Chapter 9: The wedding's still on-just with a different bride.

Micah Baron shot Liana Carver a sideways glance. "Excuse me." The manager he'd arranged to meet came over to greet him. "Mr. Baron, we've already designed the venue for the nineteenth and the wedding-day timeline is ready. Come upstairs to go over the details-we can tweak anything you don't like." Led by the manager, Micah walked off. Liana sank into thought. Had she misheard? Micah hadn't canceled the wedding. He was here to finalize the venue and the schedule-he still planned to marry her. She let out a short, derisive laugh. What a proud man. After everything, he still wouldn't back down. Was he planning to wait until the wedding day to beg her? Just like her best friend had said: he'd won her over too easily, so Micah thought he had her wrapped around his finger. Marshall's good mood took a hit as he took Liana upstairs to find his friend. "How much did Micah spend on the wedding venue here?" Marshall asked. "With his salary, he can really afford a five-star hotel wedding?" His friend, who owned the place, didn't know who Micah was. He only knew his own rates. "Our venue fees run anywhere from a little over ten grand to more than a hundred thousand dollars, depending on the package. If you're that curious, I can call the manager and ask." Marshall waved him off. "Forget it. My princess is hungry. Bring the food first." Whatever Micah had spent, no matter how carefully he'd planned it, it was all for nothing. His fiancée had already run off with Marshall; by then he'd be the biggest chump. On the wedding day, he'd be the one crying. The thought gave him a nasty little thrill. Servers quickly laid out a table of signature dishes. Marshall poured Liana a glass of red wine. "Yaya, after dinner I'll take you out to a resort up on the north side of town. I've got a place with a courtyard out there. Since it's the weekend, we can stay the night and come back tomorrow. It won't mess with your Monday at work." She rolled his words around in her head and zeroed in on the words: stay the night. She wasn't some naive college girl-the usual lines didn't fool her. He wanted something from her, and she wanted something from him. There were no freebies, not even for a guy she liked. Since they were already circling the issue, Liana decided to say what she'd been thinking about the whole way there. "Marshall, I need a favor." His hands paused over the shrimp. "What is it?" "I've got a problem and need money to fix it. Could you lend me fifty thousand dollars? I'll pay you back as soon as I can." Marshall fell silent. His eyes darted back and forth, and the word gold-digger flashed in his mind. Was he sure he was playing Micah, and not just picking up someone Micah had tossed aside? If she was Micah's castoff, that could spell trouble. He was supposed to marry into the Brewsley family. She wouldn't even let him touch her and opened with fifty grand. Did she think she was made of gold, or covered in diamonds? He coughed and dropped the peeled shrimp into her bowl. "Well… Yaya, to be honest, I can't get that kind of cash right now. Yesterday, when I brought you back to my new place, my mom saw us and froze my cards. Laugh if you want, but we're eating for free-my buddy owns the place. Eat first. Tonight at the resort we'll figure out how to convince my mom to accept you. Once you're Mrs. Chambers, that kind of money is nothing. What problem couldn't I solve for you?" Head lowered, Liana ate. She knew he was trying to soothe her-and still holding back. Marshall was a trust‑fund kid. There was no way he didn't have a private stash. Even if he had no cash, he had assets-stocks, funds, something. It didn't make sense that getting his allowance cut off had him down to affording only a mid‑tier lipstick. If it had been Micah, the moment she asked, even if he didn't have it he'd borrow and scrape together the money for her. Thinking of that, regret stung. She shouldn't have blurted out the breakup with Micah. Her mother had been right; at least she should have secured things with Marshall first. Now she'd come away empty-handed and at a disadvantage. She'd thought that seeing Marshall again, they'd click as if no time had passed and pick up where they left off. She'd been too optimistic. He was more calculating than she'd imagined. He wanted to sleep with her, but didn't want to give anything. She'd come prepared. In the past few days she'd quietly gone to the hospital for a minor procedure so she'd appear to be a virgin. A rich kid from a wealthy family would care about that. Once Marshall found out she was a virgin, he'd let his guard down. "Marshall, you really do want to marry me, don't you?" He held up an oily hand like he was swearing an oath. "Of course. I didn't reconnect with any old friends when I came back this time. I called you first. Don't you see where my heart is? I came back to marry you." Liana half believed him. Still, he had a point: once she became Mrs. Chambers, what was fifty thousand? "Then can we go get married at the courthouse first? Your mom probably won't change her opinion of me right away. You know how hard it is to change someone's mind, especially with the generation gap." Marshall peeled another shrimp and set it in her bowl, dodging the question. "Eat first, eat first." Liana set down her chopsticks. "I know what you're worried about. After I broke up with you, I did date someone. But nothing happened. I never slept with him. You'll find out sooner or later…" A flush rose over her cheeks. Marshall's Adam's apple bobbed. Looking at her lovely face, he thought, What is he, some kind of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? Three years and he never laid a finger on her? He could hardly believe it. Tears brightened Liana's eyes. "Marshall, I've been waiting for you." Warmth spread, just a little, in his chest. He'd started out only wanting to have some fun. Damn it… why did he feel a bit moved? His hand almost went to the card in his pocket, but at the last moment he steadied himself. Better see for himself first. "Yaya, are you done? If you are, let's head to the resort. I've got a handbag for you-I don't know if you'll like it." Liana understood at once. She'd nailed exactly what he was worried about; this was what he was hung up on. Marshall said a quick word to his friend, then took her downstairs. In the elevator, he tested the waters. "What brand of condoms do you like?" Face hot, Liana answered, "I… I've never used them. I don't know." A smile tugged at his mouth. They stepped out of the elevator and saw Micah in the lobby. He seemed to have just finished talking with the manager and was about to leave.