The Wrong Fiancée: A Billionaire Second Chance Romance (Marriage by Contract Book 3)

I really needed to get the hell off the roster on events that included Dean and his freaking future in-laws.

Uncle Sam and Ginny were throwing a day-long party to celebrate their daughter’s engagement again.

How many times did they want to celebrate that? And why, in the name of everything holy, did I have to witness one of those times?

The head of events had literally begged me to help—he was sick as a dog, and I was the only one with both the experience and the time to pull it off. Then Leilani hit me with her pleading puppy-dog eyes, and, of course, I relented.

My life sucked!

I mean, how many people had to help serve at the engagement party of the love of their life, huh? No one had this kind of bad luck. Just me. Pele had it in for me. The bitch!

It was a no-expense-spared affair that only the ultra-rich could pull off without breaking a sweat.

It would start with lunch—an extravagant buffet laid out under the shade of palm trees, the waves crashing gently just beyond the resort’s private stretch of beach.

Uncle Sam had spared no detail, ensuring every guest felt like royalty. I saw the who’s who of Hawaii there, and no doubt, the minute Ginny saw me, she’d be furious.

‘How are things?’ Dante Giordano came up to me, a colorful drink with an umbrella in hand.

‘Things are good, Mr. Giordano.’

‘Thank you for stepping up to handle this.’

‘It’s my pleasure, sir.’

He was a handsome man—and, like Dean, he stood out in the crowd of the rich and snobbish. At these events, I’d noticed the stark contrast: the men came in all shapes and sizes, casually throwing on a pair of shorts and a loud Hawaiian shirt, while the women were tucked, nipped, and styled within an inch of their lives. Their outrageously expensive outfits from the latest beach collections were a spectacle in themselves. The most popular seemed to be bikinis paired with sarongs that probably cost more than I made in a week.

Everyone was given a lei when they came to the party, and while the men wore them, the women discarded them in favor of their real necklaces and jewelry.

‘If you have any issues, come straight to me,’ Dante instructed.

‘I will, sir.’

He looked me up and down insolently. I didn’t like it, but he was a wealthy boss, and I needed my job.

‘Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?’

He smiled then. ‘Oh, so much, but…for now, just make sure everything at this party is beyond reproach.’ He spoke with a slight Italian accent, which I was sure some women thought was sexy as hell. Not me. I didn’t. This man scared the bejesus out of me.

‘I will do my best, sir.’

He looked around and spotted, as I had, Dean and Felicity.

He had his arm around her. She was in a bright yellow sundress that was molded to her body. She had curves in all the right places. Her hair was perfect. Her makeup was en pointe.

I was in black shorts and a white T-shirt with the company logo on it. Instead of elegant sandals, I had on cheap sneakers. Yep, there was no contest.

‘Dean and Felicity are like family to me,’ he continued.

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Do you know them?’ he asked insouciantly.

I tamped my temper. He knew about Dean and me so this was him just baiting me…but for what? Fun? These rich people needed to find other ways of entertaining themselves.

‘I have been at the resort for three years now and have had the occasion of meeting most of our regular guests,’ I prevaricated.

His lips curved. ‘That’s quite a non-answer.’

‘When you ask a question that you already know the answer to, maybe it deserves such a reply, don’t you agree?’

Shut the fuck up, Elika. You’ll get your ass fired.

Instead of getting annoyed, Dante looked amused. ‘I can see why he fell so hard for you.’

With those words, he went up to Dean, and I closed my mouth, trying not to think about what his words meant.

‘Elika.’ Theo came up to me. ‘How’s it going?’

‘Aloha, Mr. Farrell.’

‘Come on, Elika, you can call me Theo.’

‘Of course. Can I help you with something?’ I asked.

‘No. I just wanted to catch up. See how you’re doing.’

Was he kidding me? I was working here, and he wanted to chit-chat.

‘I’m so sorry, but I’m working. Maybe another time?’ I suggested as politely as I could.

He was immediately contrite. ‘You must think I’m a total asshole. You’re working and I’m drinking and…sorry, Elika.’

