Chapter 196: Little Conspiracy (1)
Nick’s POV
I didn’t let go of Georgia’s hand, not even for a second, as I pulled her away from the suffocating storm that just erupted in that room.
Ollie trailed close behind us like a shadow, his silence carrying its own weight.
Only when we were deep enough into the hallway, away from prying eyes and ears, did I finally stop.
My pulse was hammering in my chest, every breath heavy. I could feel Georgia’s eyes drilling into me, and the fear of what she might think of everything I’d just revealed twisted in my gut.
"You got something to say?" she asked, planting her hands firmly on her waist, her gaze sharp enough to cut through steel.
Shit. She wasn’t giving me a second to breathe.
"Babe," I started, my voice lower, urgent. "Before I explain... promise me you’ll listen first—with an open mind—before you get angry." My throat tightened, and I almost dropped to my knees right there, ready to beg if that’s what it took.
But before Georgia could respond, Ollie jumped in, his voice calm but firm. "Wait. I know this is between you two, but I need to make something clear. Half of what happened, half of what Nick decided, was my idea. So if you’re going to get angry, Georgia, then you better be angry at me too."
I shot him a look filled with nothing but gratitude. My best friend always had my back.
Georgia sighed, her eyes flicking between us. "Fine. I’ll listen first... and then I’ll decide if I should be mad or not. But this doesn’t sound like something we can discuss standing in a hallway. Do we talk here, or somewhere else? Because the way you’re acting makes it sound like it’s a long story."
I turned to Ollie, desperate for backup. "Your car. Can we talk there? I came with Liam."
His lips quirked, and he nodded. "Perfect. I’ve got the documents with me. Brought them just in case you’d need them tonight."
Documents. The word made my stomach tighten again.
This was it. The moment of truth.
Georgia and I slid into the backseat, silence hanging thick between us, while Ollie claimed the front passenger side. He leaned forward, popped open the glove compartment, and pulled out a slim folder. My chest tightened the moment I saw it.
"This—" Ollie turned, holding the document with deliberate weight, "—is your original marriage certificate. I picked it up from the registry yesterday."
Georgia snatched it from his hand before I could even breathe. Her eyes darted across the paper, tracing every seal, every mark, her lips parting in disbelief.
"We’re married?" Her voice cracked between shock and outrage. "How? I don’t remember signing this!"
Ollie exhaled, as if he’d been waiting for the explosion. "You did. When I went to your office the other day."
I swear my heart would’ve been ripped out of my chest if Ollie weren’t here to back me up. Without him, Georgia would’ve already torn me apart.
"What do you mean?" she pressed, her brows furrowing as she tried to replay the memory.
"Remember that stack of documents I asked you to sign? This was buried in there. I didn’t show you the full sheet, just pointed where you needed to sign." Ollie’s voice was calm, but mine wasn’t.
Georgia blinked, stunned. "Wow... that was sneaky. But even if you tricked me into signing, how the hell did you register it without us? The process is long. I know, I went through it with Raymond."
That was when I spoke, scratching the back of my neck like an idiot caught red-handed. "We... called some connections."
Her head snapped toward me, eyes narrowing. "’We?’ Who else is in this little conspiracy of yours?"
I swallowed hard. "Me, Ollie, Liam, Vicky... and Ella."
Her jaw dropped. For a heartbeat, she just stared between us, her silence heavier than her words. And then, finally, her voice rose—sharp, accusing, dangerous.
"So everyone knew—except me? The bride?!" Her voice echoed inside the car, every word like a lash. "When did you even decide this, Nick?! How long have you been planning my marriage without me?!"
The air inside the car turned suffocating. My pulse was pounding so hard it hurt.
"It all started back on the island..." The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Georgia’s jaw dropped again—this time her arms crossed, her posture screaming defense. My chest tightened, but I forced myself to keep talking.
"Yes, we didn’t finish the ceremony," I admitted, "but I made the priest sign the documents anyway. And I made a huge donation—hell, all five of us did—to his church, the orphanage, even the seminary tied to it."
My voice faltered for a beat before I steadied it. "But listen, I only did it to protect you... In case Raymond tried to force you into marriage before I could get to you. That way, he wouldn’t be able to marry you because you were already married to me."
Her eyes narrowed, her voice sharp. "Okay, fine... I understand that part. Back then, we agreed. But how do you expect me to believe this when I didn’t sign anything—and Raymond already took me?"
My throat went dry. This was the part I’d been dreading. "The first document was already signed... but Ollie didn’t register it since we found you first. Ella—" I swallowed hard. "Ella forged your signature."
Georgia scoffed, shaking her head like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course, she could do that. But if you didn’t go through with it then—why the hell would you do it now?"
Her words hit like bullets, but I pushed through. "To save you from my family. To protect your company. To keep my father from tearing us apart. I couldn’t risk losing you just because he demanded it."
I ran a trembling hand through my hair, my pulse pounding in my ears. "And... and I made Ollie draft a prenup that he also made you sign. One that forces my father to leave us alone because of what we will lose if ever we divorce, just in case you decide you don’t want me because of all the lies and deception I did."
Every word I confessed felt like tightening a noose around my own neck. The more I lay bare, the more my stomach twisted with dread. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
Because one look at her, one wrong reaction, and I knew—Georgia could end us right here.
******
Thanks for the Golden Ticket!
Nanie_Garcia_5461