Page 16 of Bound in Debt

“What’s her name?” I can hear my blood rushing in my ears. There’s no way?—

“Victoria Waldorf.” My lips part because she’d be the last name in this conversation that I’d bet my money on. “Liam has been?—”

“You’re going to solve your problems by counting on a fucking college girl?” I clip out through gritted teeth as I take a much-needed step back. “Are you out of your damn mind, Marissa?”

“She’s twenty,” Marissa argues, scowling. “And she has enough money to take care of everything we’ll need.”

“You’re going to use her money to clear up Marco’s debt?”

“And save the house.”

I shake my head back and forth. I don’t care how annoying that girl is, I won’t allow some innocent to be taken advantage of. “You’re not doing that.”

“It’s already done. I’ve spoken to Victoria’s mother and, based on our good name, she’s agreed?—”

“You haven’t spoken to your son lately, have you?” Her plan has already taken a fatal hit and it doesn’t sound like my nephew has dropped that bomb. “Because I think that’s a dead-end.”

“What do you mean? It’s a done deal. Her mother is talking to her about the arrangement?—”

“They’re engaged?”

“No, but?—”

“Then you don’t have Victoria Waldorf under your thumb.”

Marissa squints her eyes at me. “I will. That prissy little bitch may think she’s too good for my son, but she doesn’t have a choice. Her mother promised me.”

I scoff. We left the seventeenth century behind long ago, along with trading cattle for marriages. “And how do you expect this plan to work, Marissa?”

“Her trust fund will be released if she gets married. And then it will go to her and her new husband.”

“Liam is just going to blow it all once it hits their joint account.”

“We’re paying off our debt.”

“And this girl has more than six million dollars in her trust fund?” I cock my head to the side. “Did you ask?”

“The Waldorf’s are loaded.”

“You’re bringing another family into this, Marissa. If Victoria refuses, then what?”

“We’re—” She suddenly stops herself. There’s definitely more to this plan, more that Marissa doesn’t want me knowing. And there’s no way Marissa’s plotting will benefit Victoria in the least.

I know my body still has an effect on Marissa, I know she still wants me. If I whipped my dick out right now, she’d drop to her knees. If I told her that I wanted her naked in her bedroom in the next two minutes, she’d do that, too. I force myself to move forward, crowding her body with mine.

“What are you plotting in that beautiful head of yours, Marissa?” I drop my voice low, as if we were discussing some wild fantasy. “Even if you did pay off the debt…I’m sure there wouldn’t be much left to play with.”

“We’d figure out something.”

Bullshit.

She’s already got her plan working and moving in different directions, but if I push too hard too soon, Marissa is going to shut down.

“Fair enough.” I step back, restoring the distance between us. I have other ways of getting answers. Liam is just as much of a dumbass as his mother.

Plus, even if I did know Marissa’s full plan, I’d still need to speak with Angelo and buy some time.

I won’t get much.