when I did, she sat with her mouth open and a look of complete confusion on her face.
“You know, when River first told us she was dating you, I had Kit do a background check on you. This is a rather big detail that she missed.”
“I’ve been reticent about it. Only my parents know.” I swallowed, hoping River would say something. When she didn’t, I softly added, “And now you two, of course.”
River’s beautiful face was scrunched up when she finally spoke. “Is this true? Are you really a billionaire?”
