by Alice Ward
I had to let go.
Let go of Nate.
Let go of this scar that was the only thing I had left of him and that time of my life.
Let go of the only man who had ever shown me the type of kindness I thought was only found in stories. The man in the kitchen was the man he really was. A businessman. Ruthless when his whole empire was being threatened. Protective of his own. Seclusive.
And I couldn’t hide anymore.
It was time for me to face the world. Scar and all.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Roman
Thomas woke me early the next day, asking me to bring Adara to Jewel to gather her things. There would be a police escort, and Thomas thought the invasion would rock the boat enough to stir something up.
On the way to Jewel, I kept thinking of things to say to her, things that would make it better for her, but my lips remained sealed.
What could I say?
Sorry, I’ve been alone for so long it’s made me into an asshole. That’s what you’re going to have to deal with if you’re with me?
How about… I’m in love with you but if you stay with me the shit is going to hit the fan eventually and some asshole somewhere is going to break a story that sounds like you were a prostitute when I met you and any hope you had of a new career would be up in flames… because of me?
No, it was better this way. Better to go to Brazil and make sure while I was gone that she had everything she needed to take back her old life.
A woman as vibrant as her didn’t deserve to be hidden on a ranch in the middle of nowhere with a man whose reputation and company had just been ripped to shreds. My family could deal with it. Adara, on the other hand, needed to be welcomed back into the world without a shadow hanging over her head.
All the better if she thought I was a greedy piece of shit.
I drove in silence and pulled up behind the police cars who were waiting for us outside the gate. They waved me in front of them and the guard just nodded to us, letting us in. It had all been set up in advance.
Driving up the entrance, I marveled at the man I was now and wondered how I could have come here, brought my clients here, and never felt an ounce of remorse.
“They wanted me to come back to Jewel,” Adara said beside me, holding herself very straight in the seat. She’d chosen today as the first to go out in public without her mask.
I was so fucking proud of her. But I hadn’t said a word about it. Cause I was a dickhead.
“Of course they did.” I clamped my jaw together to stop myself from saying more. I wanted to wrap my arms around her. Protect her. Take her away from any harm that could come to her.
“I wouldn’t have. Even if I couldn’t retrieve my things or the money in my account. I would never have come back here the way they wanted.” There was pain in her voice, and it made me feel like the biggest asshole in the world.
“I know,” I whispered.
Then we were at the front of the main entrance, and before I could say anything else, she got out of the car. I watched as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs that looked so grand and inviting, and realized she was that woman who enchanted me with her voice and her mystique, but she wasn’t the one who hid behind a mask anymore. She was transitioning back into the strong, confident megastar I’d watched from a VIP lounge a couple years before. She’d take back her life and make it into what she wanted it to be.
And she didn’t need me in it to do so.
I was only a hindrance.
I joined her, and together we met Brandy in the lobby, leaving the police officers on the porch as they had no warrant and were only here at our request for safety. The sweet sickening scent choked me. It was the same one that had wrapped around me the night Adara had changed me for good.
“Where the fuck have you been, Mona?” Brandy spit as she nearly trotted toward Adara on tall spike heels. Her fake blonde hair was piled perfectly on top of her head, the rest of her made up to reflect a mirage of dreams come true.
“I couldn’t do what they wanted, Brandy,” Adara said quietly, her eyes wide.
“You can’t fucking quit. What are you going to do? Hook on the streets? In Montana? Fucking for pay here is a much better call.”
“I’m not a hooker, and you knew that when you sent me in there to Jack Marshall.”
I watched as their eyes met, clashed, and there was some kind of silent exchange. Brandy’s face blanched, then she took a deep breath and stuck out her chest, displaying her tits the best way she could. She was acting.
“He paid two million dollars for you.”
“No, he paid Jewel two million dollars, but even with my cut of the money, my dignity, pride and soul are worth far more than that.” Adara’s face flushed and strength and resilience blossomed to the surface.
“So, you went off to go fuck Roman Wellington for free. What do you think he’s going to do, keep you as his mistress? Take care of you? Marry you?” Brandy laughed, her eyes sliding to me. “Good luck there. He’s a liar, Mona. He’s swindled people into buying into his lies and has ruined thousands of lives. He’s a fake. You refused a decent guy like Jack and end up in bed with a snake. Ask him about Sabrina Ridgely. She happens to be one of Harmon’s friends. Ask him about how Roman Wellington proposed to her and set a wedding date only to leave her a week before their wedding day. You think you’re better than she is?”
Adara looked like she’d been slapped. When she looked at me, her eyes searching, I looked at her flatly, knowing she’d never see through my façade. No one ever did. It was better this way.
Brandy turned to me. “Mr. Wellington, your membership to the club has been revoked. I’ll have to ask you to leave the premises.”
“We’ll go as soon as we collect her things and the payment you owe her.” My voice was cold, and I knew by the fear that flashed in Brandy’s eyes that she was aware of just where she stood.
