by Gemma Hart
“I’m not talking to that customs agent,” I said calmly.
Martin raised a brow at me, challengingly. When I stood my ground, he pursed his lips and nodded, as if taking this new challenge into consideration.
“That new girl of yours…Clara Daniels, right?” Martin said casually.
I jerked in response at hearing her name. I narrowed my eyes as my fists automatically clenched.
“She’s been getting a lot of attention about those contracts she got with Losel and Su Lo Designs, hasn’t she?” Martin said, still quite casually. He shrugged. “You know, I think I happen to know the head of Su Lo Designs. Wayne Chan. Do you know him?”
I felt my blood boiling as I glared at him.
Martin smiled, unfazed. “You know, Wayne happens to really value my opinions. If I told him that Clara Daniels had copied her designs from another unknown carpenter, he would immediately dissolve that contract with her. And then by moral obligation, he’d feel it necessary to let other buyers know that she was a fake, a phony.”
“Who the fuck are you to talk about morality here?” I growled lowly at him.
Martin shrugged. “In the end,” he said, ignoring me, “she’d lose everything. Even if someone later proved Wayne wrong, no one would believe her by then. All her credibility will have been destroyed. She’d be lucky to sell something to Walmart.”
Sighing, Martin slapped his thighs and stood up. “Now, you think on it but I’m going to need you to speak with that customs agent before the week is out. Those ships have already been delayed too long.”
He crossed towards the door, his hand on the handle. Martin turned to me, looking at me with something akin to sincere sympathy. “I think it’d be a shame for anything to happen to Clara and her work. She’s damn talented.”
And with that, he walked out, letting the door slam behind him.
Chapter Twenty
Clara
I grinned as I saw Jonah walk into our factory.
Immediately I threw down the hammer I was working with and ran towards him causing Joel to yell out after me about watching my aim. But I didn’t care. I threw myself into Jonah’s arms and reveled in their strength as they easily caught me, swinging me around.
I laughed but it was quickly smothered by his kiss. When we broke away, I blushed a little, knowing my team had witnessed all of that. But I knew it was okay. I trusted these people with my entire career. I could trust them with my heart.
Setting me down, Jonah surveyed the small space.
‘Factory’ was a generous term for what was basically a large loft space. We didn’t need too much space since now we were only making prototypes and samples.
Large windows surrounded us, letting in a lot of natural light as we worked. It also kept us cool and let the air not get too muddled with wood dust and sprays.
I looked up at Jonah, proud of my little empire.
“Impressed?” I said, knowing how cheeky I sounded.
Jonah looked down at me, grinning. “Always,” he said.
He looked around the space again. “Long gone are the days of Geoff and the back room of a hardware store, eh?”
I laughed. “Well, I guess so. Now I have a studio that does the photographs and there’s a stylist there to help style the pieces for each shoot,” I said. “But Geoff’s never too far away.”
Jonah looked down at me, confused and a little worried I meant those words in some kind of odd spiritual manner.
I snorted and ribbed him in his side. “He’s in my apartment, hanging over my bed.”
Jonah gave me a look of disbelief. “No he isn’t,” he countered.
“Yes he is!” I protested. And he was. From his antlers dangled several ribbons that I thought made him look quite festive. “You think I was just going to throw him away? He helped make that catalogue that got me to New York. He was a crucial part of the journey.”
Jonah shook his head, his lips twitching. “Well no one ever said you weren’t loyal,” he said dryly.
“Let it be known,” I intoned solemnly.
Hooking his arm around me, I led him to the small balcony we had attached to the west side of the loft. The doors were all glass so it didn’t offer much privacy but at least we could talk a little more comfortably.
Outside, Jonah leaned on the iron railings, looking out on Chelsea. In the light, I noticed a strained look on his face. There was a deep cut line of worry between his brows.
I gently touched his arm. “Are you okay?” I asked softly. “You look tired.”
Jonah turned his gaze to me, smiling as soon as he caught my worried look. “Maybe just a little,” he said. “I don’t sleep as well without you.”
My cheeks warmed in pleasure. I had had to spend an all-nighter last night proofing photos for some of my new samples and had ended up sleeping in the loft with Joel curled up under the table.
“Same,” I said.
But that couldn’t be it. There must be something else. I could see written all over his face.
“Something wrong with work?” I tried again.
Jonah jerked a little at my question but shook his head. “No,” he said without emotion. “That company can run itself. It doesn’t need me.”
I was surprised by this remark. What company didn’t need its CEO? But then again, I had noticed that Jonah never seemed to really relish his work. Oh he was certainly good at it. Newspapers and other businesses hailed Jonah’s acumen as a sharp and profitable businessman. But I could tell Jonah found no joy in it.
Suddenly, Jonah sighed and then pulled me into his arms, wrapping them around my lower back.
He looked down at me with a tenderness that made my heart ache.
“Clara, I want you to know that I am so proud of you,” he said. “So many people have dreams but most people don’t have the guts to follow through on them. You did. And you kicked ass doing it. You’re talented as hell and I feel lucky as fuck to be able to love you.”
