I move, walking over to my desk like it was my choice to linger by the door at first. This feels like a game of chess. Fitting, since the queen is the most powerful piece. I pick up the heavy stack and flip through the first few pages. It抯 our prenuptial agreement. 揑 already signed this.?
Spent two hours signing it.
揥ell, I didn抰。 Changes needed to be made first.?
Changes? I round the edge of my desk and take a seat in the chair. Leather creaks as I lean back. My left eye twitches as I page through the lengthy document. 揇o you want me to do a line-by-line comparison, or are you going to tell me what changes were made??
揗y father neglected to distinguish his holdings from mine in the disclosures for the original document. You抮e entitled to a share of the Ellsworth name. Not my name.?
I flip back to the first page before I look up at her. 揗eaning??
揑 want to maintain total ownership of my business enterprises. My personal accounts and my magazine. While we抮e married, and in case we divorce.?
A mixture of surprise and annoyance war within me. This, I did not see coming. 揟hat抯 what this is about? Your little magazine? You抮e worried I抣l tell you how to dress your cover models or what trends are in??
Scarlett抯 expression doesn抰 react to the taunt. She抯 waltzed in here, made demands she抯 not entitled to, and still has the gall to look at me like I am the one inconveniencing her. Something that feels a lot like respect flickers deep down.
揗y father has had no involvement in the magazine. It抯 not his choice how it抯 handled. Or yours. I want full control, or I walk.?
I smile at the bold proclamation. 揧ou抮e going to walk away from an arrangement worth hundreds of billions, for a fashion magazine worth厀hat? Fifty million? At most??
揘ot all of us inherit everything we own, Crew.?
揧ou inherited the money you used to pursue this venture.?
Her eyes flash. 揑t抯 non-negotiable. I抦 not bluffing. My father can make all the arrangements he wants. He can抰 make me marry you.?
揧ou抎 be a fool not to.?
揑抦 bringing more to the table. If you don抰 agree to my terms, you抮e the one who will look like a fool. I don抰 need you or your money, Crew Kensington. Don抰 forget that.?
I flip through a few more pages to buy myself some time. I抦 not sure what to do梐nd I can抰 remember the last time that happened. I don抰 care about the magazine. I do care about giving Scarlett the impression she抯 in control here. 揂ll you changed are the magazine抯 shares??I ask.
揧es.?
揑 need to see earning statements before I agree.?
Her eyes narrow. 揥hy??
揑 make informed decisions, Scarlett.?I focus on her hazel eyes, because looking elsewhere won抰 end well. Scarlett is distracting. The brunette hair I can抰 help but imagine spread across a pillow. The pouty lips painted an enticing shade of red. The tailored blue fabric that hugs her curves. All distractions.
She sighs, then steps closer. 揗ove.?
揈xcuse me??
揑f you want to see the earning statements, move.?
Against my better judgment, I do. I stand and step away from the computer that has full access to everything. I抦 not worried she抣l snoop in any secret files. For two reasons, the second more troubling than the first. One, I don抰 think she will. That suggests some level of trust. Two, if she wanted to spy, I expect her to come up with a more creative method to gain access to my files. Admiration, maybe even respect, is inherent in that thought.
I watch as she settles in my chair and starts typing.
揌ave you talked to your father yet??
揑 headed straight from that meeting to meet with my attorney. If you抮e annoyed about signing for a second time, maybe you should have confirmed I approved the agreement first. Seeing as it抣l be my signature above yours, not my father抯。？
I say nothing to that. She抯 probably right, although I had as little involvement in the drafting of the document as she did. 揇id your father mention dinner??
揧es.?
揥edding dates??
揧es.?
I give up on conversation and take a seat on the leather couch. The printer whirs to life.
Scarlett stands and strolls over to it. The pages are still warm when she flings them into my lap. 揌ere you go, honey.?
揟esting out pet names??
She doesn抰 respond, just takes a seat behind my desk, again. I抦 stuck on the couch like a visitor.
I flip through the pages of numbers, trying not to act impressed. I know next to nothing about the fashion industry, but I do know what a significant profit margin looks like. I also know that Haute was close to declaring bankruptcy before Scarlett bought the magazine.
I抦 impressed.
I抦 never impressed.