Free Resistance (Replica) by Jenna Black Page B

left Headquarters as soon as he escaped his father’s office, his resolution to be a good heir blown out of the water. How could he possibly get anything done when the whole course of his life and Nadia’s had just been changed for the worse? Knowing that Nadia, his best friend, would one day be his wife had been a blessing. She knew about his secret life, and despite the expectations of Executive society, she had never condemned him for it. Certainly she’d never called it “sexual deviance,” as the Chairman just had. He’d never loved her as a man was supposed to love a woman, but she would have been the perfect wife for him, one who would never judge him or reveal his “shameful” secret to the rest of the world. Nate knew next to nothing about Agnes Belinski except that she had an old-lady name and had not made a good impression on the media, either with her looks or her demeanor. He didn’t have to know her to be certain she’d be far less accepting of him than Nadia.
    But as bitter a pill as Nate had to swallow, it was nothing compared to the devastation the change of marriage plans would bring to Nadia’s life. The public humiliation she would suffer was something he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy. And it wasn’t the kind of thing that would blow over someday when the media found something more interesting to harp on. Her reputation could have been rebuilt after the scandal of her arrest, though not without difficulty, as evidenced by her stay at the retreat; but a second scandal, especially one of this magnitude, was a death blow.
    Nadia wouldn’t be able to set foot in public without the media rubbing their hands together with glee as they dredged up her history. Not that she’d have much cause to set foot in public anyway. Executive society would ignore her as if she didn’t exist. She wouldn’t be welcome in anyone’s home, would receive no invitations, no visitors, no friendly phone calls. The ostracism would be complete, and Nate could only pray that she wouldn’t be bustled off to one of the upstate Executive retreats, never to be seen again.
    Nate seethed for the entire ride back to his apartment, but there was a fair amount of dread mixed in with his fury. Someone would have to tell Nadia the news, and he feared that task would fall to him. Nadia would be allowed visitors at the retreat for the first time later this evening, and Nate had already made arrangements for a car to get him there the moment the gates opened. He’d assumed he’d be sharing the visiting hours with her parents and maybe her sister, but after his father told the Lakes about his change of plans … Nadia’s mother would be too devastated by the news—and too angry at Nadia, even though none of this was her fault—to go through with the visit. And if Esmeralda stayed home, her husband and Gerri would, too. Leaving Nate as the only person who could tell Nadia that her world was coming to an end.
    Unfortunately, Nate had once again underestimated his father’s capacity for cruelty. When Nate entered his apartment, he was immediately accosted by Hartman, his majordomo.
    “The Chairman called,” Hartman told him, and Nate’s insides froze.
    “Whatever he wanted, I don’t want to hear about it,” he said, giving Hartman his fiercest glare. Hartman often seemed to be at a loss for how to handle Nate’s petty rebellions, but he apparently had no doubts this time. When Nate strode away, Hartman followed on his heels.
    “I’m afraid he was quite insistent, sir,” Hartman said.
    “Ask me if I care.” Nate wondered if he should indulge his new enthusiasm for punching people by bashing in his majordomo’s nose. That would shut him up.
    “Oh, you’ll care all right,” Hartman said ominously, and Nate came to a stop with a curse so foul it made his majordomo wince.
    “What is it, then?” he snapped, feeling like he would go crazy if he heard any more bad news.
    “Your father invites you to join him for a