I walked back to the catering area and checked on everything—the supplies and the drinks. When one of the servers took a break, I started serving. The Thatchers had invited nearly fifty people to their shindig. Thank God for the overtime pay I’d been promised, because this was going to be a lot of work.

As I carried the caviar bites around to the guests, I made sure to keep my distance from Ginny, Dean, and Felicity. I didn’t recognize everyone, but a few stood out—Michael and Rebecca, of course, along with others who owned sprawling estates on Kauai. Then there were the usual suspects, the ones who flew in on private jets from Oahu or Maui.

I weaved through the partygoers, balancing trays of cocktails, my uniform sticking to me in the midday heat.

My eyes caught on Dean and Felicity, standing near one of the tables, laughing as Felicity sipped something sparkling and cold. They looked…happy. Felicity had changed out of her yellow sundress into a sexy orange bikini. Her sarong moved like water as she gestured wildly with her free hand while she spoke. Dean’s easy smile was in place as he nodded along, his eyes focused solely on his fiancée.

I couldn’t look away, even though I knew I should. It wasn’t my place to feel…anything. I didn’t have that right. But the sharp tug in my chest was undeniable. I wasn’t supposed to be jealous of someone else’s happiness—especially not theirs. I didn’t want to be that woman. The kind who stared too long at what didn’t belong to her, who wondered about all the what-ifs, who was bitter for how their lives were better than mine.

I managed to avoid my difficult family members until the buffet line, which stretched out across the lawn. Guests were piling their plates with roasted lamb, fresh poke, grilled mahi-mahi, and taro rolls.

I was serving the poke, which required interaction with the guests as I put it together for them.

‘The mango…and the scallions,’ one of the guests demanded when I heard Ginny’s hiss.

Let the games begin!

‘How is it that you’re everywhere?’ Ginny demanded as she stood in front of me at the poke station.

‘Aloha, Mrs. Thatcher. May I put a poke bowl together for you?’

I’m sure everyone has that point in their life where they wish they could fling something at someone’s face and say, I quit and walk away. If I could afford it, I would happily bitch slap this awful woman and be on my way. Not that I knew how to bitch slap, but I’d learn from YouTube if need be.

‘No, thank you. I don’t want anything that your hands touch.’

‘Ginny,’ Uncle Sam reproached softly.

‘We all wear gloves, Mrs. Thatcher,’ I couldn’t help but say. I didn’t need our guests to think that I was going to give them some disease thanks to Ginny’s loud remonstration.

‘Ginny, move it along, darlin’. I want some poke,’ a drunk guest slurred from the back of the line, his voice thick and impatient.

Ginny glared at me. I kept smiling like an automaton.

I sighed in relief once they left and served guests for another five minutes before someone came to relieve me.

‘Ah…Giordano wants to see you by the ballroom,’ my replacement, who had been pulled from the Pele’s Flame, whispered.

I nodded uneasily. This wasn’t good. Not good at all.

I threw my gloves into a trash can and saw Dean talking to Dante outside the ballroom. Dante was listening as Dean gesticulated. Dean turned to see me and nodded stiffly before walking away—or rather stomping away.

I was getting fired. I knew it. I knew it. Had I done something to piss off Dean? Was that why he was complaining to Dante about me?

‘Mr. Giordano, you wanted to see me?’ My heart beat like a drum.

He smiled tightly and held out a hand, gesturing me to walk into the ballroom. It was empty, and Dante motioned for me to take a seat at a table. I did and kept my shaking hands on my lap.

I had enough money saved up to pay for a month at Ka Pono. I could find another job in a month, right? I was getting the cottage cheap because I worked at Hale Moana Resort, so I’d lose that. Where would I stay? I could stay a couple of days with Leilani and Nalu, but their place was small, and Nalu’s mother, who wasn’t well, lived with them. I’d have to find a place—any place.

‘I’ve been made aware that you’ve been having a lot of…skirmishes with the Thatcher party,’ Dante spoke softly.

