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

I met Felicity at Island Brew Coffeehouse, a quiet spot tucked along Maunalua Bay, with views of the water so clear you could see straight down to the coral.

The coffee joint had a minimal vibe. Modern but casual—open-air, with tables overlooking the bay, and the steady sound of the water lapping at the shore. It was the opposite of the places we used to frequent in New York: no leather couches, plush drapes, or chandelier lighting. And that suited me just fine. I needed the fresh air, and Felicity needed a dose of reality.

I’d told Elika I was meeting her cousin. She’d behaved like it didn’t matter, but I knew it did. Elika still didn’t believe we were real. How she thought I could look at any woman other than her baffled me. But I’d fucked up, and I needed to do whatever it took to make her trust me and us, and know in her gut, with certainty, that I wasn’t going anywhere.

Felicity was already seated when I arrived, wearing her usual designer ensemble, perfectly put together, trying too hard to seem like this was just another friendly coffee date. I almost laughed at the effort. Her hair was done in soft waves, her makeup flawless as always, but there was something tight in her expression. She was on edge, and I knew why.

Damian went on a rampage after he found out that Felicity had been responsible for Elika being arrested. He’d never met Elika, but she was already family as far as he was concerned. Dad had told anyone who’d listen how fabulous my girl was and hoped that I had the good sense to win her trust since I already had her heart.

I took my time, ordered, and then grabbed my cold brew from the counter, and joined her at the table, the ocean breeze tugging lightly at my shirt.

‘Fee,’ I nodded to her as I sat down, my voice casual, like this was the least important thing I’d be doing today.

Looking at her, I couldn’t believe I’d ever thought I could spend my life with her. I had grown up, changed, and evolved in the past couple of months, and it was all thanks to meeting Elika again.

‘Dean,’ she smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. ‘Thank you for meeting me.’

I leaned back in my chair, taking a slow sip of my drink, letting the cool bitterness of the coffee roll over my tongue. ‘I’ve got a busy day, so let’s make this quick.’

Her smile wavered, but she quickly recovered. ‘I thought it might be a good idea to clear the air between us,’ she said, leaning forward slightly, her voice softening. ‘We had something special, and I don’t want things to end on bad terms. Besides…,’ she hesitated, her tone turning carefully measured, ‘it seems there’s been some misunderstanding about the work Thatcher Consulting has been doing with Archer Arts & Antiquities.’

There it was. The real reason she called me. I let out a breath, irritated with her transparency.

‘You mean the fact that Damian’s pulling out of every deal your father was involved in?’

Her eyes flashed with panic, which was quickly replaced with anger. ‘Yes. He’s canceling acquisitions and consulting contracts. And…what’s worse is that he’s announcing it to the whole world. It’s hurting our business. I don’t know why he’s doing this.’

I gave her a look that told her exactly why. ‘You know why.’

She blinked. ‘No, I don’t.‘

‘You fucked with Elika. Damian took that personally.’

She scoffed. ‘Why on earth would he do that?’

‘She’s mine. He thinks of her as family.’

She froze, and I could see her considering how to react to my words. It took her a few minutes but she went with playing it calm. Business was business, and that mattered to her more than anything else—I knew that, and once upon a time, I thought that it was a feature and not a bug.

‘This isn’t fair, Dean. You cheated on me with her. How is this my fault?’

I cocked an eyebrow. ‘I never cheated on you…or any other woman ever. And we’re not talking about that. We’re talking about how you tried to frame Elika for theft.’

‘I had nothing to do with that whole…situation.’

I almost laughed out loud. ‘Really?’ I leaned forward, resting my arms on the table. ‘Because it’s pretty clear to anyone who paid an iota of attention that you and your mother orchestrated that little setup.’

Her mouth tightened, but she wasn’t done yet. ‘Dean, I swear. I didn’t know anything about it. People who work with Elika don’t like her and stole from us to blame her. How’s that my fault?’

‘Elika’s colleagues adore her.’ I’d seen it firsthand, except for her former manager, who Dante had fired after finding out how he’d gone along with Felicity instead of supporting his employee.

‘Dean, I had nothing to do with that.’

If I didn’t know better, I’d believe her. I was a moron…used to be one, at least to have proposed to this chameleon. It didn’t speak well of my powers of perception.

‘Right.’ I shook my head, amused by her nerve. ‘You know no one believes you, right? There’s a reason why no other hotel or resort will let you stay there. You fucked with Elika, you fucked with Archer, you fucked with Dante. What did you expect would happen?’

