“No. It’s about us.”
Her stomach sunk to her designer heels. Why did he have to bring up that subject now? Had he been able to read her thoughts?
“Now’s not a good time.” She pulled her hand away from his, hoping the distance would clear her thoughts. “I just realized that we don’t have long until the interview.” She pushed aside the rest of her breakfast, having lost her appetite.
“Go ahead and finish eating. We have time.”
She shook her head as she washed down the eggs and toast with a big sip of juice. “I want to be early. We need enough time to cover everything without rushing.” She lifted her trusty black leather notepad from the table. “I have a lot of questions planned.”
“And what would you like me to do?”
“Don’t forget to record the session. I don’t want to miss anything. You downloaded the app to your phone, didn’t you?”
He nodded. “And don’t forget to get her to authorize the recording.”
“I have the legal release with my questions.” She felt like she was forgetting something. “Was there anything else?”
Trey paused as though to go over everything in his mind. “Not that I can think of. Are you ready to go?”
She nodded. “You know, as much walking as we do, I need to start wearing sneakers and carrying my heels in a backpack.”
“Do you want to change?”
She was very tempted, but she also knew they weren’t the only ones trekking around Cannes. She needed to look her best at all times—or at least until she secured a few more interviews. Maybe after those she could let down her hair so to speak.
* * *
The sunny streets of Cannes were filled with some of the best-dressed people in the world. There were actors and actresses from action movies, romantic comedies and dramas. After almost a week of this, he was getting a lot more adept at matching names with faces. He wouldn’t admit it here, but he wasn’t much of a moviegoer. He was probably the only one in this large mass of people.
He walked with Sage back to the hotel where the Red Heart Gala had been held—where they’d kissed. He wondered if Sage was remembering their steamy lip-lock.
He’d never had a chance to explain why he’d pulled away. There’d always been a reason why it hadn’t been the right time, but the truth was he’d been dragging his feet—delaying the inevitable.
In the elevator, he turned to her. “After the interview, we’ll have that talk.”
Her gaze averted his. “Okay.”
Soon the truth would be out there and it wouldn’t be weighing on him. He just didn’t know how Sage would react. Would she understand that in the beginning he hadn’t set out to hurt anyone?
His thoughts ground to a halt as they stepped off the elevator and approached the suite.
Trey knocked on the door.
There was no answer.
He glanced at Sage. “This is the right suite, isn’t it?”
She referenced her notes. “It’s the room number she gave me. Try again.”
He knocked once more, louder this time.
At last the door swung open. A frazzled-looking young woman peeked her head through the crack in the door. This was not the actress. It must be her assistant. The woman’s gaze moved from him to Sage and then back to him. She wasn’t exactly the friendliest assistant as she had yet to say a word to them.
“Hi.” He used his friendliest smile in spite of her. “Miss White is here for her interview with Starr.”
“That won’t be possible.” The young woman attempted to close the door in Trey’s face.
He was too quick for her and put his shoe in the way, bringing the swinging door to an abrupt halt. “Not so fast.”
The young woman glared at him. “Move.”
“Not until you tell us what is going on here. Miss White has an appointment.”
“Yeah, well, things have changed. The appointment is canceled.”
Sage stepped around Trey. “I don’t understand. The other day Starr was anxious for the interview. Why did she change her mind?”
The young woman glanced over her shoulder as though to see if anyone was listening. “She’s just signed an exclusive contract to sell her biography to be released simultaneously with her movie next year. All her promo is now monitored.”
“But our agreement was prior to her contract.” Sage had the look on her face that said she wasn’t going to back down easily.
There were voices inside. The voices were growing louder as if they were approaching the door. Before he saw her, Trey knew the source of the problem.
The door swung wide open and Elsa appeared. She smiled but it wasn’t a normal smile. It held a hint of deviousness. And her dark eyes sparkled with evil. The woman gave him a bitter taste in the back of his mouth. All he wanted to do was get Sage far away from the woman.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go.”
“Yes, go.” There was a note of glee in Elsa’s voice. “There is nothing for you here.”
Sage’s face hardened. Her gaze narrowed in on her stepmother. “You had absolutely no interest in Starr until you knew I had plans with her.”
“You did?” Elsa pressed a hand to her chest and feigned an innocent look. “Oh, my.” The over-the-top theatrics made it obvious that Elsa had been targeting Sage. “You should pack up and go home.”
Trey went to step up to the woman and let her know exactly what he thought of her. Words popped into his mind that he never thought he would ever say to a lady, but then again Elsa was anything but a lady.
Sage grabbed his arm and held him back. She glanced at him with a warning reflected in her eyes. “I’ve got this.” She turned on Elsa. “I don’t know why you think you have to lash out at me at every turn. You know, I feel bad for you.”
“Bad for me?” Elsa’s eyes widened in surprise. “Honey, I’m the one that is about to walk away with this year’s up-and-coming superstar. You should feel bad for yourself—always on the losing end of things.”
