“I know he’s not around. I think he said he’ll be…” Amy flexed her fingers in air quotes, “gone for a few days?”
Diane’s heart stopped. The implication was clear. Leon let her believe he was working, but in actuality was spending a few days with Amy. She masked her emotions, presenting a cool demeanor. “You seem well aware of his whereabouts… So what do you need from me?”
Amy sauntered casually into the living room. She sat down on a couch and asked Diane to sit by her side.
Diane did reluctantly. The sooner Amy said what she came to say, the sooner she would be gone. Her presence was overpowering as the perfume she wore.
Amy turned to her. “Have you given a thought about leaving Leon?” she asked casually.
Diane was aghast at the nerve. Amy acted like they were just exchanging recipes. “That is something Leon has to decide for himself.” Her voice was chilly.
“I knew you would feel that way. Leon is such a catch. He is young and rich. You will probably never find someone like him again. I mean…with your age and all.”
That is enough. Diane rose. If she had to bodily throw Amy out of the house, she would.
Amy reached out to stop her. “There’s something I want to show you.” Amy dug inside her purse.
Diane rolled her eyes seeing the phone in her hand. What did Amy intend to do? Take a selfie with her? “I’m not impressed.”
“You will be.” Amy scrolled through her camera phone. She found what she wanted and handed the phone to Diane.
Diane looked at the screen and gasped. It was a screenshot of her and Leon, naked in bed together. “How… Where…?”
Amy dropped her refinement. Her voice dripped with venom. “Do you really think I came to see you without stacking the odds in my favor? I visited your house before coming to see you at the VIP lounge. I convinced your maid I was a cousin coming for a visit. She gladly left for the game leaving me all alone. Guess what I found rummaging through your stuff. A porn video starring you and Leon. I took a screenshot. The video is somewhere safe…for now.”
“You went through my personal belongings?” Diane’s voice shook.
Amy sneered. “I knew you couldn’t be all prim and proper. I just needed to find some evidence.” She nodded to the camera. “That’s your proof. Like I said, I don’t make threats. I deliver them.”
“What do you intend to do with the video?” Diane hated herself for asking.
“That is exactly what I asked myself. I could leak it to the Barcelona tabloids. That should teach him a lesson for shagging an old woman. His fans will go lose their minds.”
Diane was shocked. After the hurt his divorce caused, another media scandal would devastate him. “How can you even think of destroying him that way?”
Amy shrugged. “I came up with a better idea. I wonder what the New York Times would think about seeing a prominent daughter of the city in all her naked glory.”
Diane struggled for breath. Her reputation was nothing, compared to what this would do to Leon... “Please! I’ll give you money. Just return the video to me.”
“I don’t need your money. I’ll have lots of it when Leon takes me back.” Amy rose leisurely. “Consider that an incentive. I want you gone before Leon comes back. Then I’ll return the video and delete all the screenshots in my phone.”
Diane’s head spun. “How do I know you’ll keep your word?”
“You don’t,” Amy replied arrogantly. “But here’s the thing…I want my reconciliation with Leon to be free of any drama. That means erasing you totally from our lives. I’ll give it back to you if that’s what it takes to make you leave.”
“What would Leon think if he found out about all this?”
“You mean that you could have protected him from a scandal, and decided to get your kicks instead?” Amy laughed out loud. “Just leave. Everything will be easier for everyone if he thinks that you’ve grown tired and left. Understand?”
Diane had no words. Amy had won the battle. There was nothing she could do.
Chapter Twelve
By the time Diane recovered the strength to raise her head from the bed, the silk pillowcase was damp from her tears. The room was dark, echoing her emotional turmoil. How long have I been crying? Diane looked outside and discovered the sun was setting. Her head spun from frustration and despair.
She’d never felt more helpless in her entire life. All the years of prevailing over tricky situations during her life in New York hadn’t prepared her for this situation. And it was all my fault. The video was Diane’s suggestion. And to think I was trying to help Leon! Why didn’t I destroy it weeks ago?
Diane shut her eyes. She knew the bitter truth. She was so entrenched in her fantasy world that only involved her and Leon, she’d forgotten all about the damned thing. I knew this was coming. But it still hurts so much... Ever since she heard Leon and Aunt Isabella talking, she knew she had to make that particular decision. But each time she thought about leaving him, her heart plunged into so much pain that she put it off. I’ll never be the same woman again. Leon taught her how to live. He taught her how to love. He taught her what being alive meant.
A fresh wave of tears assailed her. She wiped them away. This is no longer just about my heart. Exposing that video to the world will affect everything that I hold sacred. Not just her name and character, but that of Hawkins Pharmaceuticals, the company that had meant the world to her husband, and now her son. Wolfe will never forgive me for the damage to the Hawkins name. She cringed at the thought of how high she had fallen from the pedestal that was the Hawkins name to the sewer that was Amy’s trap.