When Adara had her bag and a wad of cash, Brandy followed us to the car. I thought for a second she was going to throw another fit, or even jump in the car with us.
Just before Adara got back into the car, Brandy stepped up to her, hugged her quickly and said in a low voice, “Nothing here is real, sister.”
Adara sat silent and still in the car.
Finally, when I couldn’t stand it any longer, I asked her what that meant.
“I think she was telling me that she was being forced to try to get me to bend to Jewel’s will. Nothing here is real.”
I nodded. Sabrina hadn’t been real either. “Most of what people show you isn’t real.”
Except the woman beside me. Adara was the realest thing I’d ever known.
The detectives were set to meet with her later in the day, and she had what was rightfully hers. There was nothing left for me to do but hand her my car keys before I got on the plane to Brazil.
But now, standing in front of her, her blue-green eyes looking up at me so sorrowfully, I felt like a monster. I almost couldn’t bear to go and leave her thinking all the things she did of me.
But I had to. She deserved to be free.
And I needed to clear my name before I could ask her to be with me long term.
So I leaned in, took her face in my hands, pressed my lips to hers and breathed in jasmine and oranges. Memorized the way her soft lips felt against mine.
Then I set my butterfly free.
She’d let me release the butterfly from her cage like I’d asked for in my note. Only she was too big of a butterfly to just fly to me. The world needed her out there.
On the flight to Brazil, thankfully seated in a different section from Peter, I busied myself on the phone, trying to concentrate on my company’s issues. But I could never erase the image of her face when I’d picked up my bag to go.
And I still couldn’t forget it once I’d landed.
Or the next day.
Or the next.
We had texted numerous times, but I hadn’t actually heard her voice in days whe
n I got another text…
Thank you for everything you’ve done. I’ll be moving out now. I’ll never forget you.
She was saying goodbye, and I couldn’t fly back and beg her to stay. Not yet. Maybe not ever, but especially not until we’d uncovered the lies taking place in this beautiful country.
Although I’d dreaded having Peter on this trip, he turned into my saving grace. It was my crazy brother-in-law who forced me out of my chair, forced me to uncover the truth.
Because of him, we found out that Jack also had ties to Brazil. One of his subsidiary companies was an exporter here. A company that exported not only coffee, but sugar and other nonspecific items. It was possible he paid some of his own people to support the scandal.
Back home, Harmon, another owner of Jewel, had submitted to pressure and talked to investigators, handing over Jack in the process. Jack had raised hell at first, claiming no responsibility for the club’s actions. He’d gone so far as to say that Adara had an active contract that she was obligated to fulfill.
Two days after Adara’s goodbye text, I began to feel hopeful. I wanted to celebrate with Adara, and the phone was in my hand before I remembered that she was gone.
But I didn’t want her to leave. Didn’t want her to face the world alone. I wanted us to fix this. I wanted to be by her side. I’d sell the damn ranch if that’s what it took.
As much as I wanted to be with Adara, the trip to Brazil was probably what I needed right now. Getting away from the intensity of work gave me the chance to see the world from a different perspective and maybe get some ideas about how to change it.
My meeting with Emilio, foreman of the coffee farm that supplied Krave Koffee, was informative. Apparently, because of a drought, coffee wasn’t growing as well as it had in the past. The farm was suffering financially.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” I asked when it became clear that he was holding back additional information.
“We thought we’d be able to keep up the yield, but it just got worse. We didn’t want to raise our rates to you, so we started selling some of our coffee to another, higher paying importer and added black pepper to our crops.”
I didn’t own all the farm’s production. I bought about three quarters of it, leaving the rest for them to sell locally. That way, the profits would go straight to the growers, but a big business had come in and offered them a great upfront amount as long as they could produce twice what they had.
“We tried to keep up with your production and honor our new contract, but he expected twice as much as we were able to produce. There was a loophole in his contract, he wanted twice the amount of product in a fraction of the time. He was very angry, but we compensated him with most of our black pepper crop.” The foreman explained as if he was trying to convince himself that what he’d done was good for his farm.
“You’re free to do whatever you want with the crops that aren’t promised to me, but I’m curious, what is the name of the other company you do business with?”
“Tenex Capitol Holdings. What we’d given them wasn’t enough, and they wanted us to return their payment, even though we gave him nearly all he’d contracted for and the black pepper. They sent a man out who forced some of the workers to make statements on camera,” he concluded, sweating and tense.
“Did your people mention our arrangement in any of these interviews?” I was burning up inside with anger toward Jack but didn’t want this hardworking man to think it was directed toward him.
“They weren’t supposed to, but some of them told me after they’d been filmed that the questions were misleading and a lot of them were about you and the contract we have with you.” His expression turned to worried, and he wiped sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket.
“By any chance, did this man mention a Jack Marshall?”
“Yes, that’s the head boss. But we only spoke to his associate. This was about a month ago.”
“Did this associate of Jack’s take any of the women out to dinner, or out of the village for any reason?” I was starting to see what was happening here, and my stomach was twisting in knots.
