Fortune

by Megan Cole

  ‘Well, unfortunately, you don’t know anything about me and what I want, so why don’t you leave it just there?’ Sapphire said stiffly.

  Madison sat and looked at her for a moment, her cold, ice-blue eyes boring into Sapphire’s. ‘Well,’ Madison said lightly. ‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’ She jumped up. ‘A word of sisterly advice, Sapphire. You ain’t seen nothing yet.’

  The next day Sapphire’s ankle had gone down enough for her to walk round her bedroom on it. Even though she had a plasma television and an amazing sound system to keep her occupied, Sapphire was bored of being cooped up. If she took it slowly enough, she’d be able to go for a short walk. Grabbing her new Prada sunglasses off the bedside table, she opened her door and walked out.

  As usual, the rest of the house was peacefully quiet, with just the occasional chatter or laughter from staff working somewhere on the grounds. Sapphire was struck, not for the first time, by how much like a museum Casa Eleganza was, with its cool marble floors and antique furniture. Although undeniably beautiful, it was also devoid of life. Silently, she padded in her Havaiana flip-flops past the Rembrandt and Picasso paintings and out in the sun-filled garden.

  The light and warmth was a welcome relief. She was aware of a car crunching on the circular driveway behind her and turned to see a blacked-out Mercedes being driven in. The driver’s window was open and music blasted out. To Sapphire’s surprise, she saw Raphael in a chauffeur’s uniform, singing along. His face was flushed, his eyes alive. He looked almost happy. Then the car disappeared from view behind the house, as if the image had been a figment of her imagination.

  Sapphire hobbled to her favourite spot on the beach and gingerly sat down. For what seemed like the thousandth time, she replayed the scene of Cam carrying her up the stairs to her bedroom and laying her gently down on the bed. Sapphire had barely been aware of Maggie as she stared up at the wondrous sight of Cam Tyler, standing topless in her bedroom. Cam had just had enough time for a smile at Sapphire before Maggie had ushered him out. Sapphire had been left on her own — lying back on the pillows and wondering what Cam had been about to say before she put her stupid foot down that rabbit hole.

  Sapphire, I’ve been wanting to say this for quite a while…

  ‘What? What were you about to say?’ she said aloud in excited frustration. She couldn’t believe her bad timing! Talk about ruining the moment.

  Her shoulders started to feel itchy and Sapphire realised she’d forgotten to put any suncream on. The last thing she wanted was to add bright-red lobster skin to a fat ankle. She was making her way back up the winding stone steps when suddenly a helicopter buzzed overhead. Stomach lurching, she looked up, but it wasn’t Brad. The black helicopter carried on flying out to sea. Sapphire still hadn’t seen Brad since the naked drama. The longer it went on, the worse she felt. Sapphire didn’t know if she was avoiding him, or the other way round.

  She had just started climbing the steps when she misjudged one and tripped, pitching forward.

  Not again! she thought, bracing herself for the fall. But to her astonishment, someone caught her. Sapphire looked up to see Raphael holding her, his eyes glaring into hers. For someone so lean and sinewy, he had surprising strength. They were so close that Sapphire could see the strange gold flecks in his eyes. Suddenly, he shoved her away, as though he couldn’t stand to touch her.

  ‘Why don’t you watch where you’re going, English girl? I hear it’s not the first time. No doubt your head was full of other, stupid things.’

  Sapphire was tired of this guy and his weird moods. After her run-in with Madison, it was the final straw.

  ‘Hang on a minute,’ she said angrily. ‘I don’t know what your problem is, or what idea you’ve got of me, but you’re wrong! And quite frankly, I’m sick of you having at go at me every time we meet. So just stay out of my way, OK?’

  Raphael seemed surprised at her outburst. Something shifted behind his eyes. ‘I saw you trip,’ he said angrily. ‘What was I supposed to do, let you fall?’

  ‘I didn’t ask you to rescue me! And I certainly don’t need the knight-in-shining-armour routine, so just leave me alone,’ she said. And with that, Sapphire turned and stormed up the path as fast as her sore ankle would allow her.

  Chapter twenty-three

  Brad clicked off the screen and turned to the girls. ‘That just about wraps it up. Do you have any questions?’

