Kaden's marriage to Evangeline Knight is nothing more than a business arrangement.
However, instead of remaining professional about it, Kaden does the opposite and ends up falling hard and falling fast for his sultry new step-daughter, Amabella.
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Kaden's POV
Today marks the day that I'll no longer be able to walk around my house naked.
Evangeline Knight and Amabella, her daughter, move in with me today. I'll have to be on my best behavior with them around, at least for a year, and then my fake marriage with Evangeline will come to a quiet end.
It won't be easy saying goodbye to the wild house parties and late-night trysts with women whose names I could never remember by morning, but I'm a married man now. It's time I act like it.
With any luck, this year will fly by and I'll soon be able to forget about the ridiculous mess that I put myself in with Evangeline. It helps that she doesn't ask too many questions. She does whatever I tell her so that we can successfully sell the lie of being a happily married couple. After our year is up, she'll be getting the other half of the six million dollars I promised her, so I suppose it isn't all that shocking to have her playing nice.
"Damn." I sigh before taking a sip of my coffee, reflecting on everything that has been set into motion. "What have I gotten myself into this time?"
Getting married, and to a stranger no less, has never been on my bucket list. It only turned into a priority after my mother started dropping not-so-subtle hints about how she wished I'd settle down and start a family. This all began a few months back, right around the time when my father had gotten diagnosed with Parkinson's. He's currently in stage one, the mildest form, so his symptoms haven't been severe enough to affect his daily life.
Even though my mother hasn't said it outright, I know she wants me to become the man that my father is. Someone savvy and disciplined regarding business, but soft around loved ones. Not a day goes by when I don't hear some type of comment from her about how I'm too rough around the edges, still too reckless and impulsive, as if I haven't aged past thirteen.
I've been working to improve my image and reputation for years now, but apparently, I'm not working hard enough. My mother still deems me unfit to take over the family business when my father retires. I'd say it's my fucking birthright to be passed the title. My thirtieth birthday is right around the corner and, if anything, I deserve this.
My marriage to Evangeline will help prove it.
"Kaden! Why the hell are you sitting in here naked?" Evangeline storms into my kitchen, yelling. "My daughter will be here any minute and I'd prefer she not meet you like this."
"Sweetheart, I know this is the first time you've seen me in my birthday suit because we never consummated our marriage, but try to give me a break, will you? It's my last day of living here alone and this is how I want to enjoy it. Naked."
"I don't care what you want, sweetheart. Try to enjoy it with clothes on," Evangeline mutters through clenched teeth. "Shall I go upstairs and fetch some for you?"
