Marrying My Ex's Ruthless Uncle

The blue light from the MacBook screen was the only thing giving color to Kailee Lynn's face. She sat at the vanity of the Presidential Suite in The Plaza, her fingers moving across the keyboard with a speed that contradicted the heavy silence of the room.

Behind her, the lead stylist tugged a section of her hair too hard.

Kailee's head jerked back slightly.

"Oh my god, Ms. Lynn, I am so sorry," the stylist gasped, dropping the comb.

Kailee didn't blink. Her eyes stayed glued to the legal document on her screen-a draft of a non-disclosure agreement so dense it looked like a wall of text.

"Continue," she said. The word was flat.

The suite door suddenly opened.

Chaya walked in, her hand was wrapped around her phone.

The air in the room changed. The makeup artist paused with a brush mid-air, the stylist stopped touching the veil, everyone looked at Chaya.

Kailee stopped typing, swiveled in her chair. Her gaze cut through the room, ignoring the pleasantries.

"Julian isn't here," Kailee said. It wasn't a question.

Chaya swallowed. "His phone goes straight to voicemail. The best man isn't answering, the groomsmen are dark."

The stylist behind Kailee sucked in a breath.

Kailee looked at the clock on the wall.

7:12 PM.

"If this merger doesn't proceed, the SEC's investigation into the family trust accelerates," Kailee said, her voice a low murmur meant only for Chaya. "The asset seizure would begin by market open." She looked at Chaya. "Contact PR. Tell them to prep the contingency statement for a delayed start due to technical difficulties. Do not mention the groom."

Chaya stared at her boss, she nodded.

Kailee stood up, the silk robe she wore slipped down her shoulders. For a second, the heavy concealer on her back was visible-thick, flesh-toned paste covering scars that spoke of a past far removed from art galleries and ballrooms.

A knock at the door.

"Ms. Lynn? The guests are seated, the music loop is ending." It was the wedding planner. Her voice was an octave too high.

Kailee walked to the door and pulled it open.

"The schedule remains," Kailee said. Her voice was ice. "We start on time."

The planner blinked, confused, terrified. "But... the groom..."

"Go."Kailee shut the door.

Chaya grabbed Kailee's arm. "Kailee. If Julian doesn't show up, the family will offer you up as the scapegoat. The board will eat you alive."

Kailee mind raced, cycling through the guest list, through power players and potential leverage points. It wasn't about love or marriage, it was about survival. An idea, cold and terrifyingly logical, began to form.

"Chaya," Kailee said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Get me the seating chart. I need the Hendricks family's private suite number."

Kailee sat back down in the chair, she pointed to the makeup artist. "Finish the eyes, make them sharper."

The phone in Chaya's hand buzzed again.She looked at the screen, her pupils contracted.

Kailee saw the movement in the mirror. She held out her hand, palm up."Give it to me."

"It's nothing," Chaya lied. "Just spam."

Kailee didn't argue, she reached over, unlocked it with the passcode she knew Chaya used.

It was an Instagram Story.

The background was blurry, low light, but the hand holding the champagne glass had a signet ring. Julian's ring, and in the corner of the frame, draped over a knee, was the hem of a pink lace dress.

Annabelle's favorite brand.

Kailee stared at the image. The corner of her mouth twitched upward. A cold, humorless smile.

An opportunity.

She tossed the phone back to Chaya.

"Save it," Kailee said. "Don't let it disappear."

She stood up. The train of her wedding dress pooled around her like white armor.

"Let's go."

She pushed open the double doors of the suite.

The heavy satin of the wedding dress rustled against the carpet, Kailee walked fast.

Chaya jogged to keep up, her tablet clutched to her chest. A notification pinged.

Chaya looked down at the tablet, her face went from pale to ash gray.

"Oh no," Chaya whispered.

She tapped the screen, a video expanded. The audio was tinny, echoing in the long hotel corridor.

"Screw the family merger!" Julian's voice. Slurred. Drunk. "Tonight is for the boys! And the real girls!"

The camera swung wildly. It showed the interior of a VIP suite-the one three floors above them. Julian's face filled the frame, sweaty and red. He pulled Annabelle into the shot. She was giggling, her dress strap falling off her shoulder.

"Say hi to my boring sister!" Annabelle shrieked, kissing Julian's cheek.

Chaya clamped her hand over her mouth. "He's live. He's streaming this. He forgot to set it to Close Friends."

Kailee stopped, she turned around and took the tablet.

She watched the man she was supposed to marry in twenty minutes groping her younger sister, them laugh at her name.

She tapped the screen. Screen Record, then she handed the tablet back to Chaya.

"Send this to the audio-visual booth in the ballroom," Kailee said. "Tell them to hold it in the queue. Standby."

Chaya stammered. "You... you're going to play this? At the wedding?"

"Do it."

Kailee turned to the elevator bank, she pressed the button for the Penthouse Executive Lounge.

"Kailee, you can't go up there," Chaya hissed, looking around for security. "That's Hendricks territory, it's restricted. Ervin Hendricks is... he's dangerous."

