Page 6 of Lucas (The Valeur Billionaires #2)
Chapter Five
LUCAS
T he sun beats down on my skin, hot and heavy, as I lounge by the pool overlooking the dense redwood forest that surrounds my estate. The chatter of birds and the distant gurgle of the stream that winds through my property fill the air, a symphony of nature undisturbed.
“So, you’re going to propose? Lucas Valeur, the eternal bachelor, getting hitched?
” Noah raises his artisanal beer bottle in a mock toast, his blue eyes dancing with mirth.
Noah’s the serious one of our trio, the levelheaded voice of reason.
But even he can’t hide his amusement at the idea of me playing house.
I roll my eyes and stretch out on the oversized chaise lounge, my swim trunks riding low on my hips. “It’s a sham marriage,” I remind him, reaching into the built-in cooler beside me for another cold one. The icy condensation feels good against my overheated skin .
Kaleb snorts, sprawled on the matching lounger to my left.
“Sham, my ass. I’ve seen photos of her. She’s fucking gorgeous, with those prim little business suits that scream, ‘bend me over a desk.’ You know what they say about chicks like that—tigers in the boardroom, absolute whores in the bedroom. ”
I signal to Hugo, my house manager, for another round before popping the cap off my fresh bottle. I trust Noah and Kaleb with my life. We’ve been together ever since we were in high school. They’re batshit crazy, both of them, but loyal to a fault.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m not planning on sleeping with her. She’s a Gant,” I say, taking a long pull from my beer.
Noah tilts his head, squinting against the glare of the sun. “Don’t shit where you eat, eh?”
“Something like that.” I tip my bottle back again, downing half of the chilled lager in one long swallow. Fuck, maybe I should slow down. It’s barely noon, and I’m already feeling the pleasant buzz of inebriation creeping in.
Kaleb waggles his brow. “So, what, you’re going to take a vow of celibacy? How long is this little scheme of yours supposed to last?”
I shrug like it’s no big thing. And it isn’t. I’ve gone longer without getting my dick wet, despite what everyone thinks.
“Dude, you can’t even go a week without sticking it in some random. How the hell are you going to handle being fake-married for years with no sex?”
I bristle, my grip tightening on the sweating bottle. “I’ll have you know I haven’t been with anyone since I returned from Hong Kong two weeks ago.” It’s a point of pride, really. Proof that I can control myself when I need to. Even if my balls are bluer than the goddamn Pacific.
Kaleb just smirks. Bastard .
Noah leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Let me get this straight. You’re planning to use Gant’s own daughter to destroy him? That’s cold, man. Even for you. What’d she ever do to you?”
My jaw clenches, an old, familiar anger rising in my throat like bile. “She’s the new acting CEO. That makes her just as culpable as her crooked old man in my books. You think she doesn’t know all the shady shit that goes on in that company? They tried to tank Valeur—nearly succeeded too.”
“But they didn’t,” Noah points out. “You guys are bigger than Gant ever was.”
“No thanks to them,” I spit. “Dear Old Michael Gant may have failed, but not for lack of trying. And fightin’ dirty too. Valeur is untouchable now...but it’s the principle of the thing.”
Noah sighs and sets his empty bottle aside. “I’m gonna go cool off. You two scheming supervillains have fun.”
With a fluid dive, he slices into the clear turquoise water of the pool, leaving hardly a ripple. Kaleb and I watch him cut through the calm surface in a perfect breaststroke.
After a moment, I turn back to Kaleb. “I need to convince her to marry me first.”
He barks out a laugh, shaking his head. “From what you’ve told me, that chick is a ball-buster. She won’t make it easy for you.”
“I’ve never backed down from a challenge,” I remind him. “And this one is gonna be so fuckin’ sweet when I win.”
“Why her, though? There are a million gold- digging bimbos who would jump on a chance to get wifed up by a billionaire, no questions asked. Why go to all this trouble?”
“Because it’s not about the marriage, it’s about revenge. About collecting on the debt the Gants owe my family. And what better way to do that than with his precious baby girl?”
I can’t keep the undercurrent of savage anticipation from my voice. This isn’t just a game to me. It’s fucking personal.