The hell with it. I was just going to give it to him straight. ‘Mrs. Thatcher is displeased with my presence wherever they are and in general.’

He nodded sternly.

Damn it! The Thatchers were important guests while I was merely the staff, easily expendable. People like me got fired every day. At least I’d keep my tiki lounge job, and I knew they’d hire me most evenings. I just needed to find something for the day. With two jobs or maybe three, I could figure everything out.

‘Why do you think that is?’ he asked.

I felt like crying—I really did. I was so tired, and this seemed so unfair. I always did my job well. I cleaned well. I stepped in when I was needed. I never complained about working long hours.

What had Dean said to Dante? Fire her because she’s upsetting my in-laws? I thought after he came to Ka Pono with me, we’d come to an understanding. But I knew that there would come a time when Felicity would complain so much that Dean would have to cut me loose, not that I was attached to him in any way.

‘I don’t know, Mr. Giordano. Maybe you should ask Mrs. Thatcher.’

Dante’s eyes went cold. ‘You know, at our resort, the customer is always right.’

‘Yes, sir.’

I had exactly eight hundred and thirty-six dollars and fifty-five cents in my savings account. That could help me find a place to rent, maybe just a room in one of the cheap motels. Bed bugs were better than no bed.

‘How long has this been going on?’ he asked.

‘What do you mean?’

Nalu’s friend had a motel; maybe they’d give me the friends and family deal. Yeah. I could go there. Shit, I hadn’t fixed up my bicycle. Well, I’d have to do that right away. I hoped they’d let me stay tonight in my cottage, and I could pack up and leave tomorrow. I should’ve changed jobs when I knew they’d be here in the summer. That would have been the sensible thing to do.

‘Your vendetta with the Thatchers.’

‘I don’t have a vendetta, sir. Mr. Thatcher is my father’s half-brother. My father is no longer alive.’

Dante leaned back. ‘So, this is a family matter that’s following you to work?’

I could borrow Leilani’s car to move my things. I didn’t have much. What I had could fit in a suitcase and a box. I felt tears sting the back of my eyes. I wouldn’t give this rich asshole the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Ever.

‘I’m afraid so, Mr. Giordano.’

He looked somber. ‘We can’t have such behavior at a resort of our caliber. Do you understand?’

Oh, I certainly do!

‘Yes, sir.’ I cast my eyes down, my shoulders slumped. I was so exhausted. I just wanted to lie down and sleep for several days. Wouldn’t that be a luxury?

‘I have seen your file and there have been several complaints from the Thatchers over the years.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Why do you put up with it?’ he asked, and my eyes snapped up to his.

I felt anger rise inside me. Well, he was going to fire me, so maybe I should just go out in flames and the hell with it. He could be the someone I told ‘I quit’ to

No, you can’t quit. If they fire you, they have to pay you for four weeks, which is the money you need.

‘Put up? They’re guests, I work here. I don’t have a choice.’

‘Have you talked to anyone about this?’ he asked.

I took a deep breath and sat up straighter. To hell with it. Dean Archer and his rich asshole friends could go fuck themselves. ‘My supervisor is aware, sir. We do our best to make sure they don’t see me often. But there’s been a rash of illnesses lately, which means I’ve had to cover other people’s shifts in the restaurant and bar. Like right now.’

Dante nodded somberly. ‘I have recently had a very serious complaint from a guest.’

I waited. I was assuming it was Dean who’d probably asked him to get rid of me. Damn it! He knew how badly I needed this job.

‘This guest says that the resort is not doing anything to protect you from what he terms as harassment.’

Say what?

I gaped at him.

‘I agree with him.’ Dante’s eyes softened. ‘You should not have to deal with guests who are rude to you, Elika. I’m sorry that you’ve had to.’

I was speechless, so I continued to say absolutely fucking nothing.

‘I will have a conversation with the Thatchers and convey to them that if there is an incident of the kind just witnessed by guests at the buffet table again, they will have to find other accommodations.’

‘The what?’ I was flabbergasted.

Dante smiled, and I could see why all the female staff at Hale Moana had a crush on the man. The minute he smiled, he went from intimidating to panty-melting handsome.