I stared at him in stunned silence. I was more than touched by his words but I was a little taken aback by the suddenness of the speech.
“I feel lucky to have you too,” I said, wrapping my own arms around him.
Jonah smiled, but his eyes still held the faint shadow of something more. “Then that’s enough for me.”
Chapter Twenty One
Jonah
I walked up the sloping hill, the gray skies matching my mood. Near the crest of the hill, I finally found what I had come to see.
It was a simple slab of pure white granite. On it were gilt golden letters reading:
Cheryl Osborne Lowell
Beloved Wife and Mother
I knelt down and set down the small bundle of lavender I had brought with me. She had always enjoyed the scent of lavender and had worn a lavender perfume for most of her life.
There were a few dead leaves on the headstone and I brushed them away. I rearranged the lavender so that it was lying right beneath the stone, centered.
“Hi mom,” I said lowly.
I hadn’t thought about coming here but when I had gotten in the car that morning, I found myself already on the road driving towards the cemetery.
And once I realized where I was going, I knew why I needed to come to this place.
It had been probably several years since I had visited her grave. It was actually after her death that our relationship had become truly complicated. I hadn’t resented her too much for turning a blind eye towards the coldness of David Lowell’s attitude towards me. After all, I had worked to hide it as well.
But after she had died, there had been no semblance of a relationship between myself and David. And I wished then that my mother had worked a little harder to make things better between us so that all of us could’ve enjoyed a happier life.
But I couldn’t blame her for wanting to focus on the good part of her new life. She had struggled for so long. She wanted to enjoy herself now.
And she never let me forget where we had come fr
om. She would always remind just how important money was.
“You’re lucky,” she always said to me. Sometimes she said it when I was still carrying a bruise or two from David. “You’re getting into this life early. But don’t forget where we came from. Because you can wind up back there just as quickly. What’s important is putting yourself in a position of power. Study what David does and mimic it. Get to lead the company. That is how you’ll always stay ahead of the game.”
And I did. I worked my ass off, got into the best schools, graduated at the top of my class, and had led the company into an era of huge profits. And her words had been right. I found myself at the pinnacle of power. I had everything right at my fingertips and was able to have anything or anyone I wanted.
I had done all this because I too remembered where we had come from and knew I never wanted to go back to that again. But after a few years, I could’ve stepped down. I had enough money. I had a more than sizeable inheritance from David Lowell. On top of which, I had added to by working successfully for the company. I didn’t need to stay and deal with the hassle of having Martin Lowell always nipping on my heels and trying to take the company away.
If I had walked away sooner, I wouldn’t be dealing with Martin now, when it was much worse.
But I hadn’t been able to. For some reason, I hadn’t been able to tear myself away although I felt very little loyalty to the business.
There hadn’t been much in the way of maternal love but for some reason I felt as if leaving the company would mean I left the last living memory of my mother behind.
When Cheryl had met David, David Lowell’s company had actually been called Lowell Global, to distinguish it from Lowell Enterprises. But once he met Cheryl, he had decided that putting a ring on her finger hadn’t been enough of a declaration of love. He had changed the company’s name to DXC Global.
David x Cheryl Global
Even though their love for each other had not been enough to extend to me, I clung to it because it carried a purity. And it made me feel as if I was holding my mother’s memory alive.
David might not have loved me (in fact, I was pretty sure he hated me), but he had loved my mother. And he had etched his love for her through every facet of his life.
And I didn’t want to let go of the company and the love that my mother had enjoyed.
But now….
But now, mom, I think I’m ready to move on. And I think you know that too.
Because now I had Clara.
I looked at the clean slab of stone. I had worked most of my life to keep my mom from worrying or stressing too much. I tried not to show how hungry I was when we were poor and I tried not to show how lonesome or in pain I was when she was married. And in her death, I tried to work at a company I felt no loyalty to because that was what she wanted of me.
But that’s enough now, I thought calmly. I’ve done as much as I could for you in life and death. Now it’s time for me to have my own life and to create my own world, free from any obligations.
The only obligation I had now was to Clara’s heart and that was one I gladly would carry.
“You would’ve liked her, mom,” I said aloud. “She’s spunky. Kind of like you were.”
Except Clara also had the heart the size of Mt. Everest and could love so completely and wholly that it left me breathless.
I didn’t want to endanger Clara but I had done enough bowing and scraping to the Lowell name. I would not do it again for Martin.
I gave a little nod to the headstone. In some ways, this was a truer farewell than the one I had given at her funeral. I was walking away now without a sense of burden or obligation. I wanted to live my own life freely and I knew how I would need to do it. I would have to sacrifice my past for my future.
But I was ready. And I’d like to think she understood.
Goodbye, mom.
Chapter Twenty Two
Clara
“Jonah! Jonah! What’s going on?” I said into my cellphone as I ran up the street towards his building. I had tried to wait until I reached his door but the subway ride was all I could manage. As soon as I had stepped back up the ground level, I had reached for my phone, too anxious to not know what was happening.