  They were sitting in Casa Eleganza’s private cinema and Brad had just shown them a short, slick company film on Brad Masters Enterprises. It was even more impressive than the three had thought. As well as BMM, the record label, Brad owned several multi-million-pound development companies and more real estate than a small African country. That wasn’t forgetting the chain of luxury health clubs, the Michelin-starred restaurant just off the Champs-Elysées in Paris, and dealing in the most expensive, sought-after art in the world. Sapphire had to hand it to the bloke — he knew what he was doing.

  Simonetta coughed. She had been taking notes on her BlackBerry the whole way through. ‘Is it true you are looking to invest in brands like Giuseppe, to take them to a global level?’ Giuseppe was an up-and-coming young Italian designer the fashion world was raving about.

  Brad looked impressed. ‘You’ve obviously done your research.’

  Simonetta nodded regally. ‘Si, this is what interests me. Fashion is not just about clothes; it is a lifestyle. This needs to be communicated to badly dressed people the world over.’ She looked pointedly at Sapphire. ‘If people do not make an effort with their appearance, how will they get anywhere in life?’

  Brad looked at her with interest. ‘So it’s all about image then, Simonetta?’

  ‘Of course! Looking good is what matters.’

  ‘Surely being talented, or being a nice person, counts as well,’ Sapphire ventured.

  Simonetta looked at her as if she were speaking in an alien language.

  ‘I’ve got an idea!’ announced Madison, not wanting to be outdone. ‘Have you thought about, like, a puppy swap service? Me and my friends are always talking about it. You know how you get a dog and it’s so cute and small at first and you can carry it around everywhere in your handbag? And then, like, it grows and gets all big and ugly. How about a company where as soon as your puppy isn’t cute any more, you can go back and swap it for a new one?’

  Even for Madison, this was a new one. ‘And what happens to the dogs you take back?’ Sapphire asked in disbelief.

  Madison shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Let them loose in a park or something? There’ll be loads of space to run about.’

  ‘That’s, er, very inventive, Madison,’ Brad said. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Hey, that’s what I’m here for!’ she said sweetly.

  Brad gave Sapphire a hard look. ‘Do you want to ask anything?’ Sapphire had loads of questions, like whether Brad donated any of his money to charities, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask. She looked at the floor instead.

  ‘No? OK then. I hope the film’s helped you three see what Brad Masters Enterprises is all about.’ The girls got up to leave. ‘Can I have a word please, Sapphire?’ Brad said. The other two looked exchanged glances.

  Sapphire felt another sick lurch in her stomach. ‘Uh, yeah.’

  Madison and Simonetta left and Brad closed the door behind them. He turned round. ‘How’s the ankle?’ he asked. ‘Maggie told me about your mishap.’

  ‘Better, thanks,’ Sapphire mumbled.

  Brad gazed at her. ‘You seem to have a lot of mishaps. I must say, I’m surprised at how it’s all turned out. I thought Madison and Simonetta would be… wilder. But they’ve been the perfect guests.’

  Sapphire reddened. There was no point blaming them again, Brad would just think even less of her.

  ‘Is there anything you want to tell me?’ he asked suddenly. His voice was quizzical.

  Sapphire hesitated. ‘No… nothing.’ There was a long pause. The walls seemed to be closing in on her.


  ‘Now look.’ Brad came to stand in front of her, his arms folded. ‘We’ve been here with the alcohol and I gave you a second chance. You blew it. Despite all this, I think you’re a good kid and I owe it to your mother. From now on, I want best behaviour. Do I make myself clear?’

  At the mention of her mother, Sapphire felt a flash of anger. Who did he think he was, turning up after all these years and telling her what to do? She should be the one angry with him — he’d abandoned her and her mum in the first place.

  ‘Yes, Brad,’ she said, through gritted teeth.

  He studied her perceptively. ‘Do you find it hard to take criticism from me?’

  Sapphire kept quiet, not trusting herself to speak.

  Brad sighed. ‘Look, I know it must be weird for you, and you probably think I’ve got no right to tell you what to do. But while you’re staying here as my guest, there are certain ways to behave. Do you understand?’