‘Now, I’m giving you a choice. You can go back out there or take the day off with full pay.’

I hadn’t had a day off in…what felt like centuries. It was tempting to just leave this mess and head to the beach. Read a book. Wash my hair. Clip my toenails. See the sunset.

‘I’ll go back out there.’

Dante sighed. ‘I was really hoping you’d take the day off.’

I blinked. ‘If that’s what you want, I’m happy to⁠—’

‘Not because we don’t need you here, because we do. If you don’t come back, I’ll have to drag Kali out while he’s sick or do it myself, which would be a disaster. But the same guest who made me aware of how you’re being treated also mentioned that you’re working seven days a week. You put in nearly twelve hours at the resort every day except on Wednesdays when you put in an eight-hour shift at Lava Lua.’

I swallowed. ‘I want you to know that I do my job well. Just because I’m working a lot doesn’t mean I am sloppy or⁠—’

‘Elika, stop. We think highly of you. I want to put you on the management track. You’re an asset, not a burden. Here is a deal I have for you.’

‘Deal?’ I squeaked.

‘Yes,’ his tone was stern. ‘Quit your Lava Lua job, and you must take two days off every week.’

I immediately calculated how much more I could make if I worked on the two days off elsewhere on the island. Maybe I’d finally be able to get a car. Oh, but that would be nice.

‘No, you can’t work somewhere else on those days. You must take them off. You will start management training next week and get a pay raise.’

A pay raise? Was he serious?

He told me what my new income would be, and I realized that he was serious.

Happiness bloomed inside me. Nothing good had happened to me in a very long time, and the feeling of euphoria was heady and alien. And then, just like that, I deflated.

‘Is Dean making you do this?’ I asked, thinking the hell about being professional.

‘Dean cannot make me do shit,’ Dante growled. ‘I’m doing this because I want you taken care of. You’re an employee. Whatever relationship you have with Dean is your business and has nothing to do with me. Did he make me aware of what’s going on in your life? Yes. Should I have known and done something? Yes. Did I? No. That makes me an asshole. I’m fine with that. But if I can make your life easier and it benefits the resort, then I’d be a fool not to do it. I don’t mind being an asshole, but I do mind being a fool.’

He sounded sincere enough, and I couldn’t imagine anyone pulling one over on Dante Giordano.

‘Thank you,’ I whispered.

I was so fucking grateful. Maybe I could sign up for online classes and get some credits out of the way with the raise and time off.

‘I’ve also been made aware that you’re interested in art,’ Dante continued as if what he’d already given me wouldn’t totally change my life for the better.

I smiled. ‘Yes. I was studying art history and…someday, I hope I can work in an art gallery or museum.’

‘Well, someday is now, Elika. We’re opening an art gallery in the resort—as a way to sell local artists through exhibitions. I have hired a director of art. I’d like for you to work for her.’

Tears filled my eyes. Sticks and stones wouldn’t break my bones, but kindness…oh yeah, that would absolutely do the job.

‘Hell no, niente. No tears. Capito?’

I sniffled.

‘Dean will have my ass if he finds out I made you cry. I like my ass just the way it is,’ he groaned as I wiped the tears that I couldn’t stop from rolling down my cheeks.

‘Why are you being nice to me?’ I asked, trying to control my emotions.

Dante put a hand on mine, which lay on my lap. ‘Hell, Elika, I’m being decent. That’s all. We all must help each other, si? This is me doing what I can for you. Just like you’re doing what you can for your sister.’

I clasped his hand in both of mine then. ‘You won’t regret this.’

‘I know,’ he said confidently. ‘You’re a treasure, Elika, and no one gets to treat you like you’re not. Don’t let them. If Ginny or Felicity ever give you trouble here at the resort in your capacity as my employee, I want to know asap.’

‘You’ll really kick them out?’

He grinned. ‘I can’t stand the bitches. I’ll be happy to have the excuse.’

I laughed through my tears. I hadn’t been this happy or positive about my future in a very long time.