by Megan Cole
‘You called me a “credible music artist”. Unless you’re just buttering me up?’
Sapphire blushed. ‘’Course not. I meant it.’
Cam gave her a wink. ‘I was just kidding.’
She followed him down a corridor into a big, open-plan kitchen. It was bare, apart from a collection of protein shakes stacked on one worktop. Cam saw her looking round and laughed. ‘As you can see, I’m not the greatest of cooks. Luckily I get something brought over from the kitchen every night. Maggie wants to make sure I’m not wasting away. It’s like she’s my feeder or something.’
Sapphire giggled. ‘I know what you mean.’ The food at Casa Eleganza was gorgeous and plentiful. She was sure her clothes had got tighter since she’d arrived.
Cam reached into the fridge and pulled out two Budweisers. He popped the caps on the side of the work surface and handed Sapphire one. ‘Let’s head outside.’
A bewitching glow had fallen over the garden, giving it an almost otherworldly look. Little fairy lights swayed gently in the trees, while a firefly buzzed past and disappeared into the gloom. ‘Pretty, huh?’ Cam said. ‘I like sitting out here at night, watching the world settle down.’
‘Don’t you get scared, being so far away from everyone else?’ Sapphire asked.
Cam did a comedy flex with one of his arms. ‘Hey, I can handle myself! Besides, Brad’s got enough security patrolling the place to make sure no one’s getting in.’
They sat down in two wooden loungers and stretched their legs out. Cam raised his bottle. ‘Cheers, then. Isn’t that what you English say?’
Sapphire laughed. ‘Cheers.’ For the first time, she was beginning to feel relaxed, like she wasn’t holding her breath the whole time. Her heart still did a little skip every time she looked at him though.
‘How’s the music going, Sapphire?’ he asked.
‘Badly,’ she said wryly. ‘How about yours?’
He laughed. ‘Hit that wall, hey?’ He took a swig of beer. ‘I’ve just finished something I’ve been working on. It’s called “Ride”.’
‘What’s it about?’ Sapphire asked. She couldn’t believe she was talking to Cam Tyler about music!
‘It’s about this dude meeting a girl who is like, so fly and hot. But she ends up pulling one on him, messing with his head and his wallet. He’s got to decide whether he wants a good-looking chick on his arm or his self-respect.’
‘So she’s taking him for a ride, right?’
‘You got it. It works on two levels; like, if he wants to go on this trip with her and just take it, or if he’ll give her the flick and move on.’
‘Speaking from experience?’ Sapphire smiled.
Cam laughed. ‘Kinda. You see plenty of girls like that when you’re in my position. One of my buddies got wiped out pretty bad last year.’
He eyed Sapphire over his beer bottle. ‘What kind of guys do you go for, Sapphire?’
She felt herself flush. ‘Um, someone who’s into music and has a good personality I guess.’ She’d never really had a proper boyfriend, just a few ill-fated romances that had fizzled out after a couple of months.
‘You’re not into looks?’ he said, as if he didn’t believe her.
‘I like nice eyes,’ she admitted, realising she had been gazing into Cam’s for the past five minutes. She blushed deeper and took a hasty swig of her beer. The cold liquid flowed through her, making her feel a bit light-headed. She’d stop after this one — there was no way she wanted a repeat of the last time.
She realised Cam was looking at her through the darkness.
‘Uh, what kind of girls do you go for?’ Her heart starting beating furiously as she said it.
Cam shrugged. ‘I don’t really have a type.’
Sapphire was plucking up the courage to ask what Cam had been about to say to her before she fell over, but he jumped up. ‘Come on, I’ve got something cool to show you.’
Slightly breathless, she got up and followed him. Cam led her down to the end of the long, wide garden and pointed at something between the trees. ‘You see it?’
Sapphire squinted and peered into the darkness. She could just make out what looked like a little gravestone. It had something written on it: Badger, 1958. A true friend and comrade, never forgotten.
‘Is that an animal’s gravestone?’ she asked.
