Roses For Sophie

by Alyssa J. Montgomery

  As stressful as it had been, she was thankful to have the strong tide and swirl of those other issues to keep her buoyant. Without them it would be too easy to drown in self-pity and despair. As it was, the nights were long and torturous, and she wanted to avoid sleep completely because that state only left her vulnerable to Logan’s visits. She’d directed the security team Rigby had in place to keep Logan away from her, but he still haunted her dreams. No security team was effective in evicting him from her mind the second she closed her eyes.

  As she reached the corporate offices, she avoided a group of reporters who were gathered outside the entrance to the Carlisle building’s staff car park.

  The Carlisle family had been headline news all week. News of her marriage and Rigby’s death had been followed by bulletins regarding Felix’s arrest. Media speculation was intense that Felix’s betrayal of his grandfather’s trust had pushed Rigby over the edge. Then there was the scandal that Logan had not been present at Rigby’s funeral, and that it had been Jake and Amanda Formosa who had flanked her and Daphne.

  Thankfully the press didn’t know that Logan had turned up to escort her to the funeral but had been denied access by the security men, who were now a visible presence around the estate. Sophie had been spared from seeing him on a day that rated as one of the worst in her life. Before Felix’s revelations, Logan’s presence would’ve been such a comfort to her. The absence of her ‘husband’ was a bitter reminder of her stupidity. All her future dealings with Logan would be handled by her lawyers, and her security team wouldn’t let him anywhere near her, so thankfully she’d never again have to deal directly with the low-life bastard who’d penetrated her defences and infiltrated himself deep into her heart.

  Each day, she struggled to piece her shattered heart back together. Thankfully, nobody could see her inner pain. Unlike a broken arm, a broken heart was something she could hide from the world. Sophie assured herself that she’d get over Logan in time. She’d been hurt before and she’d survived. Never again, however, would she give her heart away.

  Once she was safely in her office, Sophie sank gratefully into the chair behind her desk and closed her eyes. Her top priority was to instil some confidence into the staff that she was actually in charge, and capable of steering the Carlisle Mining ship through the turbulent waters without running aground.

  Opening her eyelids, her gaze strayed to the coffee table and she recalled the impromptu Thai meal Logan had brought.

  Even based on a lie, hadn’t the time they’d shared been worth it?

  She jumped up from her chair, angry at the insidious thought. The question plagued her and she berated herself for being a weakling for even thinking it. No! She would not keep remembering the wonderful sensations of lovemaking and the closeness shared as they’d talked together through the nights. She wouldn’t miss it because he’d just been playing her. It hadn’t been true.

  The intercom on her desk buzzed. ‘Sophie, it’s Daphne on line three,’ her PA told her.

  Poor Daphne. The older woman was feeling the loss of Rigby every bit as much as Sophie, if not more so. Rigby’s will had stipulated that the title deeds for Carlisle Estate in the Hunter Valley be transferred into Daphne’s name for the duration of her life, only reverting to Sophie upon Daphne’s death, but Daphne had refused the estate and the income it derived. The woman who had been Rigby’s love said she didn’t want to be the focus of media attention, and that it would be too painful for her to live on the estate without him.

  Over the weekend Sophie had accepted her decision, and instead had insisted she choose any of Rigby’s other properties to call home. Daphne wouldn’t accept the deeds, but finally agreed to live in an apartment in Sydney’s eastern suburbs rent-free. Sophie had also ensured that Daphne accepted the amount that Rigby had bequeathed so that Daphne could live very comfortably.

  ‘Hi Daphne,’ Sophie said as she took the call.

  ‘Hello Sophie, dear.’ Daphne came right to the point. ‘Can you get away from the office? We need to talk straight away.’

  Her diary was still free today as today was Charlotte’s custody hearing, and she hadn’t been sure whether she’d be called to testify. ‘I’m free. Are you well?’

  ‘Yes, but I do need to see you away from the office. I’ll meet you at that little Italian restaurant that Rigby loved so much.’

  Oh jeez. Why did it have to be the same restaurant Logan had taken her to?

