The Billionaire’s Bargain Bride

Drunk Wollf

SADIE

Cenric had never been late. I cooked dinner earlier and thought he’d be here like he always did. It was almost one, and he hadn’t come home—he knew that we had a dinner plan tonight. Something was not right.

I gave Devin an off today to visit his family, so he had no use to me. I called Linden and Beck. None of them ever picked up.

I started scrolling my contacts when the door flew open, and I almost dropped the phone in my hand.

“Oh, my God!” My gaze flew to my husband. Beck and Linden literally dragged him in my direction. “What the hell is going on? I was about to call Cas when you two didn’t pick up. Take him up.”

“No, my dallen. Offs,” he slurred his words.

“Is he drunk? Since when did he get this shit-faced?” I asked again since the two somehow turned deaf.

“Babes.” He wanted to throw himself at me. Beck and Linden managed to grab him on both arms.

“Cenric, no. In bed, and we’ll talk about this in the morning when you’re sober.” I propped my hands on my hips, blowing a breath. Jesus.

He swung his arms, forcing himself to let go out of his friends. “I’m goin na offs.”

“Cenric!”

“Let him go. You can’t talk to him out of this. He’s not himself,” finally, Beck replied.

I watched my husband sway and drag himself into the hallway. He was wasted and couldn’t even stand straight. He would fall if he didn’t support himself against the wall and anything he could hold onto.

“And you two let him?” I watched the two turn stoic. “What the hell is going on?”

Beck kept his mouth shut. Linden shrugged.

“And you want me to believe that you both know nothing about his behavior? Don’t bullshit me, or I will go inside his office and ask him myself,” I warned them, and they knew that I would do it.

“You’ll get hurt.”

“Then talk.”

Beck rolled his eyes with a sigh. “I wish I could.”

“This is not in your contract. I understand NDA, but he’s your brother, for God’s sake, and as his concerned wife, I want to know what’s wrong with him and why suddenly, he intoxicated himself in alcohol. Is it about business?” I glared at both of them.

“You should go up and get some sleep.” Beck looked tired. Maybe watching his best friend get drunk was exhausting.

“Not until you tell me the truth. I wanna know what I’m dealing with here. I’m sure Cenric would appreciate it once he’s sober tomorrow. Please?”

Linden squeezed his eyes shut before he blew an exasperating breath. “He’s working on a new LLC company. Damn it, woman. He’s gonna kill me tomorrow.”

“And I will kill you if you won’t tell me! Then what happened?”

Beck snorted sarcastically.

“Oh, you think I’m not capable of doing such an awful thing, huh? I was raised by the wolves, remember?” I glared further at him.

“No doubt, ma’am.” His answer was nonchalant. Clearly, he didn’t believe me. He knew my threat was empty.

“And then?” He must have smashed something against the wall. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the banging inside the office.

“Jesus Christ,” Beck growled. “Gonna go check him before he hurt himself.”

“Good idea, man,” Linden seconded about to go with Beck.

“No. You stay and continue explaining to me why he’s acting like a rabid wild wolf right now.” I crossed my arms over my chest, frowning.

“Yeah, about the LLC. He said it’s for you.” He pointed at me.

“For me?” I mimicked his gesture. My expression softened.

“Yeah, for you. You fought with Cenric over a job, remember?” I wanted to punch him in the face for his unsolicited sarcasm.

I squeezed my eyes shut and sighed. “He didn’t have to do that. All I wanted was to work. I just wanna work as a desk job, stapling papers, posting notes, answering calls. Something like that.”

“Well, he always sees the best in people. He mentioned something about your compassion and passion for helping people and thought to make a big gesture after the fight. When the business permit is approved, then you could run the company.”

Now I understand why.”The permit is not approved? Denied, why? It’s not like it’s his first time getting a permit. He makes millions of dollars a year. He’s goddamn brilliant! What could go wrong?” I threw my hands in the air out of frustration.

“Because of you.”

“Because of me?” My question came out with felt like equal parts horror and intrigue. “Why?”

“The company is named after you. Greer-Wolf LLC.”

I blinked a couple of times as I allowed myself to absorb what he’d said. “What’s wrong with that?”

“The State Office issuing the license has a grudge against your family, and he thinks you don’t deserve it.”

“W-what? I paid my tax. I don’t even have a parking violation because I literally don’t drive. I’m not a convicted felon.”

