Rejected Heiress, Reigning Queen novel Chapter 129

Of course Carter still had to run the corporation, but he could easily work remotely.

Emma still found the whole situation incredibly suspicious, but every time she pressed the issue, Carter completely abandoned his stoic image and groaned, claiming his wounds hurt. Eventually, she just dropped it.

The host city for the race was a decent distance from the capital. When they arrived in the tourist town, they rented an entire luxury villa.

However...

"Why is there only one bedroom? We have to share?"

Emma blinked at the single bedroom. It was a massive villa, so having only two rooms was weird enough, but why did they have to sleep in the same one?

Carter coughed into his fist, and Jeff immediately jumped in. "Because of the tournament, all the local rentals are completely booked. This was the only villa left because it has so few rooms. The other bedroom is reserved for Mr. Vance, and the driver and I will be staying on the first floor."

Emma looked deeply conflicted. Sharing a room...

"We should still sleep separately."

Emma turned to head toward the other room. They were in a fake marriage, after all; sharing a bed felt incredibly awkward. But before she could even take a step, Carter caught her by the waist.

"Julian could arrive at any moment. If we're sleeping in separate rooms right after getting married, don't you think he'll be suspicious?"

Carter reasoned softly in her ear, and Emma instantly frowned.

Her brother was exactly the type to interrogate her relentlessly if he thought she was fighting with Carter, or worse, if he suspected the Harringtons were mistreating her.

If Julian found out she only married Carter to investigate her past, he would explode. He might drag her straight onto a plane back out of the country, or have the Vance family aggressively intervene in the investigation. Neither outcome was what she wanted.

Just picturing the fallout made Emma's stomach drop.

"Don't worry. I'm injured. It's not like I can try anything."

Carter grabbed their suitcases and carried them into the bedroom, starting to unpack.

"I am fully aware that this is a business arrangement. I won't cross the line."

Emma stood in the doorway for a long moment before finally letting out a defeated sigh.

"How about I just sleep in the nanny's quarters downstairs until Julian gets here?"

Julian would definitely call her when he arrived. If she was worried about getting caught sleeping in his reserved room, the downstairs staff room was a safe backup.

"Mrs. Harrington, I don't think that's going to work."

Jeff interjected nervously, keeping his voice low. "Mr. Harrington didn't want you to overexert yourself, so he had me hire a nanny."

She would sit with Emma while she studied, cook all her favorite meals, and when Emma's favorite doll tore and Violet tried to throw it away, it was Martha who secretly stitched it back together for her.

Emma truly never expected to see her here.

"I didn't quit. I... I was... well, it doesn't matter now. But I never imagined the wealthy employer who offered such an insane salary was hiring me to take care of you. I can't possibly accept that kind of money from you."

Martha wiped her tears again. She hadn't planned on working as a nanny anymore, but the offer had been completely outrageous—nearly fifteen thousand dollars a month. She simply couldn't turn it down.

"Martha."

Carter walked out of the bedroom and descended the stairs.

"Emma has only just returned. Her habits, preferences, and temper are different from before. Her stomach is sensitive, so she needs her meals on a strict schedule, and you'll have to put in the time to readjust to her current lifestyle. There's a lot of hard work involved. I brought you back specifically to make her happy, so the salary Jeff negotiated with you stands."

While Carter's tone was as strictly professional as ever, he was noticeably more patient than usual.

Martha could easily tell Carter was an incredibly powerful man, and she knew rich executives rarely had good tempers. She immediately nodded, pulling herself together to look professional.

Emma told Martha to go get unpacked, then followed Carter back upstairs, shutting the bedroom door behind her.

"Carter, you had this planned all along. You did this on purpose, didn't you?"