Faking The Bride

FAKING THE BRIDE JENNIFER HARTLEY Faking The Bride Copyright © 2023 by Jennifer Hartley All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 About the Author CHAPTER 1 Hanna Gilmore was the queen of her domain. Today, however, her fast-paced life centered around her company gave her age a raging headache. "Hanna, I need your signature on these documents," Jonas Grant told her, following her as she strode through the top-floor offices of Gilmore Technologies. "Follow me, Jonas, I'll sign them when I get to my desk," she called over her shoulder. "What's the status of the Shaffer Tech project?" "That's what these documents are about," he said. "Landry added some last minute stipulations to his end of the deal and Shaffer accepted them but it's not official until you sign off." Hanna rolled her eyes. "That man is a menace," she muttered. "Good morning, Joan!" Her executive assistant smiled at her, handing her a folder as she passed her desk. "Good morning, Ms. Gilmore. Everything you need for the day is in there, including some meeting requests, your schedule at the convention next month and the earnings report that you requested yesterday." "Thank you, Joan." Her assistant got up and followed her and Jonas into her office. She was carrying a coffee from Hanna's favorite cafe down the street. "And here's your latte," she said, passing it to her as Hanna rounded her desk. "You're a lifesaver." She took a long drink, relishing the flavor and willing the caffeine to do its magic. Joan returned to her desk, and Jonas passed her the documents as she dropped into her chair. Catching her lip between her teeth, she leafed through the papers until she found the changes to the agreement that Jonas had mentioned. This was a massive deal for all the companies involved, sharing technology and resources to build something to improve people's lives. Hanna was excited about this and had been working on this deal with Shaffer Tech and Landry Corp for the better part of six months now. That Hamish snuck something into the contracts and potentially threatened the future of the entire project, rankled her nerves. But that was something the LC CEO was very, very good at. It made her wonder if he'd done it just to get under her skin. Hanna read through the changes quickly. Thankfully, the stipulations weren't going to derail the project. But they did irritate her. It involved LC being more involved in the development of the technology. While Hanna knew she should be grateful for the help, she was irritated at possibly having to share the limelight with LC. And Hamish would know that. Damn him. Hanna grumbled as she added her signature to the documents and passed them back to Jonas. "Fax those directly to Shaffer and set up a meeting. Find out if he can come here and if not, look into booking tickets to Gotham sometime in the next week." "You got it, boss," Jonas said, giving her a mock salute. Hanna rolled her eyes and smiled at her employee, friend, and partial share partner. "I'm not your boss." "Technically, you are." "We work together," she clarified. "Yes, and you call the shots. Which makes you the boss." With a wink, Jonas left the office, and Hanna couldn't help chuckling as she was left alone. She had little time to stew about her business partner because her busy day got busier. Hanna worked through lunch, having her favorite deli deliver a salad to her desk. She had phone calls, meetings, and even a tour of the newly upgraded Research and Development lab that had just been completed down on floor 10. By the time she returned from that, the sun was setting in the sky outside the Gilmore Tech building, and her feet were aching in her Jimmy Choos. Hanna looked forward to returning to her apartment, soaking in her tub, and having a few glasses of wine while catching up on her DVR. She was not interested in dealing with a visitor waiting for her in her office. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Gilmore," Joan said as Hanna passed her desk. Her assistant was on her feet, wringing her hands together. "I tried to tell him you were busy, to call and make an appointment like you told me to whenever he stopped in, but he just barged right in anyhow." Hanna narrowed her eyes at her office door. "Who?" Joan licked her lips, looking a little unsure. "Your… I mean… Mr. Landry." Hanna sighed and huffed out a resigned laugh. "Of course. I should have expected this. Hold my calls until I can get rid of him, okay?" "Yes, Ms. Gilmore." Hanna took a deep breath before she pushed open her office door. Kicked back in one of the chairs in her sitting area sat Hamish Landry, Landry family scion and CEO of Landry Corp. She tried to mask her scowl as she came around to face him. He looked good, but then, he always did. Hamish was born blessed, not just in name, status, and wealth, but in looks and overall genetics. He was tall and muscular, looking more like he managed a gym than a multinational corporation. He had sandy brown hair, cut short but still with a bit of casual tousle on the top. Just enough to make a girl wonder what it might be like to grab onto in the throes of passion. He wore just the right amount of stubble on his perfect jaw, framing luscious-looking lips. His eyes were startlingly blue