“Ten minutes,” Scarlet reminded him as she brushed by him in her headset, a clipboard clutched to her chest.
Ten minutes. Liam swallowed hard and pasted the wedding-day smile back on his face. In less than a half hour, he would be legally bonded to Francesca with all his friends and family as witnesses. A month ago, he’d been celebrating his purchase of ANS and looking forward to the excitement of fulfilling his dream of running a major network. Now he was about to marry a virtual stranger to keep the dream from crumbling into a nightmare.
“Liam,” a proper female voice called to him.
He looked up to see Aunt Beatrice rolling toward him in a wheelchair pushed by Henry. He knew she was sick, but seeing her in a wheelchair was startling. Surely she could still walk? He thought back to every time he’d seen her in the past month. She had already been seated whenever he arrived. On their last few visits, she hadn’t so much as stood up or walked over to get something from her bag. Now he realized it was because she couldn’t. She’d done well hiding it until now.
“Aunt Beatrice,” he said with a smile, leaning down to plant a kiss on her cheek. “And Henry,” he added, shaking the butler’s hand. He had a new appreciation for the quiet, older man who had served and loved his aunt all these years. “Seats have been reserved for you both in the first row on the right.”
Aunt Beatrice nodded, and Henry rolled them into the room. There wasn’t a “congratulations” or a “last chance to back out” from her. She hadn’t even bothered to question him about his and Francesca’s relationship any longer. He supposed that even if they were faking it, as long as it was legally binding, she was getting her way. She probably figured that within a year, they’d fall for each other for real. Or she’d be dead and wouldn’t care any longer.
“Liam,” Ariella said, approaching him quietly from the side. “We have a problem.”
He wasn’t surprised. As quickly as this had come together, things were bound to go awry. “What is it?”
“Security has spotted an uninvited guest in the lobby heading this way.”
Liam frowned. “Who? A reporter?”
“Sort of. Angelica Pierce. How would you like us to handle this?”
Oh. That was certainly cause for a bit of excitement, especially where Ariella was concerned because Angelica had been suspended for her possible involvement in the hacking scandal that had revealed Ariella as the president’s secret daughter. “Don’t do anything. She’s liable to make a scene if we have her escorted out. Better just to let her come and act like it’s not a big deal.”
Ariella nodded. “Agreed.” She turned away and muttered into her headset. “Five minutes,” she added, before disappearing toward the room serving as a bridal suite.
Liam busied himself greeting other guests and tried not to worry about Angelica. He’d only met the woman in person once, and he got the distinct impression that she was a suck-up who would do anything to keep her job. Right now, she was suspended pending the results of Hayden Black’s investigation, so he wasn’t surprised she’d shown up today. She was here to make an appearance and kiss up to her boss and his new bride.
He hoped that was all she was up to. He knew for a fact that Hayden and his fiancée, Lucy Royall, were already inside. Lucy was Graham Boyle’s stepdaughter and there was some bad blood between her and Angelica. With any luck, they would sit far apart and not cross paths the whole evening. But he wasn’t feeling very lucky today.
That’s when he saw her. “Angelica,” he said with a smile, accepting the hug she offered. “So good to see you.” He wanted to keep this evening together, so he wasn’t about to let on that she was an unwelcome party crasher.
Angelica seemed very pleased by the warm welcome. She’d certainly dressed up for the occasion, looking radiant even, if not a touch heavier than she had been a few weeks ago. Her face was rounder and her purple dress was a bit snug. The stress of Hayden’s investigation must have been catching up with her.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I just love weddings. And my boss’s wedding is an especially important event. I wish you both great happiness together.”
Liam smiled and thanked her, turning to the next guests approaching. It was his rival network’s former star, Max Gray and his new bride, Cara. They’d been married in March and had just come back from their extended honeymoon in Australia. The two of them were practically beaming with love for each other, and Cara’s dress showed the gentle swell of her pregnancy. She had started doing public relations for D.C. Affairs since leaving the White House, but he could tell that motherhood was her true calling. She was just glowing.