Cam nodded. ‘Pretty cool, huh? Brad told me about it, he’s really big on the history of this place. Apparently the guy who used to own Casa Eleganza was some English fighter pilot dude called Charles Lightfoot. Brad said he was one of the most famous pilots of the time, fought in the Battle of Britain and all that. But his fiancée got killed in the Blitz and Lightfoot never recovered. Gave it all up and came out here, lived as a total recluse. His only friend in the world was, like, this three-legged stray dog he found half-dead on the side of the road. Lightfoot took him in and from that day on Badger never left his side. When the dog eventually died, Lightfoot buried him here. The next day, the guy just walks into the sea and drowns himself. When his body washed up three days later, they found Badger’s name tag in his pocket.’
‘That is so sad!’ Sapphire said, her eyes brimming with tears. She was a sucker for any animal story.
Cam nodded gravely. ‘They say on the anniversary of Badger’s death, a strange howling can be heard across the grounds of Casa Eleganza.’ His eyes widened and he looked at his watch. ‘Oh my God, I think the anniversary’s tonight!’
Suddenly, a bird squawked loudly overhead, making them both jump. ‘Jesus!’ Cam said, holding his chest. He started to laugh.
Sapphire felt like her heart was about to give out on her. ‘You git! You were making that up, weren’t you?’
He chuckled. ‘You git? Is that another one of your weird British sayings?’
Sapphire play-hit his arm. ‘I was really scared there for a second!’
They looked at each other and cracked up laughing. ‘Your face was so funny,’ Cam said. ‘It was like you’d seen a ghost!’
‘Yeah, well you were telling me there was a ghost,’ retorted Sapphire. ‘I really thought there was a dead dog running around—’
Her words were cut short as suddenly a spray of cold water hit them both. ‘What’s going on?’ she shrieked.
‘Shit, the sprinklers, they’re on a timer!’ he shouted. ‘Run back to the house!’
By the time they had got back to the terrace, Cam had slipped over twice and they were both hysterical with laughter. ‘I am drenched!’ laughed Sapphire. ‘What the hell are people going to think when I go back?’ At least I’ve got my clothes on this time, she thought. Cam laughed and ran his hands through his wet hair, slicking it back. The white T-shirt he’d been wearing had gone completely transparent and was stuck to his six-pack. Sapphire saw his eyes travel over her body and she realised with embarrassment that her playsuit was completely stuck to her, highlighting every curve and the swell of her chest.
‘I’ll get you a towel,’ Cam said, making a point of looking away from her. Suddenly, he took a step towards her. Sapphire held her breath. Oh my God, something was really about to happen!
‘Hey, anyone home?’ a voice suddenly called from inside the house. Cam snapped his head round. Tito was standing in the kitchen. ‘The front door was open, so I just walked in…’ He looked quizzically at Sapphire and their soaking wet clothes.
‘Sprinklers kinda caught us by surprise,’ Cam told him.
Tito grinned. ‘Your mobile’s switched off. Brad wanted me to let you know he’ll be picking you up at seven o’clock tomorrow for your trip to see the A&R guys in Rome.’
Cam winced. ‘An early night for me then.’
Tito looked at Sapphire. ‘Shall I walk you back? As Maggie would say, you’ll catch your death in that.’
At the word death, Sapphire’s skin chilled. It wasn’t just to do with the wet clothes. Death and destruction were the words Raphael had said in that phone call.
‘Are you OK?’ Cam asked. ‘
You’re doing that weird, spaced-out thing again.’
‘I’m fine,’ Sapphire said quickly. She couldn’t believe Tito had turned up! She was sure Cam had been about to kiss her. Suddenly she felt very cold, wet and unsexy. Tito put a brotherly arm round her.
‘Let’s get you back.’
Heart sinking, Sapphire followed him like a bedraggled poodle.
Chapter twenty-five
Madison was bored. Bored of Simonetta, bored of Cam not paying her any attention and definitely bored of that stupid dork Sapphire, who was still here, hanging round like a bad smell. She’d deal with Sapphire later, but right now Madison needed a different game plan. She had to elevate herself above the competition.
Her friend Tiffani had started Facebooking her to see what she’d been up to. Madison had told her she was at a health spa in Europe, but Tiffani had a nose like a bloodhound and she wasn’t buying it. There were only so many facials a girl could have.