Even worse was Amy’s threat to send the tape to the Barcelona press. Diane knew how Leon suffered when his personal life was made bare to the public. I can’t do that again. Just when he gained his confidence for the cameras back...
This left her with only one option. She had to leave Barcelona forever, forgetting her dream of honoring William Hawkins with the facility in Torrevieja, and never see Leon again.
But she had to do one thing first. A gesture she hoped would make up for what she was about to do. She got her phone and dialed a number. She took a deep breath. “Señor Martinez, this is Diane Hawkins. I need you to come to my house now.”
***
“Señora, are you certain this is what you want?” The confusion on Martinez’s face was apparent. “Señor Alvaro never mentioned anything about these changes.”
“My mind is made up.” Diane took a deep breath. Now she’d made up her mind, it was easy to act. “I hope you won’t encounter any problems with the legal document.”
“No, there won’t be any problems. Your instructions are very specific.”
“Thank you for coming over.” Diane dismissed the puzzled lawyer.
With the official procedure moving at a snail’s pace, she would be long gone by the time Leon heard the news. She was turning over to him all her legal rights to the medical facility. It would no longer be named after her first husband, William Hawkins. Leon could proceed with his initial dream of naming it after his mother. Martinez was to hand over the deed to Leon after she left Barcelona.
Signing over her dreams for the facility was painful—like saying that everything that happened between them wasn’t real. But she hoped that in doing so she would find some healing.
It was a fitting parting-gift to a man who showed her a side to life she never knew existed. Diane looked out the window over the sea she’d grown to love. “Goodbye, Leon.”
***
Leon paced the floor of his hotel room in Zurich. The inclusion of his football team in the World cup brought unexpected complications. The status of his latest acquisition, Vicente Alves, was in question. The boy played superbly in the game against Madrid. But the World Cup had a rule, even in the club cup, that all players must have tenure, something the newly acquired Alves didn’t have yet. Leon argued with the officials and even threatened to withdraw his team from the games. Finally, t
hey all came to an agreement. Alves would be allowed to come as a second stringer and not as starting player. Finalizing the details with the officials of the World Cup had taken longer than he expected, but at last he’d succeeded.
His flight back to Barcelona was in two hours. Leon sighed in frustration as he waited. He wanted nothing more than to see Diane. His thoughts went back to her and the way they parted. “I should have listened to her instead of storming out the way I did.” Every second he’d spent in Zurich, half his mind had been on her and the rift he’d created between them. His jealousy over William had been building for weeks. If I can erase all memory of him from her mind I would. It was a vow that seemed impossible. He could make love to her like he was all that mattered…except he couldn’t make her forget her first husband.
He took a decanter and poured scotch into a glass. He gulped down the liquid and felt the heat explode in his belly. I should have my head examined. Why am I even jealous of a dead man? But the idea had festered since he’d first heard Diane speak of her husband.
“Mierda!” Leon’s knuckles clenched around the glass. I have done everything to supplant him from her mind…but to no avail. She still worships the ground he walked on. She will never think of me the same way she did him.
The memory of her face as he left seared his memory. She looked so hurt and confused. Leon winced. “William-fucking-Hawkins probably never threw a fit. I’m not stacking the odds in my favor acting like a damned fool.”
A strong yearning to hear her voice assailed him. He grabbed his phone and dialed her number. I’ll take her out to a romantic dinner tonight. Then we can talk about my feelings over her husband. I’ll say I’m an idiot and apologize.
His call was unanswered. Leon frowned. He tossed the phone on the bed and headed for the decanter. The phone buzzed unexpectedly. He grabbed it excitedly thinking it was Diane returning a missed call. His heart sank as he recognized the number. It wasn’t Diane calling. It was Martinez.
“Hello,” he answered abruptly.
He listened intently as Martinez spoke. Then he rushed out of the room. If he had to hire every damned private plane in the world, he would. He had to get back to Barcelona as soon as possible.
***
Diane glanced at her wristwatch. She had less than an hour to wait before her flight to New York. El Prat, Barcelona’s main airport, teemed with tourists. She was glad the first class ticket afforded her the luxury of a private lounge. It was almost empty except for a few passengers awaiting their flights. She needed the space after the blur that was the last twenty-four hours.
Saying goodbye to Ana and the rest of her staff was hard. Diane made certain they were generously rewarded for their service. She concocted a credible story explaining her sudden departure, instructing Ana to stay in the house tying up loose ends and packing her personal belongings. A realtor would drop by later in the week to get the key from her. She wanted the house sold.