“I might not have gotten the interview, but I have something more—my self-respect and the ability to smile. You, however, don’t even know what it’s like to be happy. Do you?”
Frown lines bracketed Elsa’s face. If looks could kill, Sage would be nothing but a black singe on the red carpet. “Oh, yes. You think you can stand up to me now that you have Quentin by your side. But even he is no challenge for me.”
“His name is Trey.”
“Really? My mistake.” Elsa’s voice took on a deeper, more deadly tone. “Or perhaps it’s yours. You always were the naive child, wanting Daddy to take care of everything.”
Sage turned to him. “Trey, tell her.” There was pleading in her eyes that tore at him. “Tell her she’s mistaken.”
He wanted to do that for Sage. He would have done anything to spare Sage this agonizing moment, but it was now out of his hands. It was long past the time for the truth.
As the pain reflected in Sage’s eyes, Trey’s chest tightened. Every muscle in his body grew rigid. Everything with Sage was spinning out of control and he was helpless to stop it. He, the man with all the answers, didn’t know how to keep Sage from being hurt.
He turned to Elsa.
How could one woman be so evil? So malicious?
The look of triumph sparkled in Elsa’s eyes. His hands clenched at his sides. Why did she want to hurt her stepdaughter so badly?
The last thing he was going to let the woman do was stick around so she could gloat. “You’ve done your damage, now crawl back to whatever rock you slithered out from under.”
She smiled at him, making his skin crawl. Elsa stepped up to him. She gave his body a lingering glance. “Aren’t you a feisty one? We could have a good time together.”
“Go.”
Elsa sighed. “Such a pity.” S
he moved on to Sage. “This isn’t over.”
“I didn’t think it was.” Sage lifted her chin. “We are just getting started.”
Elsa let out an evil cackle. “We’ll see about that.” She glanced back at Trey. “As for you, Quentin Thomas Rousseau III, I’m not sure you’re as much of a challenge as your father.”
His gaze sought out Sage. Her eyes reflected the shock and disbelief. He wished he could tell her that Elsa was lying, but he couldn’t. Elsa had done what he should have done long ago.
Sage’s mouth opened but no words came out. Her gaze moved from Elsa to him.
“Oops. There I go again, letting that cat out of the bag.” A toothy grin lit up the woman’s face. “I’m sure you two must have things to discuss.”
Elsa cackled as she swept past them and headed for the bank of elevators. Trey waited until Elsa was out of earshot before he said, “Sage, I can explain.”
It was too late. The damage was done. It was written all over Sage’s beautiful face. The disappointment and distrust reflected in her eyes sliced through his heart.
“I don’t even know what to call you anymore. Quentin? Thomas? Trey?”
Trey stood tall, ready to face what he’d done. “You can call me Trey. It was my nickname in boarding school.”
“Fine. Trey, I have just one question.” Her shiny gaze never wavered from his.
He already knew the question, but he wouldn’t take away her right to ask it. He owed her that much and more.
“Go ahead.” He thought he was ready for her words. He was tough. He was used to facing life alone. And he never thought this relationship, whatever title you wanted to hang on it, would last.
Sage leveled her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Was everything we shared a lie? Were you secretly laughing when I opened up about my past?”
That wasn’t the question he’d been anticipating. He thought she’d want him to confirm that he was indeed Quentin Thomas Rousseau III. But she’d jumped ahead. She was already questioning everything they’d ever shared.
“No. It wasn’t a lie.”
“And the château? Is it yours?”
“Yes.”
“Everything was a lie.”
“No, it wasn’t. Please believe me.”
“I don’t.”
As he looked into her eyes, he could see that he’d already lost her. She’d already closed him off and relegated him to the list of people in her life that had hurt and betrayed her.
The guilt piled on him. He needed to say so much, but before he could figure out where to begin, Sage turned her back on him, and with her chin held high, she walked away.
He’d hurt the kindest, most generous person he’d ever known. He didn’t deserve to be forgiven, but he wanted her forgiveness as much as he needed oxygen.
How did he convince her that these growing feelings were very real indeed—more so than he’d ever thought possible?
CHAPTER TWELVE
SHE WOULD NOT look over her shoulder.
She would not.
Sage’s heart ached as she walked away from Trey or Quentin or whatever he wanted to call himself. She’d thought at last she found someone that she could trust. Someone that would be a true friend. She couldn’t have been more wrong.
Why hadn’t she seen it? It was all right there in front of her if she’d had been thinking with her head instead of her heart.
There was his Rolex watch. That was no knockoff. It was the genuine article. And now that she thought of it, he did bear a slight resemblance to his father. And there were his fine clothes including more than one tux. Those definitely didn’t come from a secondhand shop like her red gown.