After waving her cell around irritably — like, why couldn’t Brad do something about the signal out here? — Madison finally found a bar by standing on a chair by the bathroom window. She dialled Tiffani’s number and waited. The phone was snatched up after two rings.
‘Madison! Oh my God. Chelsea and me were starting to think you’d died or something,’
‘Oh, well, you know.’
‘Stop being all mysterious. Where are you? Chelsea asked her mom about the place you told her you’re staying at and it’s, like, only five hundred dollars a night! Total Poorsville. So we know you’re lying.’
Madison pulled a face. She’d plucked the name out of the air when Tifffani had asked her. She hoped it hadn’t got out amongst too many of her friends.
‘Tiff, can you keep a secret? I mean, a big secret? If it gets out it will be so, so bad!’
‘Oh my God!’ squealed Tiffani. ‘You’ve totally just got a part in The Hills!’
‘No, it’s not that,’ Madison said hastily. ‘What I’m about to tell you, you have to keep secret. Cross your heart?’
‘Hope to die! Come on, Madison — tell me!’
‘I am in Europe, but not Switzerland like I said. I’m in Capri.’
‘In what?’
‘Capri. It’s an Italian island,’ Madison said patronisingly, as if she’d known where it was before. She paused, milking the drama. ‘The reason I’m here is because I’m staying at Brad Masters’ private villa.’
Tiffani gave a sharp intake of breath. ‘Brad Masters? But why are you there?’
Madison savoured the moment. ‘Because, dear Tiff, I’ve just found out he’s my real dad!’
There was silence at the other end as Tiffani’s brain struggled to take it all in.
‘Shut up!’
‘I’m, like, totally serious! I found out a couple weeks ago.’
‘Oh my God, bitch!’
‘Totally! But you have to swear not to tell anyone. If this gets out, it’ll be, like, huge.’
‘I’ll take it to my grave. O.M.G, this is way beyond exciting!’
Madison crumpled up a page of her Vogue, making a crackling sound. ‘Tiff, I’m losing you…’ She pushed the red button and cut the call off. She gave a satisfied smile and looked out the window. Tiffani was the biggest rumour-slut on the Upper East Side. The story would be out there in hours.
Brad was in his study winding down. At the end of a long day he liked to flick through the news channels, check the markets and generally find out where he was at before starting all over again the next morning. Keeping tabs on Brad Masters Enterprises was a full-time job in itself.
He took another sip of his whisky and carried on channel-hopping. Sky, BBC, CNN… he’d just gone past Fox News when something familiar caught his eye. He switched back immediately. The blonde newsreader was standing outside Brad’s New York offices with an excited expression on her face.
‘News just in that Brad Masters, the world’s most famous bachelor, has a secret love child!’
Brad went cold and put down his glass of whisky. The newsreader was in full flow.
‘Fifty-year-old Brad Masters, one of the world’s richest men, has always kept his private life away from the spotlight. But now we can reveal that he has a secret daughter. Nineteen-year-old Madison Vanderbilt was conceived when Brad, then a struggling producer, had an affair with her mother, Candy Vanderbilt, in the Eighties.’
The news programme cut to footage of Candy coming out of her apartment in huge sunglasses with a ratty dog under her arm. ‘I’ve got nothing to say!’ she shrieked, before adding, ‘Make sure you get my best side.’
Brad groaned and covered his eyes. This was his worst nightmare. Someone was going to pay for it.
Madison wiped away the tear that had been trickling down her face. Her lessons with that acting coach had paid off. ‘Honestly, Brad, I haven’t told anyone anything,’ she said, her voice wobbling convincingly. ‘I have no idea how this happened!’
There was a loud buzzing noise outside and Brad went to look out the window. A Sky news helicopter was hovering overhead. His heart sank. He’d gone to every effort to make sure Casa Eleganza was his hideaway and it had been ruined in an instant. Anger burned in his throat. He pointed at the telephone on his desk.
‘Ring your mother and find out what the hell is going on,’ he snapped.
Madison went over to the phone and pretended to dial the number. ‘Mom? It’s me. Tell me you didn’t do it!’ She paused. ‘Didn’t tell everyone I was Brad’s daughter, of course!’ She waited another few seconds. ‘I cannot believe you did that! I don’t care how good the money was. I’m going now, Mother. Don’t expect to hear from me for a long time.’
