Temporarily His Princess - By Olivia Gates Page 0,59

been forced into her past betrayal.

There was only one scenario that made sense. As soon as he’d employed her, those who always looked for chinks in his armor got to her family, and through them, to her. Younger, vulnerable to her family’s needs, she’d been forced to do their bidding, probably under fear of losing them to imprisonment through their crippling debts. That had been the first thing that had occurred to her when he’d threatened to imprison them.

But she must have hated doing it and soon realized there’d been no excuse for what they’d forced her to do. She had struck out as far away from them as possible, becoming the magnificent force for good she was now.

But after observing her with her family, with her mother especially, he was now certain Glory had no idea that he’d discovered her betrayal, or she would have understood why he’d kicked her out of his life. Her mother clearly hadn’t told her of the climactic confrontations with him. Probably out of shame that she’d exposed her daughter to buy the rest of her family’s salvation.

Or he might be all wrong and there might be another explanation. But whatever it was, he was certain she hadn’t set him up in cold blood, or pretended emotions she hadn’t felt. Everything in him just knew that her involvement with him had been real, and predated whatever she’d been forced to do. And that was the one thing that mattered to him.

Where he was concerned, from the moment he’d told her she was free not to marry him, that past had been wiped out from his mind and heart. Nothing remained in him now but that he wanted her, loved her, far more than he ever had.

But it was clear she had no idea this was how he felt. This must be why she was offering him the prenup. Showing him that he was free to keep his original pact if he wanted.

It was time to make a full admission, to leave her in no doubt what he wanted. Her. As his wife, for real and forever.

He heaved up to his feet, excitement frothing inside him, and swiped the prenup off the desk.

He’d take that piece of paranoid crap he’d regretted ever since it had passed from his hands to hers and tear it to pieces. He’d throw it at her feet along with his heart and his life. He’d…

His phone rang.

Gritting his teeth at the interruption, he answered the call.

A moment later, he wished he hadn’t.

A deep, somber voice poured into his ear, and everything inside him tightened, as if to ward off a blow.

Now what?

*

“Thanks for seeing me on such short notice, Prince Vincenzo.”

Vincenzo’s unease rose. Brandon Steele never asked to see him unless there was some catastrophe brewing.

“We’re alone now so drop the titles, please, Brandon.”

The man inclined his head silently, looking, as always, like a strange cross between a suave celebrity and a linebacker. He had a quietly menacing aura hanging over him like a cloak.

Vincenzo had hired him seven years ago to protect his research and businesses against sabotage and intellectual property theft. The agency Brandon owned and ran, Steele Security, had come highly recommended by Vincenzo’s cousin Eduardo as the most effective undercover agency to handle financial fraud and industrial espionage.

Brandon held a spotless track record, had uncovered dozens of masterful infiltrations and conspiracies, saved Vincenzo and his cousins untold millions and smoothed the course of their rise to the top of their respective fields.

But it was one particular achievement that always made Vincenzo loath to see him, more now than ever.

He’d been the one who’d gotten proof of Glory’s espionage six years ago.

Getting to the point as always, Brandon exhaled. “I don’t know how to say this, Vincenzo, but what were you thinking? You married the woman who once spied on you?”

Was that it? Brandon was here to scold him?

“Things aren’t as simple as they look to you, Brandon.”

Brandon cocked one disbelieving eyebrow. “Aren’t they?”

Vincenzo had no time for skepticism. If not for Brandon’s untimely call, he could have been with Glory right now, resolving everything with her.

Vincenzo exhaled. “Did you detect another leak in my operations? And you jumped to the conclusion that the only new thing in my life is Glory, again, so she must be involved somehow?”

Brandon stared at him as if he’d grown a third eye. “I see you’re not concerned about the prospect of a leak.”

It was strange, but he wasn’t. Or if