  Sapphire bit her lip with the injustice of it all. ‘Perfectly,’ she said quietly.

  Brad stared at her. ‘Good.’ A smile beckoned at the sides of his mouth. ‘How’s the song-writing going?’

  With a stab of guilt, Sapphire realised she hadn’t picked up her guitar or written anything since she’d got to Casa Eleganza. ‘OK,’ she said, hoping her red face wouldn’t give her away.

  Brad looked at her closely. ‘Keep practising, OK? It’s the only way you’ll get there.’ He strode back across the room to pull the door open. There was a shriek as Madison and Simonetta fell in, from where they’d been spying through the keyhole.

  ‘Can I help you ladies with anything?’ Brad asked mildly. ‘No, no!’ said Madison. ‘I’d, uh, dropped one of my false eyelashes and Simonetta was helping me look for it. But it’s all right, we just found it.’ And with that, the two of them beat a hasty retreat down the corridor.

  ‘False eyelashes,’ mused Brad. ‘Well, I never.’

  Sapphire left the cinema room feeling better. As long as she stayed out of Madison and Simonetta’s way, they shouldn’t be able to get her into any more trouble. She thought about what Brad had said about her music instead. It was almost as if he had a sixth sense. She had been avoiding it because she was worried she wasn’t good enough. By not thinking about it, she didn’t have to arrive at the gutting conclusion that she would never get the melody right. But in her heart of hearts, Sapphire knew Brad was right. She had to face her demons. Encouraged by their conversation, and the fact that he wasn’t going to send her away, Sapphire decided to get her guitar and head down to the beach.

  Ten minutes later she was sitting on the warm sand, strumming the strings gently. She had recently written a new song, “Boy”, which Jerry said was her best yet, but as usual she couldn’t make the leap from writing the words to picking up the guitar and actually playing them. It was beginning to frustrate her beyond belief.

  ‘Boy, you came along… ’ Her voice stopped. It just sounded wrong. She rubbed her hands over her face. ‘Aargh!’

  Suddenly, she was aware of a shadow falling over her. Sapphire looked up and shielded her eyes. To her shock, she saw it was Raphael. She’d only just got over their last encounter. ‘Look, if you’ve come to start on me about something else, I’m not in the mood for it,’ she told him.

  Raphael’s striking face was like stone. ‘You play the guitar?’ It was more of an accusation than a question.

  ‘Er, yeah,’ said Sapphire. There was something about Raphael that unnerved her. She remembered what he’d been saying on the phone.

  Morte. Distruzione. Death. Destruction. Had Raphael destroyed something? The thought she’d been trying to suppress came screaming into her head. Had he been involved in the death of someone?

  She tried to control her shiver. Raphael put his hand up to shield his gold-flecked eyes from the sun — they looked more luminous than ever. Sapphire forced the dark thoughts out of her mind. You’re safe here anyway, she told herself. Yet Raphael was watching her in a way that made her feel uneasy. She noticed that despite the scorching heat, his pale skin showed no signs of tanning.

  ‘What?’ she demanded, her nerves making her defensive.

  His voice was cold and toneless. ‘Maggie saw us fighting. She said I should come and apologise for my behaviour.’

  Sapphire’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Apologise? You?’ she said disbelievingly.

  ‘Yes. She says you are a nice girl.’ Raphael accentuated the words sarcastically. ‘She says I am acting on my presumptions.’

  ‘And what are your presumptions?’ Sapphire asked, getting more cross by the second. Why bother coming to find her if he was just going to be a rude git?

  ‘That you are a spoilt little rich girl, just like your friends.’

  ‘They’re not my friends! We’ve only just met,’ she added hurriedly.

  Raphael stared at her. ‘We’ll see.’ He turned and strode off, his tall, lean form gliding, rather than walking, over the golden sand.

  Sapphire shook her head in confusion. What the hell had all that been about?

  ‘What a weirdo,’ she said wearily.

