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“What?” Orion laughed. “Man, it’s too late for that kind of joke.”

“It’s not a joke. It’s only temporary. Six months at most.”

“The fuck?”

I briefed my best friend on the situation and told him I’d inform the other boys later.

By the end of our conversation, he said, “You’re insane, man. You’re being too radical.”

“Says the quadrillionaire thief who steals for fun.”

“I’ve cut back on that now. I have Elena to occupy my time.”

“So I guess you can say Nessa Lambert will be my distraction for the time being.”

“You need a tight prenuptial.No exceptions.”

There was no doubt about that, but I said, “It’s an arranged fake marriage for six months. It’ll be annulled right after. She won’t get anything from me.” I leaned back in my chair. “She’s not in it for the money.”

“How do you know?” Shock emanated from his voice. “We both know what women want from men like us. Youneedto protect yourself.”

“You sound like my mother.”

“Someone needs to pull off your distorted rose-colored glasses. You’re not seeing things right, man.”

“I don’t wear glasses.”

“Shut the fuck up. You know what I mean.”

I enjoyed riling him up. “Listen, I know these precautions. I just have a weird feeling that I have to help her. I don’t know why. So I’m waiting it out. Maybe time will reveal the reason. Know what I mean?”

Orion went quiet for a moment. “I know exactly what you mean. I was drawn to Elena from the beginning, but I didn’t know why. I soon realized she was an integral part of my life.” He sighed. “Just be careful, okay? For all we know, maybe The Trogyn planted her in your life to start a war with us.”

That had occurred to me.

“I’m very careful. Don’t worry.” I scrubbed a hand down my face.

“How are you doing on Level Seven?” Orion changed the topic.

“It’s going. The demo is almost ready. Only a few more changes. How’s the marketing going?”

I’d invested in the WaterFyre Rising video game, which was started by Remington Starke. It was a spectacular game consisting of seven major levels, with numerous layers and portals in between. Each boy had designed a fantastical world. The world I created for Level Seven consisted of a magical forest that existed underneath the city of Providence. I’d say my demo was eighty percent finished, but there were a few things I wasn’t sure of.

“Don’t rush on it. Take your time. The marketing is going well. We had a friendly reception from players at the recent Games Convention.”

When our conversation ended, Orion offered his assistance with whatever I needed. I asked him to keep quiet about my marriage until Vanessa and I announced the news.

Maybe I could show Mom Gigi a snippet of Level Seven so she understood how busy I was. A man like me with a lot of businesses didn’t have time to date, so I’d turned to Heartstrings and met Vanessa. I needed my mother to stop asking questions.

Long-term relationships weren’t my thing. Still, I was a man and had needs, so casual dating had been working beautifully for me. I didn’t have the patience for needy women who only wanted my credit cards or access to the rental halls in my museum to host their galas. Mom Gigi knew this and was probably worried I’d progressed from casual dating to casual marriage.

I could understand her worry. But if I told her the truth, it would make things more complicated. It was already complex with only Vanessa, me, and now Orion knowing the truth. The wider the web, the more unnecessary things it could catch. Things needed to remain simple.

However, I didn’t know why I hadn’t been in the mood for casual dating recently.

You know why.

I pursed my lips, wondering why there was such a thing as an inner voice. It was annoying as fuck.