The elevator deposited her on the ground floor. She didn’t waste any time heading for the door. She should shove aside all these tangled emotions and work. It was her reason for being in France. But the lump in her throat would keep her from speaking to anyone.
She walked straight out the front door and kept walking with no particular destination in mind. All the while, she continued to think of the telltale signs of his deception. His résumé, it had been too perfect. She wondered which things he had told her were the truth and which were the lies. She shook her head. No, she didn’t want to know. It’d only make it worse.
The more she thought of Trey, the faster she walked. Her vision blurred, but she blinked it back into focus. Why in the world had she thought he would be different?
Here she was trying to report on facts for the magazine and she couldn’t even get the facts right in her own life. If people knew how gullible she was, they would never trust anything she published. And she couldn’t blame them.
Trey probably laughed behind her back, thinking how easily he’d been able to deceive her. But why do it? Why try to fool her?
That last question dogged her the rest of the way back to the château. She tried every conceivable answer, but none of them made sense. What did he hope to accomplish by playing the part of her assistant?
She shook her head, trying to chase away the taunting questions. She had other matters that needed her attention. Once in her room, she grabbed her phone and started calling every hotel in Cannes. With the festival in full swing, she was hoping that there would be an early checkout.
Call after call, she learned there were no rooms in Cannes...anywhere. She sighed. She didn’t want to give up on her plans for the magazine. She was running out of time before the next board meeting where she had to present her plan for the restructure and sustainability of the magazine.
She needed caffeine. It would make her feel better. And maybe some chocolate. But first the coffee.
She had just reached the bottom of the stairs when Trey came through the door. His face was drawn and his hair was scattered as though he’d been raking his fingers through it. Was it wrong that she took some comfort in the fact that he was unhappy that his plan had been ruined?
His gaze met hers. “Sage, we need to talk.”
“I think we said everything we need to say.” She turned to head to the back of the house. And then on second thought, she turned back to Trey. “There is one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re fired.”
With the tiniest bit of satisfaction, she turned and walked away. She still didn’t understand his motive. She knew Elsa was not above blackmail or other devious motives. But Sage just couldn’t believe Elsa was behind Trey’s actions. She’d seen Trey’s reaction to Elsa. They definitely weren’t working together.
So what was going on?
* * *
Fired.
As he watched her walk away, the word echoed in Trey’s mind. It was a first for him. Having been his own boss since college, he’d never been in this position. And even though he was the CEO, the fact that Sage felt the need to fire him pricked his ego.
But what was bothering him most of all was the fact that he’d hurt her. Sage had been nothing but good to him. Looking back now, he realized his excuses for not telling her were because he knew once the truth was out there that Sage wouldn’t look at him the same way.
He hadn’t wanted to lose the close connection that they’d developed. It was new and fragile. It was a connection unlike any other he’d ever experienced in his life.
He should go after Sage. If the problem festered, there would be absolutely no chance for him to repair the damage. He still wasn’t sure they could ever recapture what they had. Which was what?
They worked well together, but this thing between them went deeper. But how deep? He wasn’t the commitment type. He supposed he’d gotten that from his father.
He didn’t want to end up in a relationship like his parents. They never divorced, but they never lived together after his father walked away. He never understood why they’d remained married. What was the point of marriage?
He gave himself a mental shake. He didn’t want to get caught up in the ghosts of the past. Right now, he had enough problems in the present. When it came to Sage, nothing was easy. And now he had to make amends—no, he wanted to make amends. There was definitely a difference between the two.
He started walking. He didn’t know what he was going to say to her. Was there anything he could say that would convince her that they could still work together until the end of the festival? The fact that she was still at the château had to be a good sign, right? And then he remembered the festival and the lack of accommodations. It worked out for him.
At last, he caught up to her on the patio. “Sage. We need to talk.”
She didn’t even turn to look at him when she said, “We’ve said everything. There’s nothing left to say.”
“You might have said everything, but I didn’t.” He moved to stand in front of her. She averted her gaze, but that wouldn’t deter him. “Sage, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”
Her gaze met his. “What did you think was going to happen when you deceived me? That I’d never find out?”
“In the beginning, I didn’t even consider how my plan might hurt others. I was after information and working as your assistant was the best way to gain unbiased information. I never factored in the people I’d be working with.”
He could see the wheels of her mind spinning. “What information?”
“Can we sit down and talk?” He didn’t want to make it easy for her to walk away when she heard something she didn’t like.
Sage hesitated. Then she made her way over to a bench. “I don’t know why I’m doing this.”
“Because you need answers. You want to know why a CEO would go undercover in his own company.”
“I do. So tell me. But don’t think it will change anything between us.” There was a firmness in her voice.
He knew it would take more than this talk in order for Sage to forgive him. But it was a start and that had to be enough...for now.
“Let me start at the beginning. How much do you know about my father and the trouble he got the magazine into?”
She shrugged. “Not a whole lot.”
Miss White and the Seventh Heir Page 10