“She won’t know what hit her,” I continue. “It’s perfect. She gets in bed with the enemy, thinking she’s saving her daddy’s legacy, and instead signs its death warrant. By the time she realizes she’s just a pawn in my end game, it’ll be too late.”
Kaleb lets out a low whistle. “Shit. Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
I flash him a grin.
“So how are you going to get her to agree to this batshit plan?”
“She won’t know I intend to ruin her. That’s the beauty of it. I’ll play the dashing billionaire hero, swooping in with an infusion of cash to keep her little company afloat. The blushing bride will be a nice bonus for my image. It’s a win-win...for me.”
Kaleb still looks skeptical. I sigh.
“Look, Gant Construction is broke. Bleeding out, circling the drain. But no one knows that yet. Ava needs capital to keep the wolves from the door. And I need a ring on my finger to lock down the CEO gig when Dad retires. The stars have aligned, my friend. This opportunity is too perfect to pass up.”
Kaleb considers this, then nods. “I gotta say, it’s a crazy-ass scheme...but it might just work. ”
“Oh, it’ll work. I’ll make damn sure of it.”
He opens his mouth to reply, but movement by the doors catches my eye. I glance over to see a tall, slim man hovering at the threshold.
I signal him to come forward.
“Uh, Kaleb Rollins, meet Arlo Stein. My sister Cora’s boyfriend,” I say. Cora insisted I invite him today. Family bonding or some shit.
Arlo shifts from foot to foot, looking like he’d rather be getting a root canal.
That makes two of us, pal.
Kaleb squints at him. “Cora has a boyfriend? Since when?”
I shrug. My sister’s love life ranks just below watching grass grow on my list of interesting topics.
“For some time now,” Arlo offers, uninvited. “This is my first time here, though.” His eyes roam the sprawling stone terraces, the landscaped grounds that melt into the untamed forest, assessing. Calculating. “You’ve got a beautiful spread here, Lucas. Reminds me of your family’s place.”
I give a noncommittal grunt, not bothering to correct him.
My estate may be impressive, but it’s a far cry from the ostentatious compound where I grew up.
This is my retreat, my haven away from the fast-paced world of the city.
I chose this location for the privacy and the serenity, not to flaunt my wealth.
Noah climbs out of the pool and begins toweling off, his curious gaze darting between Arlo and me.
“Thanks for having me,” Arlo says, breaking the awkward silence. He snags a bottle of my favorite microbrew from the cooler and drops into the chair beside me like he fuckin’ belongs there. “I know it wasn’t your idea.”
This is supposed to be bro time, damn it. The last thing I need is Cora’s latest fling killing our vibe.
“No worries,” I lie. “Mi casa, and all that.”
I narrow my eyes, a muscle ticking in my jaw. If this clown thinks he can cozy up to me as a way to sink his hooks deeper into Cora—into the Valeur empire—he’s got another thing coming. I’ll chew him up and spit him out, sister’s boy toy or not.
He clears his throat, oblivious to my growing ire. “I thought your brothers would join us today.”
“Nope. Just me and my boys. Logan is out of the country with his girl, and Liam had other plans.” I keep my tone clipped, disinterested.
His bushy brows lift. “Ah. I heard Logan left Valeur-Tech. And that he’s adopted? So, he’s not really?—”
“Choose your next words carefully,” I cut him off with a fake smile. “That’s my brother you’re talking about. He’s as much a Valeur as I am, DNA be damned.”
I don’t give a shit about blood. Logan is my brother in every way that matters. The four of us—Logan, Cora, Liam and I—we're a unit. Unbreakable. Anyone who tries to come between us, who even hints at treating Logan as lesser than... Well. They’ll find out exactly what it means to cross a Valeur.
Arlo blanches and holds up his hands. “Sorry, man. Didn’t mean any offense. Cora mentioned there was some tension there, with your dad retiring and all...”
Oh, she did, did she? Fucking perfect. Is nothing sacred anymore ?
I squeeze the neck of my bottle hard enough that my knuckles blanch. “No tension. When he steps down, I step up. End of story.”