‘How on earth could we do that?’ She looked at his serious expression, feeling utterly defeated. She had only made things worse by running away and hiding. Anything she did now would just be damage control. A normal life wasn’t something the secret child of a billionaire could ever hope for, was it?
Rigo’s voice was cool and businesslike. ‘The fastest and most effective way to turn a story on its head is to give the media an even bigger story to salivate over.’
‘What could be bigger than this?’ She frowned.
‘A wedding. To be more precise, our wedding.’
Nicole was silent, hardly believing what he was saying. If she had heard him correctly that was absolutely ridiculous and not a real solution at all.
‘You want to pretend that we’re married?’ she said incredulously. ‘That wouldn’t do a thing—everyone would know it was a sham.’
‘I am not suggesting a sham.’ He looked down at her, some unknown emotion blazing in his eyes. ‘Nicole, the only way to end this scandal once and for all is for me to prove that I have not abandoned my child and her mother. To make a grand production of how wrong the media has got it. And the best way for me to do that...is for you to actually become my wife.’
* * *
Rigo watched as the colour drained from Nicole’s face. She wasn’t wearing a scrap of make-up, the dark waves of her hair were tied at the base of her neck, and yet she still looked effortlessly elegant. She was frowning at him, her brown eyes wide with shock.
Not the reaction he had expected.
‘You can’t be serious,’ Nicole whispered.
Rigo crossed his arms, looking down at her pale face. ‘That’s not what a man expects to hear when he has just proposed marriage.’
‘You haven’t proposed anything. You’ve just thrown another deal at me. One that I am not prepared to accept under any terms. I’d rather take the money and run.’
‘I assure you that I am completely serious. And this isn’t just about business—not now that I know I am a father.’ He almost stumbled over the simple word—a word he had never intended to label himself with. ‘Nicole, like it or not, you and I and Anna are now irrevocably linked together. I am simply suggesting that we make that link public and permanent so that we might solve all our problems at once.’
‘I can’t believe that you are actually prepared to marry me to save your precious business.’ She let out a single shocked burst of laughter.
‘This would be a legal union —a real wedding. What I’m proposing is a way to secure and protect both our interests. Now that I know I have a child, I will want to play a part in my daughter’s life.’
‘Would that still be the case if your precious shares weren’t decreasing?’
Rigo felt the barb hit him and instantly tensed. ‘I might not have planned this, Nicole, but I would never turn my back on my own flesh and blood.’
She lowered her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself in that defensive gesture she always seemed to use when she was around him.
Finally she cleared her throat and looked back up at him. ‘It is possible to co-parent without being married, you know.’
‘I was lucky enough to grow up with the love and support of both of my parents in one home. I had private schooling and medical care along with overall financial stability. Are you telling me that, given the choice, you wouldn’t want the same for Anna?’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘What is your alternative?’
Nicole looked down at the ground, biting on her lip. They both knew what her alternative was. Rigo knew after tracking her down that she didn’t own a home. She had already made a big move to a new country in the past year.
‘There is a lot more to parenting than money, Rigo. I may not know where my career is going right now, and I may have had to budget, but I am a good mother. I love my daughter more than anything on this earth.’
She swallowed hard and he caught a glimpse of moisture in her eyes before she blinked it away.
‘I wanted her from the moment I knew she was there. That’s more than I can say for you.’
Rigo had no argument for that. He was trying to convince her to do the best for their child when he had already done the worst thing a father could do by not being a part of her life. He had started this conversation as a means to an end—a way to solve a problem in the fastest and most efficient way possible. But suddenly he felt the weight of his proposal hit him.
He was proposing to acquire a whole family, not a company. The thought almost unnerved him, sending shivers down his spine.
Clearing his throat, he hastily continued, ‘If we marry she could have the best of both.’ He chose his words carefully. ‘Nicole, think of this logically. We have a child together and we both need this scandal gone as soon as possible. We need a long-term solution that puts Anna first.’