Page 13 of Arranged with Twins
“Has there been any direct contact between Vincent and Adrian?”
“Vincent has had several off-the-books meetings over the past eight weeks, but I don’t know with whom. He’s used a cash-only car service several times, his credit cards show multiple purchases of burner phones, and he’s had meetings in locations with no security cameras.” Ilya slides another document toward me. “The financial pressure has been increasing steadily. Vincent’s been taking short-term loans with increasingly desperate terms just to maintain basic operations.”
I scan the loan documents, noting interest rates that would be illegal if they were properly reported to banking authorities. These are even worse than the documents Ilya had dug up previously. Vincent Cooper, once one of Manhattan’s most respected businessmen, has been reduced to borrowing from loan sharks and shadow financiers.
“He’s trapped,” I conclude. “Adrian has him exactly where he wants him.”
“Adrian and any other number of small-time hoods and lesser families. It’s a miracle they haven’t cut off his credit and called in his debts yet.”
I nod in agreement. “Either they’re waiting to fully bring him down and take over everything he has, or they’ve maybe heard rumors of our meeting six months ago and phone conversations since.” I doubt that’s enough to stave off the wolves, though my reputation is formidable.
“Which means this engagement serves multiple purposes for all parties involved.” Ilya leans back in his chair, his expression grim. “Vincent gets the Denisov name and resources to stabilizehis business. You get the social legitimacy that comes with the Cooper family reputation, and Adrian gets access to both organizations through whatever arrangement he’s made with Vincent, which isn’t good.”
The analysis is sound, but it raises uncomfortable questions about how much Vincent might have already promised Adrian in exchange for temporary financial relief. Men in desperate situations make agreements they later regret, especially when their family’s survival is at stake.
“I need to give Sienna her engagement ring,” I say, changing the subject to something I can actually control. “I’m taking her to dinner tomorrow night, somewhere public and romantic, to officially pop the question, but it’s mostly for the cameras.”
“You’re all set. That champagne diamond you ordered from Cartier arrived last week.”
I hesitate, thinking about Sienna’s yellow dress and her obvious preference for bold choices over conservative ones. Then I think about how I picked her engagement ring online and had it shipped with all the thought I’d spend choosing new socks. In retrospect, that feels wrong. “Actually, I want to look at other options. I need to find something that might suit her personality better.”
Ilya raises an eyebrow but doesn’t comment on my change of heart. He just says mildly, “There’s a private jeweler on Madison Avenue. He’s very discreet and works with several European royal families. I can arrange an appointment this afternoon.”
“Do it. And continue monitoring Vincent’s activities. I want to know about every meeting, every phone call, and every financial transaction. If Adrian is using this engagement as part of alarger strategy, I need to understand the full scope of what he’s planning.”
The afternoon appointmenttakes me to a small, elegant shop that looks more like a private library than a jewelry store. The proprietor, a distinguished man with decades of experience serving Manhattan’s elite, shows me several options without asking unnecessary questions about my change in preference.
When I see the ring I want, I know immediately it’s perfect for Sienna. It’s a large circular diamond surrounded by smaller orange diamonds that catch the light like flames. It’s striking, completely different from the conservative choice I made originally, and exactly a piece that would complement the woman who wears bold yellow dresses and displays a subtle but defiant spirit.
“An excellent choice,” murmurs the jeweler, already preparing the custom fitting and presentation box. “Very distinctive. Should you need to have it resized, we can handle that service as well.”
I nod and take the box, oddly sure I’ve picked the right size based on how closely I observed her hands yesterday evening and at brunch today. It’s a size smaller than the original generic ring too.
I feel excited as I leave. That’s not something I’ve felt in a while, and certainly not like this.
No, this is giddy. This is childish and immature, and the serious man in me wants nothing to do with it, but I allow myself the guilty pleasure. What the harm?
By the time I return to the estate, though, things take a quick turn. Ilya has compiled additional intelligence that confirms our worst suspicions about Adrian’s involvement in Vincent’s financial crisis. The web of connections is more extensive than I initially realized, reaching into every aspect of the Cooper family’s business operations.
“He’s been planning this for months,” Ilya says, showing me a timeline that traces Adrian’s activities back to the beginning of the year. “The systematic targeting of Vincent’s resources, the financial pressure, and even the timing of when Vincent would become desperate enough to consider an arranged marriage for his daughter. Adrian anticipated all of it.”
“Which means he knows about our engagement and probably views it as either an opportunity or a threat to his own plans.”
“Both, most likely. He gets possible backdoor access to your organization through whatever deal he’s made with Vincent, but he also risks losing control if you discover the arrangement and decide to eliminate him.”
The situation is more complex than I initially realized, with multiple layers of deception and manipulation that go far beyond a simple business merger between two prominent families. Adrian is playing a longer game than I gave him credit for, and Sienna is positioned at the center of it though I doubt she knows it. I don’t think Vincent even realizes how deeply he’s getting enmeshed in Adrian’s scheme.
“Double her security detail,” I say. “Make sure they’re discreet but effective. They need to understand that any threat to her is a threat to this entire organization. We spare no expense.”
“I’ll see to it. I figured you’d want to do that, so I already have some men in mind. She’ll never see them, but they’ll be there.”
I settle back in my chair, contemplating the orange diamond ring that will hopefully begin to establish some genuine connection between Sienna and me. Tomorrow night’s dinner will serve multiple purposes by giving a public display of our relationship, offering a chance to have a private conversation about our arrangement, and perhaps the beginning of establishing whatever partnership we might be able to build together.
I remember that moment of shared amusement earlier and feel some hope that we might make this work without either of us being miserable.
And then the excitement returns.
5