  ‘Okay.’ Sophie was a little unsure about the meeting, wondering what they needed to speak about so urgently. ‘Can you tell me what this is all about?’

  Daphne hesitated before she replied, ‘Not over the telephone. Can you be there in ten minutes?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Good.’

  Grabbing her shoulder bag and dark glasses, Sophie left the building via a back entrance and made her way to the restaurant. She fought to suppress the happy memories of that night Logan had picked her up from work. She refused to think about the intimacy they’d shared.

  ‘Hi Sophie.’ Daphne was waiting for her just inside the entrance to the restaurant, and she looked agitated.

  Sophie removed her dark glasses and gave a wave of acknowledgement to the owner of the restaurant, who hovered at the bar. ‘What’s up, Daphne?’

  ‘Come and sit down, and I’ll explain.’

  Walking behind the older woman, Sophie’s steps slowed as she saw where they were headed.

  ‘Melissa!’

  What was Logan’s sister doing here with Daphne?

  ‘Sit down, Sophie,’ Daphne instructed.

  She took her seat with grave misgivings. ‘Okay, what’s going on?’

  ‘You told me Logan was tied up with Charlotte and that’s why he didn’t make it to Rigby’s funeral. I thought that was terrible, but I was too caught up in my own grief to think hard on it. Since when have you started lying to me, young lady?’ Daphne demanded with an accusing glare. ‘Logan’s told me the truth, and there’s a lot of truth you need to hear from me and Melissa as well.’

  ‘Logan had no right to approach you!’

  ‘He had every right, because he’s doing everything he can to fight for you and make you listen to him,’ Melissa told her angrily, ‘and you won’t give him a fair hearing.’

  If Logan had been there right now, Sophie would’ve given him a piece of her mind, but there was no point in taking her frustration out on his two gullible messengers. ‘I’m sorry you’ve both been dragged into this. Melissa, I have nothing against you, but your brother has used me in a power play for Carlisle Mining, and as soon as this court case is over for Charlotte, I’ll be filing for a divorce and challenging Rigby’s will.’

  ‘No!’ both women said in unison.

  ‘Logan asked me to give this to you.’ Daphne took a large envelope out of her handbag.

  Anxiety clawed at Sophie’s gut as she opened the envelope and took out the document. Her eyes widened. Half expecting to be served with divorce papers, she knew a crazy sense of relief. The legal document she stared at outlined Logan’s refusal to purchase the shares Rigby had offered him in his will. It waived all his rights to the shares and assigned them to Sophie. Furthermore, the deed to the diamond mine he’d bought from Rigby was written out in her name, and all the shares he’d bought in Carlisle Mining had been transferred into her name.

  There was another envelope within the paperwork. The smaller one had her name in bold, masculine handwriting.

  Reaching for it with trembling fingers, she tore it open and unfolded the paper, aware that the other two women were watching her every move.

  Dear Sophie,

  I’ve told you that I never wanted your grandfather’s shares and didn’t set out to marry you with anything related to Carlisle Mining in mind. I hope that by waiving the rights to purchase Rigby’s shares and assigning those rights to you, you will believe me. He’d spoken to me in passing about giving me the right to purchase his shares, but I had no idea he’d already writ
ten his will to that effect.

  I didn’t use my relationship with you to purchase Rigby’s diamond mines. That was a business proposition, and it was a fair deal. I no longer want those mines as your belief that I used you to further myself in business has tainted them. I have signed them over to you.

  You and you alone are worth far more than those diamond mines, Sophie.

  Starting to buy shares in Carlisle Mining, even contemplating using that as leverage to have you marry me, was a decision I will regret to my dying day.

  All that was between us was real. I wouldn’t have married anyone but you, because you are the woman I desire. I married you because I wanted to, even though I tried to tell myself and you that it was for Charlotte’s sake.

  I miss you far more than I can express and I beg you to see me, to let me explain something to you that I’ve only just realised. My feelings for you…

  Feelings? What feelings, Logan?

  My feelings for you don’t excuse my behaviour, but I desperately need to speak with you.

  Please call me, Sophie. Please forgive me, for you complete me. You are the other half of my whole — the better half, and without you my life is incomplete.