"If you want a job tomorrow, stop talking."

The elevator dinged. The doors slid open.

Two men in black suits blocked the entrance.

Kailee didn't flinch. "Tell Ervin Hendricks I have a solution to his board problem," she said.

The guard on the left blinked, he touched his earpiece. He murmured something low, indistinguishable.

Silence stretched for ten seconds.

The guard stepped aside. "Mr. Hendricks will see you."

Kailee stepped into the elevator. The doors closed, sealing her in.

The Executive Lounge was dim. In the corner, a silhouette sat on a high-backed chesterfield sofa. A glowing ember of a cigar floated in the darkness.

Ervin Hendricks didn't stand up. He didn't offer a greeting. He sat with the stillness of a predator waiting for movement.

Kailee walked toward him.

"The bride," Ervin's voice was gravel, deep and scraping. "You're supposed to be downstairs, crying into a handkerchief."

"Julian is gone," Kailee said. She stopped three feet from him. "I need a groom."

Ervin laughed. It was a dry, sharp sound. "And you came shopping here? You think I'm a spare part, Ms. Lynn?"

"I think you're a businessman," Kailee said.

She took a step closer. She could see his face now-sharp angles, eyes that looked like black glass. She lowered her voice.

"I know your board is implementing a new ethics and morality clause next month. I know they're using your 'personal life' as leverage to block your acquisitions. They want a stable, traditional family man. You don't have one, you don't have time to find one."

Ervin's smile vanished. The air in the room dropped ten degrees.

Viktor, the guard in the shadows, took a step forward, his hand moving to his jacket.

Kailee didn't look at the gun, she looked at Ervin.

"Marry me," she said. "I'm the solution. I'm being investigated as part of my family's financial scandal. That means I'm already under a dozen NDAs. I'm legally incentivized to be silent, stable, and spotless in public. I am the perfect, controllable, temporary wife, and in return for your legal protection and clearing my name, I will sign over the voting shares in my trust. The ones that give you a controlling interest in the Lynn-Hendricks merger."

Ervin stared at her. The cigar smoke curled around his face. He looked at her dress, then at her eyes. He was looking for fear.

He didn't find any.

"The shares," Ervin repeated softly.

"And my complete, legally-bound silence," Kailee said. "A perfect public image for you. A lifeline for me."

Ervin didn't answer immediately, he leaned forward, the leather of the sofa creaking under his weight.

"Do you know what happens to people who try to leverage me with my own problems?" Ervin asked.

A chill ran down Kailee's spine, she ignored it, she forced the corners of her mouth up.

"It's not leverage, Mr. Hendricks. It's a merger."

She pulled out a folded document."A copy of my trust agreement, outlining the share transfer. And the contact for my lawyer, who can draw up the terms before the ceremony ends."

Ervin took the paper. His fingers brushed hers-his skin was rough, calloused. He scanned the document in the low light.

A spasm of pain shot through his left leg, his jaw tightened. The tremor was microscopic, but Kailee saw it.

He crushed the cigar into the crystal ashtray.

"If this is a lie," Ervin said, his voice low, "I will make you wish you had never been born."

"Deal," Kailee said.

Ervin picked up the internal phone on the side table. "Get my tuxedo. The black velvet."

Viktor's eyes widened. He looked from his boss to the woman in the wedding dress. "Sir?"

"We have a wedding to attend," Ervin said.

Kailee let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her knees felt like water. She locked them, forcing herself to stand tall.

Ten minutes later, Ervin stood up. He was massive, towering over her, he extended his arm.

"Take it," he commanded. "If we are doing this, we are doing it."

Kailee placed her hand on his forearm, the muscle beneath the velvet jacket was hard as rock.

They walked to the elevator.

"Your nephew is still livestreaming," Kailee said, checking her phone as the numbers counted down. "Twelve thousand viewers."

"Good," Ervin said. "Let him dig the grave deeper."

The elevator doors opened on the ballroom level.

The flashbulbs hit them like a physical blow.

The murmur of the crowd died instantly.

They saw Kailee Lynn, and they saw the man on her arm. Not Julian.

Ervin Hendricks. The head of the family, the man who ate companies for breakfast.

Ervin didn't look at the crowd, he looked straight ahead, his face a mask of arrogant indifference. He led Kailee through the parted sea of guests.

A glass shattered on the floor. One of Julian's friends dropped his champagne flute.

His phone was in his hand, he was typing frantically. Julian, you are dead. Your uncle just stole your wife.

Kailee felt the eyes on her skin. Judgment. Confusion. Fear. She lifted her chin.

They reached the stage. The officiant looked like he wanted to faint.

Ervin let go of Kailee's arm, he stepped to the microphone. He grabbed the stand, his knuckles distinct.

"Due to the default of the junior partner," Ervin's voice boomed through the speakers, deep and resonant.

He looked out at the crowd, his gaze landing on the empty seat where his nephew should have been.

"The terms of the merger have been amended. The ceremony will proceed with the new principal."