Felicity’s mask cracked, her frustration showed. ‘My father has influence here. You don’t want to make an enemy of us.’

I took another slow sip of my cold brew, savoring the way she squirmed as the reality of the situation sank in. ‘Your father has influence—sure. That’s the only reason the cops haven’t arrested you and Ginny for framing Elika,’ I said, my tone calm but pointed. ‘But you know as well as I do how extensive the reach of Archer Arts & Antiquities is. If you’re having issues with Archer, you should take it up with Damian. I’m on sabbatical for a few months. Honestly, I have no idea what the fuck he’s up to.’

This wasn’t true. Damian had told me what he’d do and how. He’d been livid. ‘She did what? Are you kidding me? She had her arrested? Fuck this. I don’t want to work with snakes like her.‘

For once, Emilia, his wife, who was a sweetheart, agreed that Damian should do whatever he could to ruin Felicity. Elsa had talked to Emilia about Elika, and they’d decided they liked her for me—which was good news because that meant they’d do whatever they could to convince Elika to forgive my sorry ass.

‘Elsa is really invested in us being together. Your father, too.’ Elika was surprised at how much my sister-in-law liked her.

‘My whole family, baby.’

‘But they haven’t even met me?’ Elika protested.

‘Dad’s fallen in love with you. Which is no surprise since I’m madly in love with you. He’s asked everyone to help me win you.’

‘Your family is nothing like I imagined.’

‘Yeah, we’re all whack jobs.’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘Why is Damian doing this?’

‘Like I said, he didn’t like that Elika was arrested because of you.’

‘When did she become so important to all of you?’ Felicity cried out. Her outburst drew the attention of some of the patrons.

I leaned back in my chair, feeling the warmth of the sun on my shoulders. ‘You and Ginny tried to ruin her, Felicity. You wanted to punish her for something that was never her fault. And now you’re pissed because it’s backfiring?’

I could see the anger bubbling under the surface, the way her grip tightened around the handle of her mug. She wasn’t used to this—losing, not with me, not with anyone. I didn’t care. I wasn’t here to make her feel better.

‘She stole you from me.’ There were tears in Felicity’s eyes. Just a few weeks ago, I’d have done anything to stop that, now it was like whatever I felt for her had shut down. Her getting Elika arrested meant we couldn’t even be civil to each other.

‘No, Fee. She didn’t. Even if Elika didn’t exist, you and I were not going to happen.’

‘Why?’ she demanded. ‘We were…so good together.’

‘I didn’t know you very well. I rushed the engagement. I’m sorry about that. Seeing you here in Kauai made me realize that you and I are not a good fit.’

‘You’re an asshole, Dean.’

I shrugged. ‘You should go back to New York,’ I instructed. ‘Stay away from Archer Arts & Antiquities. Stay away from my family. And yes, that includes Elika now.’

Her face hardened, the polite smile long gone. ‘That bitch,’ she spat, her voice filled with venom. ‘You’re choosing her? Over me? After everything we had?’

I leaned forward, locking eyes with her. ‘There’s no choice here. You and I are not together. She and I are.’

Felicity’s jaw clenched, and for a second, I thought she might throw her coffee at me. But instead, she stood, grabbing her designer purse with a sharp jerk.

‘You’re going to regret this, your whole family is,’ she hissed, her voice full of rage. ‘You’re going to regret throwing me away for her.’

I shrugged, watching as she stood up and tried to gather whatever dignity she had left. ‘I doubt it.’

She stormed off, her heels clicking angrily on the pavement, disappearing into the distance. I watched her go, then turned back to the view of the bay, the sound of the ocean soothing the last bits of tension in my chest.

I wasn’t worried. Not about Felicity. Not about the fallout from all of this. She’d made her bed, and now, she had to lie in it.

I took another sip of my cold brew, savoring the taste of it, and leaned back in my chair, the sun warming my skin. I felt free. There was no guilt for how it had worked out with Felicity. I made a mistake, and I regretted that. And wasn’t it better to end an engagement rather than enter into a bad marriage?

I texted Damian: What are you doing to the Thatchers?

It took less than a minute to get a response from my brother.

Damian: I’m ruining them. Do you have a problem with that?

Me: Nope.

Damian: I can’t believe that bitch tried to frame your wife.

I grinned. Elika had already become my wife, and here we hadn’t even fucked. My family had a habit of jumping the gun, and Dad’s endorsement of Elika had made everyone close ranks around her.

Me: Thanks, braddah.

I finished my coffee and put on my sunglasses. Felicity was in the past now. And that felt damn good.