Page 6 of Arranged with Twins
“Whatever it takes. Adrian won’t be allowed to use her against me.”
Ilya nods and makes a note in his phone. He’s worked for my family for fifteen years, rising through the ranks based on competence rather than connections. His loyalty has been tested in situations where failure meant death, and he’s never disappointed me.
“There’s something else,” he continues, pulling out a second folder. “This is the background on the girl. I thought you might want a fuller picture before the wedding planning begins.”
I take the folder but don’t open it immediately. Instead, I consider what I know about Sienna Cooper from personal experience. My memories of her as a child are limited. I remember teaching her to play chess in her father’s study, impressed by how quickly she grasped strategy despite being only seven years old. She was quiet then, observant, and a child who listened more than she spoke.
Tonight, she was anything but quiet.
The woman who stood beside me during the announcement bore no resemblance to the timid girl I vaguely remembered. She challenged me at every turn, made it clear she resented the arrangement, and showed no inclination to play the part of the grateful society daughter her parents had promised.
I find myself oddly relieved by that. A compliant wife would have been easier to manage, but compliance breeds contempt in my world. Strength, even when its inconvenient, commands respect.
Plus, I found it kind of… hot? She’s not like other women I’ve met. I can only imagine how that will translate over to the bedroom.
But filthy thoughts have no place here and now. I open the folder and scan the first page. She attended the London Schoolof Economics, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in international business. She’s fluent in French and Italian and spent six months traveling through Europe before returning to New York, where she’s been working part-time at various charitable organizations while her parents orchestrate her social life.
Very nice. Very cultured.
The second page contains more personal details. There have been no serious relationships, though there were a few men her parents pushed on her over the years. She has no criminal record, no scandals, and no connections to organized crime beyond her family’s legitimate businesses.
Clean. Pure. Tempting…
On paper, she’s exactly what Vincent promised, presenting as an educated, well-bred woman. who understands the requirements of public life. What the file doesn’t capture is the fire I saw in her tonight, the intelligence behind her careful responses to reporters, or the way she refused to be intimidated even when she was clearly out of her element.
“Anything concerning?” I ask.
Ilya shrugs. “She’s clean. Almost suspiciously so. Either she’s genuinely as innocent as she appears, or she’s very good at covering her tracks.”
I arch a brow. “Which do you think? Is she a clever little vixen or a true saint?”
He seems to surprise himself with his assessment. “I’m leaning toward saint, honestly. Her parents have kept her insulated from the unofficial family business. She knows they have connectionsto people like us, but I doubt she understands the full scope of what that means.”
The SUV turns onto my street, and I see the lights of my penthouse building ahead. In a few hours, the engagement announcement will be splashed across every society page in the city. By tomorrow afternoon, wedding planners will be calling with proposals, and the machinery of Manhattan high society will begin grinding toward what everyone expects to be the social event of the season.
None of them understand what they’re really witnessing is the careful orchestration of a business merger designed to settle old debts and create new alliances. Love has nothing to do with it, despite the romantic narrative Vincent and Katherine are crafting for the press. Come to think of it, more than a few probably know that. Manhattan is filled with cynics.
They’re just right about the wrong things.
“Set up a meeting with the wedding planner Katherine recommended,” I say to Ilya as the car pulls up to my building. “Something public, where the meeting will be noticed. We need to maintain the illusion this is a normal courtship.”
“When?”
“This week. The sooner we establish the relationship publicly, the better. Also, make sure Sienna’s protection detail is in place by tomorrow morning. If Adrian is already moving, we can’t afford to be reactive.”
Ilya nods. “What about Vincent’s financial situation? Do you want me to keep monitoring his activities?”
I consider this as the driver opens my door. Vincent’s desperation makes him unpredictable, and unpredictable allies are often more dangerous than known enemies. At the same time, his debt to shadowy lenders suggests he might not have complete control over his own actions.
“Yes, but carefully. I don’t want him to know we’re watching. If he’s as compromised as these numbers suggest, we need to understand who’s pulling his strings.” The thought fills me with sadness, because Vincent is one of the few men I always respected and considered level-headed and good at business.
I let out a sigh as I leave.
The elevator ride to my penthouse gives me time to think about the evening. The engagement announcement went smoothly despite Sienna’s obvious reluctance. The press coverage will be favorable, which serves both families’ interests. Vincent gets the financial backing he desperately needs, and I get the social legitimacy that will make certain business ventures significantly easier.
What I hadn’t anticipated was my own reaction to the woman I’m going to marry.
Sienna Cooper is nothing like the compliant society daughter her parents described. She’s intelligent, independent, and clearly resentful of being used as a bargaining chip in her family’s financial negotiations. Under different circumstances, those qualities might be attractive.