“Why are the papers saying that you’ve stepped down from DXC Global?” I asked. There was a crumpled newspaper poking out of my bag. The dark bold headlines had completely grabbed me by surprise:
Billionaire Playboy Jonah Lowell Steps Down From DXC Global Indefinitely. What Does This Mean For The Company’s Future?
I had thought it was some kind of joke but realized the story was circulating everywhere, online and in every newspaper.
“Where are you?” Jonah asked, his voice sounding as calm as day.
“I’m about to head into your lobby,” I said. “But, tell me, what—”
“Then let me tell you when you get up here,” he said, still calm.
How the hell was this guy so composed when he had just left a multi-billion dollar company? Had he been forced out? Was that why he had been so sad when he come to visit me a few days ago?
I punched the elevator button for the penthouse, my heart pounding in my chest. This couldn’t be good news. Something had to be seriously wrong.
I nearly rolled out of the elevator in my hurry and ran to his door. I pounded on it till Jonah opened.
He gave me a look of mild consternation. “I’m not deaf, you know,” he said, motioning me in. “You can just do one knock.”
“How can you be joking right now!” I exploded. “What’s wrong? Did something happen? Were you forced out?”
I thought I was seeing things but narrowing my eyes at him, I realized, yes, the man was actually laughing. His lips were trembling as he tried to keep his laughter to himself.
Frazzled with worry and confusion, I punched his chest.
“Ow!” he said, rubbing his chest absentmindedly. He grinned immediately though, clearly not fazed by my attack. “How could you hit an unemployed man? Don’t kick a man when he’s down.”
“I’ll do worse if you don’t explain yourself,” I glowered.
Jonah snorted but immediately grabbed my wrist when I made another swing for him. Using his hold on my wrist, he turned me around and guided me to the sofa.
“Sit,” he said. “I need to talk to you.”
I sat and stared at him, expectantly. I worried that maybe the news of his dating a nobody like me would get him in trouble. But I reminded myself that we weren’t living in the 18th century. Status shouldn’t matter but then again people like Vanessa Winters proved that, clearly, it still did.
Jonah sat on the coffee table, facing me. He captured my hands in his, holding them in his large warm grasp.
He looked down at our joint grasp before beginning. “I left DXC Global by choice,” he said. I was about to interrupt but he stopped me. “It’s something that I’ve been wanting to do for awhile now. It’s just that I recently got some extra motivation to finally do it. But I don’t want you to worry. I wasn’t kicked out. I left by choice. And I’m happy about it.”
I stared at him, studying him. His expression did look lighter, as if a great burden had been taken off his shoulders.
“But what does that mean for DXC?” I asked, still worried.
Jonah shrugged. “I’m guessing my uncle will take over. He should be over the moon about it,” he said.
“But—”
Jonah shook his head. “Don’t worry,” he said. “DXC Global has been around for a long time. It’s had a nice big run. If anything bad should happen to it, know that it’s had a nice long life.”
I furrowed my brows, completely confused. What did that even mean?
Jonah squeezed my hands before I could contemplate any further. “But that’s not what I really wanted to talk to you about,” he said. Gazing into my eyes with sincerity, he said, “Leaving DXC Global will change a lot of things. I’m no longer the CEO of a major billion dollar company. I won’t have as much
sway around these parts anymore.”
I made a dismissive sound. “Jonah, I don’t care about—”
“And,” he said solemnly, “I swear to love and provide for you for the rest of my days but I want you to know,” he took in a deep breath, “I’m not a man of such huge financial means anymore.”
I squeezed his hands. Was he really worried I would leave him over something as superficial as money? I was earnest in wanting to reassure him.
“Jonah, that doesn’t matter. I only want you. I’ve only always wanted just you. Money doesn’t matter,” I said.
Jonah looked at me, his gaze starting to twinkle with something akin to mischief. “Good,” he said in a relieved voice. “I know millionaire is a big downgrade from billionaire but if you can be understanding, I think we can—”
I pulled my hand free and slapped his shoulder. Jonah burst out laughing.
“Were you just joking?” I demanded.
Jonah’s laughter settled into a warm smile. “Well, I definitely will have less capital but I think we can make do with what I have saved up. I’ll make sure we don’t go hungry.”
He grinned before leaning down to kiss me.
When he broke away, I rolled my eyes.
“And what do you plan to do with this mere pittance of several hundreds of millions of dollars?” I asked sarcastically, although I was relieved to hear that everything was alright and would be alright.
“Well now,” Jonah said in a serious considering voice, “I actually have an idea about that….”
Epilogue
Eight Months Later
“Is it hard being CEO to a company that is so much smaller than DXC Global?” the reporter asked.
Jonah smiled at the reporter, immediately charming her. I hid my smile, never unamused by how quickly Jonah could make woman fall.
The bright TV lights shone on us as we sat in a hotel room. This was our third press interview and my throat was getting quite dry.
“No, not at all,” Jonah answered in his rich voice. “If anything, this is much harder. DXC Global was a well oiled, established machine. I hardly did any work.” The reporter gave a little laugh at his modesty. “But with C&J Designs, I am constantly working to keep up with the demand.”