Diane leaned back and closed her eyes. She was exhausted. Her heart was depleted. She heard a commotion but paid it no attention. All she wanted was to be on that plane home. Home? What is that saying? Home is where the heart is...? Diane stifled a sob but she couldn’t stop the tears from coming. I will never be home again...
“Don’t cry, querida. My heart aches to see you sad.”
Diane’s eyes flew open. She blinked and then blinked again. But it wasn’t an illusion. Leon stood in front of her. She gasped. “What are you doing here?”
Leon grinned. “I can ask you the same thing.”
How had he found her? Someone must have told him! “Who…?”
“Ana was worried about you. She called to let me know you were leaving while begging me not to tell you she did. Apparently she adores you and yet is terrified of the dragon lady. Then there’s Martinez who knows I would cut his balls off if he didn’t tell me about your plans to leave the country.” He sat down, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his fingers. “Talk to me, querida. Why are you leaving?”
His gentleness opened another floodgate. He placed an arm across her shoulder and pulled her close as she sobbed.
Her plausible excuse faltered, as she met his penetrating green eyes. It was no good trying to fool Leon. Haltingly, she began her story knowing it would destroy any respect he had for her.
Leon tensed as she narrated what happened at the VIP lounge.
“So my ex-wife came asking you to leave me and you decided to hand me over like some piece of sausage?”
Diane hung her head. “I assumed she waited until the game was over to talk to you.”
“No, she didn’t. I know Amy. She will eliminate whatever obstacles stand in her way before she makes a move.” He watched Diane closely. “The idea must have made you very jealous.”
She gazed at him hopelessly. “Leon, this is serious. She came back to the house the day you threw a fit—”
“I threw a fit? That was me telling you that I was jealous of your dead husband!”
Leon…jealous? Her heart pounded in her chest. If he was jealous over the memory of William, that only meant one thing. He must love her too. The thought blew her mind. But she had to tell him the rest of the story even if she wanted to jump for joy.
“You have to stop interrupting me or I’ll never get to the end of my story.”
Leon went quiet. His silence was even harder to take. “Amy has the video you made of us together.” Diane took a deep breath. “She showed me a screenshot and threatened to send the video to the Barcelona press and the New York Times. I have to leave otherwise—”
“You won’t live through the shame and scandal. I understand.” Leon’s voice was clipped, devoid of emotion. His expression was furious.
“Not just me.” This was the hardest part. “She will destroy you all over again. I can’t let her do that.”
Leon gazed at her intently. “You are leaving because you want to protect me?”
Diane nodded. “It doesn’t make up for putting you in this position, but yes. I will do anything to protect you.”
A gamut of emotions crossed Leon’s face. He squeezed her hand. “I’ll hold you to that. We are going to get that tape back.”
Diane’s eyes widened. “How? If she finds out I’m still here, she will leak that video.”
“We’ll think of something together. What is more important is that you don’t leave me. Will you promise that you’ll stay and fight with me?”
Diane nodded. She had no idea what they would do, but she trusted Leon.
Leon continued to watch her. “Is Amy the only reason why you are leaving? I don’t want any more secrets between us.”
She shook her head. “It’s not the only reason. Everything Amy said was true.”
Remembering it now made her feel irrelevant. “You deserve someone who can give you children.”
Leon’s eyes flashed. “And you think I don’t have a say in the matter? You alone get to decide that she is the one for me?”
“I know how much you want to be a father. I was in the bathroom at the birthday party. I heard you and Aunt Isabella talking. ” Diane confessed.
Leon sighed heavily. “I do want children. I won’t lie about that. But I want to have them with you. There are many options. We can find a surrogate. If that doesn’t work, then we can adopt.”
Diane was stunned. Her heart sang. He would do that for me? “How can you be so sure that it’s me you want?”
Leon clasped her hand tightly. “I am sure because when I wake up in the morning and see you by my side, I’m happy. I love you, Diane. You are the missing half that makes me whole. Te amo más que nada en el mundo—I love you more than anything in the world.”
Diane’s spirit soared. Getting the video back was like some dark cloud in her horizon. But with Leon by her side, she felt braver. Could we do this together?
Chapter Thirteen
Diane came up with the plan as they both lay in bed, their naked bodies glistening with the intensity of their ex
ertion. The thought of Amy was like a sword hanging over their heads. Consequently, they’d made love like it was the last time for both of them.
As Diane rested her head on Leon’s chest, listening to his breathing, she marveled at the range of emotions he inspired in her. Who knew that make-up sex could be so astonishing that the synapses in her brain went to overdrive? No wonder Amy is so desperate to get him back.
“A sting.” She swallowed. The thought of her rival was not pleasant, but it was one she had to face—for Leon’s sake. The idea made her sick, but what other option was there? “It’s the only way. And I must be the bait.”
Leon was hesitant as he gathered her in his arms.
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