Saving The Game by Constance Bright

Chapter 1
     
     
    "Again?" Karen was incredulous. "Daddy, this will be your fourth wife! Do you plan to pay alimony to half the women in New York?"
    James Stevens smiled at his daughter, his only child, "I knew you wouldn't take the news well but I had to tell you before the wedding. Sweetheart, I'm only fifty; you don't expect me to be alone for another few decades do you? Besides, why do you assume that this time it won't last? Lucille is wonderful. I'm sure you two will get along just fine." Looking at his daughter tenderly, he added, "We really are in love, Karen. Lucille makes me happy."
    "Daddy, I know you don't want to be alone. Yes, you're not an old man yet and I don't expect you to stay single for the rest of your life. I just don't see how it's going to be different this time. You can't have known her for very long; that's one reason not to tie the knot. Besides, marriage ruins everything. I don't know why people still perpetuate that institution. Why don't you just ask her, Lucille, I mean, to move in and just "live in sin" as they say. I don't see what difference getting a religiously, not to mention legally, binding contract will make--besides the fact that, when the honeymoon ends, she'll have a piece of paper that says she owns half of your company, and just under that will be written, 'Additional hundred years in Purgatory to James Steven's sentence for parting before death.' Just move in together, Daddy. Really, why do you need to get married?"
    James put on a grave face. "Karen, if we live in sin I will have condemned myself to an eternity in Hell rather than a mere hundred years in Purgatory. I can't take that risk, sweetheart. I must marry this woman," he finished with a wink.
    Karen groaned, "Daddy, I'm serious. And don't turn my argument against me. Besides, what about the legal part. What's your counter to that?"
    "Even if you're right and the fourth time's not a charm, your inheritance is safe. Lucille is an heiress herself and we both decided to keep each of our estates separate from the marriage. The contracts have already been signed."
    "A prenup, great! I'm glad I'm not the only one trying to prevent the company from getting chopped in two again. Still Daddy, you evaded my point about not knowing her for very long." Karen tilted her head up and crossed her arms.
    James put his hands in his pockets. "We've been seeing each other for almost two years now, dear."
    Karen's eyes widened in incredulity once again, "And I'm finding out about this just now? Why didn't you tell me, Daddy?" Sounding hurt, she added, "You always used to before."
    "It was a long distance relationship for over a year. I would see Lucille whenever I had business in Amsterdam. She hasn't been here, even on business, since we met, or I would have introduced you. We kept it quiet because neither of us was sure of anything until a month ago. Lucille's father has put her in charge of their company's American holdings and since she needed to move here anyway, we decided to make it official." James looked at his daughter, hoping she would understand.
    Karen relaxed a little. She uncrossed her arms. "Well, who am I to stand in the way of true love?"
    "You seem to forget I've known you since you were born, Karen. Now you're thinking that this marriage might have been better if it didn't have so much protection regarding the wealth of the parties involved," James said, his eyes twinkling as he looked at Karen.
    "And you seem to forget, Daddy, that you've been training me for almost as long to look after Sine Industries and to always do what's best for the company. So how big is her family?"
    "Lucille's father owns enough land to open up shop as a small country in Europe, and that's all I'm going to say. So, are you happy for me now?"
    Karen gave her father a hug. "Daddy, if you're in love then I'm happy for you. I care about the business you built, and you know that you wanted me to grow up doing that, but I care about you more; you come