  Love Logan

  Love Logan? Did he really mean it?

  She looked up at Daphne and Melissa. They couldn’t answer whether or not Logan spoke the truth about his feelings.

  ‘He loves you, Sophie,’ Melissa declared. ‘He’s been a wreck since you sent him away. I’ve never seen him so lost.’

  Summoning every bit of fortitude she had, Sophie pushed the words from her heart. She wasn’t sure she could trust Logan, but she had trusted her grandfather, and she’d struggled to come to terms with his will, which she believed had betrayed her. If Daphne was up to championing Logan’s cause, then she must now be up to tackling the question Sophie needed to ask — whether or not Logan had prompted Rigby’s decision to change his will.

  ‘Please talk to Logan, Sophie,’ Melissa entreated.

  Sophie felt her lips twist. Ignoring Melissa’s plea she addressed Daphne. ‘I don’t understand why Grandfather would do this to me. He tutored me all my life to take over Carlisle, then he wanted to take that away from me right at the end?’

  ‘Rigby was worried about you, Sophie,’ Daphne began, her voice fatigued. ‘Don’t think for a moment he’d lost faith in your ability to run the company, because that simply wasn’t the case.’ She sighed. ‘Just after he met Logan and negotiated the deal for the diamond mine — a deal that was more than fair, by the way — he got the news that his cancer had spread to other organs, and that the prognosis wasn’t good. He knew you had only just met Logan, and he was worried in case you two had struck some sort of deal to try to please him and satisfy the court for Logan’s custody case.’

  Sophie’s lips parted in disbelief.

  ‘I know that was how it started on surface level,’ Melissa said, ‘but I know my brother. No amount of bullying on my part would’ve convinced him to give up his bachelor status and take a gamble on marriage if he didn’t feel strongly enough about you that he thought it would work.’

  Shaking her head sadly, Sophie was horrified to feel tears pricking at her eyes. ‘I represented a way into Carlisle Mining.’

  ‘Oh please!’ Melissa exclaimed in exasperation. ‘My brother didn’t need to marry you for that. He’s rich enough to buy out your grandfather’s company a couple of times over, and your grandfather had actually approached him years ago to be business partners! Logan doesn’t need you or anyone else for an entry into the business world.’

  ‘That’s true,’ Daphne said. ‘Sophie, Rigby told me that he made an offer to Logan to be MD because he was concerned you were taking on the responsibility of the company for his sake, and weren’t following the path your life might be meant to take. Logan refused him outright, but by that stage Rigby had already seen his solicitor and set the wheels in motion to add that into his will.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘It’s true.’ Daphne’s expression was stern, as if she were rebuking a child. ‘Logan didn’t want to take the MD away from you and told Rigby that he should speak with you.’

  ‘My brother never contemplated buying the shares Rigby had offered. This knee-jerk reaction of yours, thinking that he was pursuing Carlisle rather than you, is exactly what Logan was afraid of.’

  ‘The reason Rigby brought Logan into the will with the share purchase was also to stop Felix trying to challenge your right to the shares,’ Daphne said. ‘He wanted to make it very clear to the board members that he had faith in Logan. It hit him that it may be possible for you to have children one day, and that if your husband was MD you’d feel happier about leaving the company in his hands to dedicate yourself to family.’

  Scrubbing her overflowing tears away with the backs of her hands, Sophie looked at Daphne. ‘He should’ve spoken to me and found out what I wanted.’

  ‘You’re right,’ Daphne said. ‘But that wasn’t Rigby’s way. I loved him dearly but he wasn’t perfect, and right to the end he had absolute conviction that he knew what would be best for everyone. He always acted out of love and did what he thought was in the best interests of those he loved.’

  It was true. Her grandfather had been an arrogant old tycoon in many ways, but he’d never stopped being a loving, family man.

  ‘Logan’s the best brother a girl could have,’ Melissa told her with a small smile. ‘He may not be perfect but he loves you so much, I just know he’s going to make you the best husband if you’ll give him a chance.’

  There was so much earnestness in Melissa’s eyes, willing Sophie to trust Logan.