“Your brother is.”

My face fell. My heart was crushed. “But that’s unfair for Cenric. He doesn’t deserve this because he’s married to one of the Greers.” I looked down in dismay. “He didn’t have to attach my name, though. I’m fine with a secretary job.”

“He wants you to be proud of him,” he murmured.

“Damn it, I am. I always told him that. And be damned, my brother!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. I feel so terrible about this. “What’s that man’s name behind declining the license?”

“What’re you gonna do?”

“Nothing. I just wanna know that pig face.”

Linden chuckled sadly, “Larry Peters.”

“His name alone smells like shit.”

Beck just emerged from the door. “He’s out. I put him on the sofa.”Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“Thank you. And you too, Linden.”

“He’s a good person. He doesn’t take failure lightly.”

“It has nothing to do with failure. It was personal, and Larry freaking Peters will pay for what he did.”

“Don’t do something stupid. And don’t clean up the office. I’ll call the cleaning service in the morning,” Beck said.

“That bad, huh?” Linden inquired.

“No. He just broke some glasses.”

“Did he hurt himself?” I asked quickly.

“No. Now, go and get some rest. I’ll stay for a while.” Beck checked his watch.

“You two looked like shit. You should go and get some rest. I’ve been resting all day.”I might have other plans as well.

“Don’t argue with me over this, Sadie. He’ll kick our asses in the morning if we let you stay all night.”

“You can’t control me,” I bantered.

“No one is. If you wanna take care of Cenric when he wakes up, then you need some rest.”

I glared at them before I agreed. “Fine.”

I went up and opened my laptop. I searched for Larry Peters on social media, who worked at the Department Revenue in the States Office.

I found Larry right away. He was an old racist-looking bald man in his fifties who liked to post pictures of his family and a dog. He had two daughters named Tania and Jennifer. He also had a picture of him walking his dog in the park, and I knew where that park was.

So, he was a family guy, huh? But a freaking jackass.

I typed a text to Linden.

SADIE: What did my brother do to his daughter?

That was the only thing I could think about of loathing my brother.

Linden called me instead. I picked it up.

“How did you find out?”

“I can’t remember my brother went to jail. My father would not allow that.”

“They dated for a couple of months. She fell in love. Father disapproved. They ran away, but Larry found them and accused your brother of kidnapping his daughter. She defended him, and Larry hit her in front of your brother, and Jasper just broke his nose. Things went bad. Your brother got arrested and bailed out. That’s all I know.”

“Thanks for telling me.”

***

I woke up early. Walking in the park, finding Larry was easy, but what wasn’t easy was explaining to my husband if I received a warrant of arrest for an assault charge.

“Nice dog.” I was sitting on the bench when he passed by.

He blanched. I guessed he recognized me as Jasper’s sister or Cenric’s wife. When you hated someone, you tend to find out everyone in his circle because that was what I just did last night.

“What the hell do you want?”

“You hit the wrong guy, Larry.”

He walked away with his dog. I found out his name is Talon. Nice name, I liked it. “Stay away from my family.”

I walked with him instead. “So you know who I am, yet I didn’t know you until last night.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t known me after what your brother did to my daughter and me.” He really hated Greer. The way he talked, even if the hell froze, I wouldn’t have a chance of getting what I wanted. So I changed tactics.

“Listen to me, Larry.” I blocked his path. “I have nothing to do with what happened to your daughter or you. I told you I didn’t know anything about you and what happened to your daughter and my psychopath brother Jasper until I asked my husband’s best friend. I’m sorry for what he did. I was his victim too. For years, he taunted me, hit me, and I couldn’t escape because he would still find me. Until they arranged me to the wrong, but the right guy.”

“I don’t give a shit about your sub story.”

“Cenric Wollf saved my life. What you did was wrong—involving some personal issues with the approval of a company permit that could possibly help hundreds or thousands of people. In the end, it was morally incorrect. You know that, Larry. Cenric would be using the company to start a charity. I want to help people like me who experienced family abuse. Since you took out that privilege away, it wouldn’t happen. And this is on you, Larry.” I walked away, hoping it enlightened him.

“You have a horrible family, Miss Greer.”

I turned around. “Well, as of last month, I am already Mrs. Wollf. I left that surname a long time ago. And I believe that an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, but Greer is not that tree. It’s Arisov. And I’m my mother’s daughter.”