Hope lifted her chin. “Me, Travis, and Jen. We talked about it, and we all decided that you needed to hear this.”
Oh, this was going to be good. I folded my arms across my chest. “Okay. What is it that I so badly need to hear?”
“Dane … he’s using you, Vienna,” said Travis.
I raised a brow. “Using me?”
“Our uncle set up a trust fund for each of us. We have to be married before we can access it, and we have to do that before we turn thirty-eight. Otherwise, no trust fund.”
I let out a low whistle. “Apparently Hugh was a man who was a big believer in marriage.”
Travis snickered. “Not quite. He hadn’t experienced it for himself, but he wanted to ensure that we all did. He meant well, really. But Dane’s never seen it that way. He’s always been adamant that he’d never get married; that he’d never be ‘brought to heel by a dead man.’ You know yourself that he’s a huge commitment-phobe. Funny how that’s abruptly changed, isn’t it?”
I pursed my lips. “I wouldn’t say he was ever a commitment-phobe. He just didn’t seem interested in a relationship.”
“Until now,” said Hope. “All of a sudden, after four years of knowing you, he’s eloping with you. And it just so happens that he’s doing so at the age of thirty-seven.”
I cocked my head. “You think he married me purely so he can access his trust fund?”
She nodded. “I’m sorry, Vienna, but yes, I do. You don’t think it’s strange how he so abruptly came around to the idea of marriage? Look at how everything moved so quickly between you. I’m not saying he feels nothing for you, just that he didn’t marry you for the right reason.”
“He obviously didn’t mention the trust fund to you,” said Travis. “Don’t you wonder why?”
I sighed. “Look—”
“He needs to be married to you for an entire year before he can touch it.” Travis planted his hands on my desk. “That’s all you’ll have with him. A year. After that, you’ll have nothing. I mean, if you two divorce, there’s no way you’ll keep working here, is there? No. That means you’ll be out of a job. You’ll also lose your home. And where are you going to go? You’ve already given up your apartment for him.”
Hope nodded. “Oh, sure, you’ve probably signed a prenup that states you’ll get a nice cushy settlement in the event of a divorce. But I’ll bet he put a ‘wife gets nothing if she cheats’ clause in there. He’ll manufacture some ‘evidence’ that you had an affair, ensuring you don’t get a single cent of his money when you divorce.”
“Don’t think he wouldn’t, Vienna,” Travis advised. “The man is ruthless through and through. His own interests come first.”
Actually, I had signed a prenup. There was in fact such a clause in the contract but, according to my attorney, it was a standard thing. I hadn’t really cared about any of the clauses. I didn’t want money or anything else from him. Except maybe the bed. “So what are you suggesting I do?”
“Stop letting him use you,” said Travis. “He’s done plenty of that already. You can walk away now, which will mean his little plot won’t have paid off and he’ll lose access to his trust fund. Then at least you’ll have your pride. If you stay with him, you’ll be left with nothing at all. I hope you make the right choice.” With that, he and his wife left.
Shit, Dane was going to flip when he heard that they’d come here to spout that “advice.” Currently, he just wasn’t in the mood to deal with this calmly. I could delay telling him until later, right? No, it was probably best that I told him straight away in case someone else mentioned that they saw Hope and Travis in the building. Dane wouldn’t like hearing about it secondhand.
My resolve to tell him about it melted when he stalked out of the elevator a short while later looking ready to draw blood. I had no idea what had crawled up his ass and died a terrible death, but he showed no signs of calming any time soon.
He didn’t even greet me with a simple eyebrow raise. He marched past me, stormed into the office, and slammed the door shut. Huh.
Knowing from past experience that it was best to leave him alone when such moods had a tight grip on him,