  ‘Rigby believed the same thing,’ Daphne said. ‘The turning point for your grandfather came when you called on Logan to help you straighten out Felix’s mess. Rigby took that as a sign that you truly loved Logan.’

  ‘But Logan doesn’t love me,’ Sophie protested, shaking her head. ‘He told me he didn’t believe in love, and that he’d never love me.’

  Daphne let out a snort of disbelief. ‘Blind Freddy could see he loves you, Sophie. Rigby certainly saw it, or he’d never have sanctioned your marriage. He knew that it was going to work between you. When Logan stayed back at the office with you to sort through all the evidence against Felix, Rigby called his solicitor and changed his will. That night was the first time you’d ever accepted help from anyone, and Logan was standing by you, rather than dropping you like a hot potato at the first whiff of scandal.’

  ‘I have something here that Logan asked me to give you,’ Melissa told her, reaching down to the side of the table. ‘He would’ve given it to you himself, but your security team hasn’t let him anywhere near you.’

  When Melissa raised her arm, Sophie’s jaw dropped wide open. Although she knew she gasped in a most unattractive manner, she simply couldn’t jolt herself out of her utter dismay because Melissa held out a single long-stemmed rose. The most wondrous emotion burst inside her like the popping of a champagne cork because the rose was red.

  Melissa said, ‘Logan told me that this would tell you all he hadn’t been able to put into words.’

  Staring at the exquisite deep red petals of the flower, Sophie finally said, ‘He really loves me?’

  Daphne clicked her tongue against her palate. ‘Yes, you great goose, that’s what we’ve been sitting here trying to tell you!’

  ‘Will you let him love you, Sophie?’ Melissa asked.

  ‘Yes. Oh, yes.’ Sophie reached out for the rose, pushed back her chair and stood up.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Daphne inquired with an arched eyebrow.

  ‘I have my own message for Logan, but it’s one that needs to be delivered personally.’

  ‘He’ll be at the court hearing,’ Melissa called after her.

  ‘I know.’

  ‘Wait for us!’ Daphne cried.

  Chapter 22

  The custody hearing was not going as smoothly as Logan had expected. Incredibly, Thea Winsto
n’s lawyers were still fighting to have custody awarded to her permanently. They had to be delusional if they thought that was going to happen after her negligence. His lawyers had annihilated her on the stand, and there was no way she’d even get visitation rights, but the woman was so resentful that Logan was applying for custody, she’d evidently instructed her lawyers to sling any mud they could, and hope that some of it stuck.

  All that his own counsel had warned him about was mentioned — the many women he’d had in his life, the trips to Africa, which had placed his life on the line. Now Thea’s lawyer was in the middle of a speech suggesting that Logan’s recent marriage was simply a smokescreen so he could claim he’d settled down. Unsurprisingly, they’d seized on his absence from Rigby’s funeral, and had suggested his marriage to Sophie was a sham or one that was already cracking. Thankfully they could accuse all they liked in regard to that, but they couldn’t prove a thing. Sophie had at least agreed not to file for a divorce until after he’d won custody.

  His stomach plummeted at the thought of divorce. He still hoped Sophie would give him another chance. Would his belated gesture be enough to convince her of his true feelings? He cursed the knowledge that he’d been such an obtuse fool, denying his feelings for Sophie all this time instead of embracing them. All he could do was hope that it wasn’t too late because living without her each day had been as colourless as watching a black-and-white film.

  Damn Rigby for assigning him the purchase right of the shares in his will! The old man had acted on that so quickly, and without Logan’s agreement. Why had he done it?

  But all the blame wasn’t to be placed at Rigby’s door. Logan knew he’d hammered the first nail into his coffin when he’d had the ridiculous and unreasonable idea that he should buy up the Carlisle shares.

  Over the last few days he’d taken a good, hard look at why he’d done that. He hadn’t liked the realisation that he’d been desperate to win Sophie as his wife at any cost. It was a mark of his dysfunctional personal relationships that he’d denied his love for Sophie to himself and to her, and had made a complete mess of things. If she’d give him a second chance, he’d make it up to her.