“A few of the ladies went to town with him, yes. He had some clients with him and he asked them to show them around town.” He didn’t seem concerned.
“Did any of the women say that these men had propositioned them for sex?” I didn’t want to hear the answer, but I had to ask.
“All I know is that they had dinner and went out for some dancing, and the men gave them a little money. A lot of the girls came back with money in their pockets for… I don’t know what.”
“I think I know. There was a scathing article written about my business with your company, and I think he bribed your people to get on camera. Can I speak with the people who went out with the business associates?” I was livid.
Jack must’ve been after me even before he accosted Adara at Jewel. I went around the farm with Emilio and spoke with everyone Jack’s lackey interviewed.
When we contracted with the farm, we gave them a fair price for the coffee and helped set up a school, a small medical clinic, and made sure that the roads in and out of the village were well maintained. Part of our costs to do business were to keep the facilities we’d created on the plantation maintained. So before I went back to the hotel, I personally checked to be sure all we had done was still satisfactory.
By the end of the day, I was exhausted, angry, and disappointed, but I’d uncovered the truth.
They’d promised Jack’s company the surplus, and he’d charged them a fine for not delivering the amount he wanted. They then tried to compensate with black pepper crops, which Jack took from them at a fraction of the cost, leaving the village in need of money. So he offered a way for them to pay him back — to make “statements” for his “shareholders meeting.”
As for the women, it looked like Jack and his men were used to exploiting women wherever they went — it seemed to be his favorite sideline business.
I started to wonder if Jewel was a place where he was hiding a lot of the profits he didn’t want listed in his revenue.
Now it all made sense, but how was I going to clear my name in such a complicated scheme?
I messaged Adam and told him to set up a meeting with the detective and to book me on the first flight home.
When I made this right, I’d find Adara. No matter what it took.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Adara
I hadn’t been able to believe my eyes when I’d opened the door a week ago to find my manager standing on the other side.
I’d immediately burst into tears when Neil Ferguson smiled. When he spoke my name, his eyes were shiny, and before I knew it, I’d stepped out the door and was in his arms.
Neil had always been like a father to me. He’d been with me nearly since the beginning of my career and had showed me all the ins and outs. He was a good man, never scolding when I’d misstepped but leading me in the direction that would be the best choice for my career.
After I’d ushered Neil and the detective into the living room. It was hard to look at the piano where I’d sang while Roman played. Neil’s hair, which was even more silver than the last time I’d seen him, glinted in the light coming through the windows.
I’d told them everything.
As I did, the heaviness that had weighed on me since I left all those women behind at Jewel began to lift. “Whether they knew it or not, most were being forced to stay there. Some may not have seen the way out for themselves and others had been so frightened they didn’t think they deserved better. Few of the Jewels truly enjoy their work.”
Neil had listened, nodding his understanding while waiting for me to wind down from our initial greeting. “We’ll bring light to what’s happening there. What if we started a foundation? One that could give these women and others like them a place to go to recover and begin a new life?”
The thought of having some power to help the women made me feel like
my journey had meant something, like Nate’s death hadn’t been in vain.
“Neil, are you asking me to return to the stage and studio? Is that what this is?”
He smiled the Hollywood smile that had always wrapped me around his finger. “Damn, Adara, don’t you know that me, your record label, and more than one detective have been looking for you all this time? Your fans are clamoring to have you back.” He waggled his eyebrows. “And… the Grammy’s are clamoring for you too.”
My eyes widened. “They are?”
“Yes. You’ve been nominated for a special merit award. They want you back, Adara. They want your first performance to be on their stage.”
Tears burned my eyes and emotion clogged my throat. I wanted to be back. There was just one thing.
“My voice is different. I’m different. If I come back, I won’t be the same Adara I was before.” I’d sung since I was a child and knew I could influence people with my voice, make them see the world the way I saw it. I could make a difference.
“Your voice is tinged with sadness, but it’s one that people will respond to. That will make them identify with your lyrics even more so. Please, Adara, let me help you return, and help you use your music the meaningful way I know you want to.”
With tears of happiness, I agreed and we set down a plan.
The only thing missing from the plan was Roman. So, when the construction workers arrived the next day and began building a state-of-the-art studio, it made me miss him even more. But as one day moved into the next, I began to wonder if he wasn’t using his money to buy what he wanted, like I’d accused him.
That was when I decided to leave. I couldn’t stay there anymore.
When the Today Show called, wanting to interview me, I couldn’t — wouldn’t — say no. As much as I wanted Roman to be with me, I could do it on my own.
After I send him my last text and didn’t hear from him again, I’d known I made the right decision.
My heart didn’t even feel like it was in my chest when I packed the few things I’d retrieved from Jewel and closed the front door of his mansion for the last time. Martha hugged me and we both shed some tears, and Sissaleigh gave me a hard stare, like I was making a mistake, but we all knew there was nothing left for me to do here but move on.