Married 24 Times

I ran my fingers through my hair and let out a deep sigh. I needed to think. Alone.

My arm was still wrapped around her small waist. I released her and looked towards the door. Joe was waiting. If I made him wait any longer, he would probably report to my father, and I couldn"t have that.

I turned my gaze back to Alice. Her eyes were rimmed with red and smeared makeup from her tears. I pulled the handkerchief from my suit pocket.

"Wipe your eyes and go home."

I could see the anger flash in her eyes as she gazed at the cloth in my hand. She had misunderstood me. She thought I was avoiding her again. She wasn"t entirely wrong, but for someone who was supposed to have multiple lives experience, she hadn"t figured out a single thing.

Before she could open her mouth to protest, I guided her to the door. "We can"t keep talking here." I stared down at her, trying to convey the danger to her.

"Then when, Julian?"

I could feel a headache coming on. This woman... she didn"t trust me at all, did she? And no wonder. If what she said was true, then she had no reason to.

I leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Trust me, Alice. Tomorrow, we"ll talk properly." I stood back up to my full height and raised an eyebrow at her. "Alright?"

She bit her bottom lip before nodding slowly, "Alright."

Memories of kissing her lips flashed in my head before I tossed them aside. Though I would like nothing more than to hold her, now was not the time. It"s never the time, a voice reminded me. There"s never enough time. d.a.m.n.

I escorted Alice outside the private room and nodded to Joe. "Make sure she gets home safely."

He gave me a small nod. He could clearly see Alice"s tearful face. Even if he did report to my father, it would probably only be information in my favor. Especially if, as Alice said, Mia was going to pay me a visit. Word would definitely get back to that house of Alice"s and Mia"s visits. I steeled myself and headed back to the gathering. I paused outside the door.

After a moment of hesitation, I leaned back against the wall. I had too many thoughts to return to small talk. I closed my eyes and began to process Alice"s story.

Alice had said she was killed by my men, which could only mean my family had grown impatient. She had said I was always with Mia, that Mia became my mistress. I clenched my fists. I had failed. I hadn"t been able to protect her from my family.

I was not born to inherit my family"s empire. My older brother, James, was meant to inherit this throne, but because of an accident when we were younger, he became crippled. My family absolutely refused to have a "failure" as the leader of the Leonhart name. Overnight I became the heir. But there was the matter of my fiancé.

Long ago, my grandfather made a promise with his sworn brother that their families would someday join. Though my grandfather was practically royalty, his sworn brother was a man of a simple background. It was like a dragon befriending a lizard. It didn"t make sense to join the two, but my grandfather wrote it into his will. The Harnet family must join the Leonhart family no matter what, in order for the empire to continue. Whoever joined the families would receive the largest shares in the organization and would become the most powerful man with the name.

When Alice was born, my family happened to be the lucky ones to receive their announcement first. My mother immediately acted. She couldn"t have grandfather"s will end up with any other Leonhart, but she also couldn"t have a future heir for the company wed the girl of an insignificant family. Naturally, it fell to me, as the second son. It was my responsibility to support my older brother and ensure the success of my family.

My mother did not count on my brother failing. Not long after my engagement with Alice was announced, my father"s decision to disinherit my brother was finalized. My mother recognized the problem with the succession. Whatever child Alice bore from our marriage would become the heir to one of the largest corporations in the world.

I was not supposed to keep Alice as my fiancé, but I had fought to keep her. Through lies, deceit, and long hours of agonizing over convoluted plans, I managed to reach our wedding night, but then Alice began to act against me. She wouldn"t let me shut her out. I kept making mistakes that might endanger her. I had stayed on our wedding night. My mother had been absolutely furious. It was only through seeing with her own eyes that I hadn"t even shared a bed with Alice she had been a.s.sured of my lack of affection.

Placing Alice in my room was my second mistake. I had originally planned to keep her away from me, safe and out of sight. Now I realized how foolish I was to think that physical separation was enough to fool my mother. Alice said she was killed, which meant somewhere in the future -- in Alice"s past -- I had given my mother the idea Alice could be pregnant.

I wanted to curse my other self for believing I would be able to keep away from Alice forever. Clearly that was an idiotic idea. Now I knew, no matter what I did, Alice would break down my resolve. But if it didn"t work, then I would have to devise a new way to keep her safe.

Divorce? I rejected the idea. I didn"t want to be away from her. Using Mia as a mistress for cover was also clearly off the table. That farce hadn"t worked in Alice"s other lives.

I tore my hands through my hair. None of these ideas were enough. I needed more information.

"Julian? Oh my G.o.d, is that you?"

I lifted my head at my name. My hands twitched into fists at the sight of the woman Alice claimed had killed her. My mother a.s.sured me she would make a much better wife, if only I would give her a chance. The much better bred Mia Garcias and the woman who killed my wife.

"Mia. What brings you here?" My voice sounded flat, even to my own ears. I tried to smile.

"I was invited out by some friends." She blushed slightly. "But I was really hoping to meet you here..."

I clenched my jaw while maintaining my fake smile. Until I had a new plan, I would have to keep to my original plan. Failed or not, it was all I had until I talked more with Alice.

I took a step towards Mia and widened my smile. "Funny. I was hoping to meet you too."