She slammed the phone down and turned and looked at Brad, eyes brimming. ‘I’m so sorry, Brad. I don’t know what to say.’
Another flash of anger went through Brad. That bloody Vanderbilt woman would do anything for money! Well, she’d broken the terms of their legal arrangement, so she wouldn’t be getting another penny out of him. ‘It’s not your fault, Madison,’ he said wearily. ‘This does change everything, though.’
‘Does it?’ she asked hopefully. Brad nodded, grim-faced. He’d wanted this summer to get to know his daughters, without any interference or influence from the outside world. Now it had all been blown out of the water.
‘I’m calling a meeting in thirty minutes,’ he said grimly.
The atmosphere in the room was tense. Brad looked round at the three girls.
‘I assume you all know what has happened by now.’
Madison blew into a handkerchief loudly.
‘As you can guess, this is not an ideal situation. Not that I’m not proud to be Madison’s father’ — at this Madison lifted her eyes emotionally — ‘but it just… complicates things. No one knows Cam is here either and that’s the way I want to keep it. From now on, I don’t want any of you having contact with the outside world. This may seem harsh, but it’s the only way for the time being. Apart from your family, of course,’ he added, seeing Sapphire’s face.
He walked over to the window, where more helicopters had appeared, whirring around like annoying mosquitoes.
‘I’ve got security on to this, to sort out the press attention. It annoys me greatly, but we’ll just have to deal with it. I’ve also asked all my staff to sign confidentiality agreements, to make sure nothing else gets out.’
He swung back to them. ‘Simonetta and Sapphire, no one else knows that you are my daughters. I have every intention of protecting you as long as I can. I know how the press can turn your life upside-down and make it impossible to live normally. Pictures of Madison are already splashed everywhere.
Madison tried to look shocked. Tiffani had better not put any of me out there with a double chin or I’ll kill her!
‘Don’t worry, I’ve got my press team on this to see how we can minimise it,’ Brad assured her. ‘But I would like you all to stay inside for the time being until we can make Casa Eleganza secure again. There are alrea
dy boats full of paparazzi circling the harbour.’
He looked at them all. ‘Is there anything you want to ask?’
‘No, Brad,’ they chorused.
Brad looked more kindly at Madison. ‘I know it must be an awful shock for you, but we’ll help you get through it.’
Madison put on a grateful expression. ‘Thanks, Brad. I just can’t believe my mom would do such a thing.’ She wiped an imaginary tear away. ‘Do you mind if I go now? I just need a bit of time to take it all in, y’know.’
‘Of course, take all the time you want,’ he said. Smiling bravely, Madison left the room. Once in the corridor, the smile turned evil. Good work, bitch! she congratulated herself. Now that it was out there, Brad would feel compelled to make her his heir. From now on, Simonetta and Sapphire had no chance.
Chapter twenty-six
Maybe she was just being suspicious, but Sapphire had a feeling Madison was more involved with the news story breaking than she was making out. Madison had done a pretty good job of convincing Brad, though. Sapphire sighed. However it had got out, all this hoo-ha was a pain in the arse. Sapphire had already had to calm down her mum when Leonie phoned, panicking that Sapphire’s identity was about to be revealed, and now to top it all off she was cooped up inside on a gorgeous day. The place had been swarming with security and it seemed they’d managed to get rid of most of the paparazzi hanging around, but Sapphire still wouldn’t be surprised if someone got a long-lens picture of Madison ‘accidentally’ posing on a balcony or something.
Since she couldn’t go outside, Sapphire decided to explore the rest of the house instead. It was so enormous, with so many sweeping corridors and rooms, she imagined it would take weeks to get to know every corner of it.
Half an hour later she had found an underground swimming pool, Brad’s own private art gallery, and a sprawling air-conditioned garage that housed an amazing fleet of cars. Sapphire found herself wandering between the Rolls-Royce, the Bentley and the Ferrari, her eyes on stalks. There must be millions of pounds worth of stuff here! No wonder Brad had such tight security.