  Chapter twenty-four

  Simonetta listened to the voicemail and promptly deleted it. It had been Lexi again, her agent at Models Italia. Lexi wanted to know what was happening with Brad and why Simonetta hadn’t returned any of her calls. ‘We have castings lined up for you — it’s very unprofessional,’ she had chided. Simonetta curled her lip; unprofessional was one thing she was not. She looked after herself and was always on time. Unlike most of her fellow models, Simonetta had made the effort to take courses in English and French to make sure she was well-equipped to deal with the catwalks of London, New York and Paris.

  Things were just… different out here. Lexi was ignorant to the fact that she, Simonetta, was in a race to change her life completely. When Simonetta became Brad’s heir, Lexi would rue the day she ever questioned her intergrity.

  Throwing her bathrobe on the bed, she walked over to the mirror to scrutinise her body. The toned limbs, the fat-free midriff — these took time and effort. It was what set her apart, made heads turn, made her one of the beautiful people. Her love for Mamma’s homemade pasta had been abandoned long ago. But Simonetta knew it was worth whatever it took to get where she was going. Which was everywhere. With a final satisfied once-over, she turned and sashayed into the bathroom for a shower.

  As hard as she tried to think about other things, images of Cam kept flashing across Sapphire’s mind. The heat and smell of his body seemed to fill her head. Sapphire could almost feel the warmth of his touch, his naked, rock-hard chest pressed against her. In her imagination she visualised Cam carrying her off to the guesthouse, kissing her passionately with every step. And once they got there…

  Sapphire shook her head. You’ve got it bad, girl, she told herself. It was time for a major reality check. Why would Cam Tyler, who could have any girl he wanted, be attracted to her? Even if he did like her freckles… He was probably just being nice — freckles weren’t exactly sexy.

  But even with the talking-to she gave herself, Sapphire’s desire to see Cam grew stronger and stronger. It was like an itch she had to scratch. Despite keeping a look-out round the pool and down at the beach, there had been no sign of him. She knew there was only one thing left — to go to the guesthouse. The thought made her feel sick with nerves and excitement. At least she had an excuse — to say thank you for saving her. She hoped he wouldn’t see through it.

  Dusk was beginning to fall as she made her way there later. After what seemed like hours of deciding what to wear — she wanted to look nice but not too try-hard — Sapphire finally decided on the little flowery playsuit she had bought from Topshop. It showed off her shapely legs, but wasn’t too low-cut. Her hair had been pulled into a casual ponytail so little bits fell round her face, and she had applied a subtle coat of mascara and lip-gloss. Heavy make up was not a good look in this heat.

  To her disappointment the guesthouse was in darkness. He obv
iously wasn’t there. Sapphire went up and knocked on the front door anyway. The doorbell clanged into silence. Heart heavy, she turned and started to walk back down the path. She’d only got halfway before a voice stopped her.

  ‘Sapphire!’ With a surge of excitement, she turned round. Cam was looking out of one of the upstairs windows, his hair ruffled.

  ‘I fell asleep. Hold on and I’ll come down and let you in.’

  Smoothing her hair down and wiping her fingers under her eyes to make sure she didn’t have any mascara smudges, Sapphire went back to the front door. Her heart was beating furiously. A few moments later, Cam pulled the door open, looking sleepy-eyed but as gorgeous as ever. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Sapphire’s heart went into overdrive.

  ‘Hey, you. How’s the ankle doing?’ He looked down at her leg.

  ‘It’s much better, thanks,’ she said. ‘Actually, that’s why I’m here, to say thank you for helping me.’

  Cam was still looking at her legs. ‘You’ve got a nice tan coming along, my little English rose. It suits you.’

  His English rose! Sapphire’s stomach did a little lurch of joy.

  Cam smiled at her. ‘You feel like a beer on the back terrace?’ He shot her a mischievous look. ‘Just don’t tell Maggie I’ve got a fridge full of beers — she’s big on the good ole USA’s over twenty-one thing. And I thought the Irish liked a drink.’

  ‘It seems stupid, when you’re a credible international music artist, that you can’t even have a drink in your own country,’ Sapphire said. It was probably the longest sentence she’d ever said to him.

  Cam grinned. ‘One beer’s not going to kill me, right? Luckily Brad is more relaxed about that sort of thing. Thanks for the compliment by the way,’ he added.

  ‘What complement?’ she asked, puzzled.