Dangerous game

Pov

Bryce

I was surprised to realize I wanted her mother's approval. I wanted her to think I was worthy of her daughter's time and affection. Even if that affection was just pretend.

When they arrived, I didn't allow the butler to greet them. Instead, I walked to the front door myself.

Cora was helping her mother out of the car.

What I saw when the older woman came toward me was nothing like what I expected. She was thin and frail, looking like a strong breeze could knock her over. It was clear she had been very sick for a long time, and my heart ached for Cora. Things must have been tough at home.

But when I was introduced to Rachel Rhodes, her eyes were a piercing steel-gray. There was no doubt the woman beneath that thin, paper-like skin was tough as nails.

I hoped that wasn't a bad sign.

"Mrs. Rhodes, it's a pleasure to meet you," I said, extending my hand.

"None of that," she said and weakly pulled me closer. I allowed her to hug me. "And call me Rachel, please. I don't like being called Mrs. Rhodes. It sounds so formal."

I nodded and smiled before turning to Cora and giving her a hello kiss. It was just a chaste kiss on the lips, but it was more than we had ever done. In fact, we were barely in each other's personal space, except for bumping into each other.

Her eyes widened a bit in surprise at the intimate gesture, but she didn't show her shock in any other way. We were supposed to be intimate with each other, and we had to convince Rachel that we were engaged.

The whole thing was going sideways. I would have to fix this soon, I wanted to kiss Cora like I meant it. I wanted to give her a kiss that would leave her breathless, do it right, if that's what we were going to do. But that would have to wait until later. We had a show to put on.

"Dad," I said, turning to my father. "This is Cora."

My father reached out his hand and Cora took it. "It's so nice to finally meet you, sir," she said. "I've heard nothing but good things about you. Of course, not just from Bryce, but also in the news."

"Call me Sal," my father said immediately. "And the media exaggerates a lot of things. I'm not the man the papers make me out to be."

Yeah, right, old man, I thought to myself.

His words made me stagger. Daddy was a giant in the business world. Everyone revered him, if not feared him.

His public image the great Sal Hollis was the real him. He was my father. I should know him better than anyone, right?

My thoughts turned bitter, but I pushed them aside. There was no time to dwell on that.

After my father and Rachel were introduced to each other and he said something low that made her blush a wild red I suggested we take the party inside.

"You have a beautiful home, Sal," Cora said as we entered the house. She looked at the Moorish columns and carved ceilings, and her eyes widened.

When Cora sat down and the chef swapped out the soup for a light salad, Rachel ate. I was glad it was working, at least. But the rest of the meal was going to be problematic. I had asked Carl to prepare veal, and there was nothing simple about that.

I jumped up and rushed back to the kitchen, asking Carl to prepare a simple stew with broth for Rachel, with plain rice to accompany it.

"I don't understand," Carl said when I made my request.

"The rest of the food will be thoroughly enjoyed by the three of us, but there are dietary requirements I didn't know about. And I'm not paying you to question me."

Carl sighed and nodded, jumping to it.

When I returned to the dining room, I was relieved to see smiles on everyone's faces, rather than the scowls I somehow expected. I couldn't say the night was going well, but at least it didn't seem like a complete disaster.

As we ate, my father talked. He asked Cora about her experience in the company and about her long-term plans. Cora answered all his questions politely.

I groaned. "Dad, it's like you're interviewing her," I said.

My father shrugged. "I'm just getting to know her. Isn't that the point of all this?"

I couldn't argue with him. I studied Cora's face and she didn't seem too tense, but I really didn't know her well enough to know how she was feeling — to be able to read her.

"So, how did you two meet?" Rachel asked when the plates were cleared and we waited for the second course.

I looked at Cora. Here goes nothing, her eyes seemed to say.

"At the office," Cora said and smiled. "Actually, it was kind of silly." She went on to explain how we met in the hallway with files flying. That part was true.

"Sounds very sweet," Rachel finally said.

Cora shrugged. "Yeah, but the downside was it set me back a lot in getting the files to my supervisor. I'm sure she's still mad at me for being late. And undoubtedly, she'll use that against me when performance reviews come around."

"I'll make sure no one worries too much about it," I said.

I squeezed Cora's hand where it rested on the table.

She looked at me and smiled warmly, and something passed between us. Something...

friendly. After all, we were in this together. And in that moment, it felt like we were a team.

"The moment I saw your daughter, I knew there was something wonderful about her. Something special," I said, trying to embellish the story a bit. "I always thought everything about love at first sight was a cliché, but at that moment, I knew it was real. It happened to me when I laid eyes on Cora."

Cora gave me a smile for her mother's benefit. But I could tell by her blush that she was uncomfortable with my words.

Her mother smiled at us. "How lovely."

I met my father's gaze, but quickly looked away. It was true that I had seen something special in Cora. But I hadn't fallen in love with her like in the movies, and I hated lying to Rachel.

Nevertheless, it would all be worth it in the end — for everyone.

The butler and the servants arrived with the second course, and Rachel was served her stew while the rest of us ate veal, roasted vegetables, and wild rice with an exotic spicy sauce.

"Thank you for making the extra effort for me," Rachel said. "I didn't want to be a bother."

I shook my head at the same time my father did.

"No problem at all," I said.

"That's what I pay the cook for. So no need to worry," my father added.

I nodded and Rachel smiled, tasting her stew. "It's perfect," she graciously commented. When she looked at me again, it felt like those steel-gray eyes were boring into my soul.

"So, marriage is a big step," she said, looking from me to Cora and back again. "Huge. Are you sure you're ready for this?"

I looked at Cora and took her hand, nodding.

"Yes, I know this is all fast. But I think we're ready," Cora replied.

"Do you?" Rachel asked, narrowing her eyes.

Cora took a bite of her food so she couldn't answer immediately, buying time.

"What she means," I said, speaking for Cora, "is that no matter how certain people are, marriage is always a big step and no one can know what the future holds."

"So, you think there's a chance of failure?" Rachel asked with a frown.

"That came out wrong," I said and then cleared my throat. "I'll do whatever it takes to make it work. And I know Cora feels the same. And if both people are trying, actively working on a marriage, I don't see how it can fail."

"Hmm," Rachel said and took another thoughtful bite.

I looked at my father. He was worrying about the whole thing, but he was supportive. He wanted me to succeed in the business, of course. I knew he wasn't too happy with the way I was going about it, but he resigned himself to the fact that I was marching to the beat of a different drummer. At least, this time, I was doing something to help the company's reputation.

"I think Rachel speaks very wise words," my father said.

I blinked at him. Why was he siding with Rachel? He knew how serious this was, how important it was for me to get married to keep the investors happy and keep the company running.

"Mom, I know what I want," Cora said. "And it's this."

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Rachel said. "And this... seems like a dangerous game to play." She looked at me. "But you're used to playing games, aren't you?"