A Tiara Under the Tree

by Carolyn Hector

  So she knew about Lucius? How long? Was she another one of his father’s mistresses? She was young and incredibly beautiful. How had she gotten herself mixed up with an older married man when she could have her pick of men? A million questions scrambled Maximus’s brain, but before he could fire them at her, Robert interjected.

  “Everyone, I know Arthur’s wishes must come as a shock to all of you,” Robert stated, “but I can assure you he was of sound mind and body when he wrote this will. Further, as Ms. Armstrong has stated, it was Arthur’s hope that you both could work together side by side and truly become brothers.”

  “Robert, you act like this is some kind of family reunion,” Maximus returned, “when that’s far from the case. We—” he motioned around the room “—are here because my father was a liar, a cheat and a coward. It sickens me. And only now in his death does he have the courage to speak up? This is nothing short of Shakespearean.”

  “Please, take some time to let all of this sink in, give it time to settle,” Robert replied softly. “You’ll see he was finally trying to be fair.”

  “While ripping the ground right out from underneath me? He’s given a complete stranger—” Maximus responded with contempt as he pointed to Tahlia “—two percent of his company, and I want to know why.”

  “I don’t know why,” Tahlia replied, squaring her shoulders. “I certainly didn’t ask him for it. I was just a friend. An ear to listen when he needed it. And vice versa. I know that may be hard or strange to believe given our age difference, but nothing untoward happened between me and Arthur. He was like a father to me, giving me advice about life, work...and I—I miss him, too...” Her voice broke, and she turned away from him, clutching her hand to her mouth.

  It made Maximus feel like a heel because he’d clearly upset her when he hadn’t meant to. He just wanted answers. He had a right to know why half of the company he’d devoted his life to had been given to a son his father never claimed and someone who wasn’t even a member of the Knight family. He was boiling with rage, but venting at a woman wasn’t his style. Nor would he give Lucius the satisfaction of seeing him falter, but one thing was for certain: he wasn’t about to give up the battle for Tahlia’s 2 percent, which was rightfully his.

  Maximus bent down to speak to his mother, who was still reeling at the news. He whispered in her ear, trying to soothe her frayed nerves. “There’s nothing we can do at this moment. Give me some time to figure this out, okay?”

  She nodded.

  Maximus glanced up and watched Robert pack up his briefcase and then come over to him. “Max, I’m sorry how this all turned out for you,” he said. “I warned Arthur that this wasn’t the best approach, and he should have discussed his choices with you sooner rather than blindsiding you.”

  Maximus shrugged. “Why should I be surprised, Robert? I’ve never been able to do enough or achieve enough to gain my father’s respect, and now this? He didn’t even think I could run his company.”

  Robert patted his shoulder reassuringly and quietly walked away.

  What was he supposed to do now? Maximus’s mind was jumbled as to what his next move should be. He glanced across the room and saw Lucius, Jocelyn and Naomi speaking quietly while Tahlia stood in the background, watching the entire scene. She was clearly uncomfortable to be in the middle of a family squabble. And it surprised him that he felt protective over a woman he’d just met and wanted to comfort her, but he did.

  So he strolled toward her.

  She smiled when he approached, and Maximus’s stomach flipped. Something that never happened with other women. Usually his time spent with the fairer sex was either as a companion for an event or his bedmate. Nothing more.

  Tahlia Armstrong fit neither of those categories.

  “Are you all right?” he inquired.

  “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” she responded with a half smile. “I mean, I didn’t have my entire life turned upside down today with no warning.”

  “Very true, but you also became an instant millionaire today,” he said smoothly, regarding her intently. “Two percent in Knight Shipping is nothing to laugh at.”

  “No, I don’t suppose it is,” she said demurely.

  And then there it was again, a hint of a blush on her rosy cheeks. She looked downward, not quite looking at him, and that was when he realized Tahlia Armstrong was flustered by him. Maximus had to figure out how to use that to his advantage.

  “You should stay for dinner,” he stated quietly, surprising even himself with the offer.

  “D-dinner?”

  He grinned. “Yes, you do eat, don’t you?”

  She chuckled, and Maximus had to admit he liked the sound of it. “I do.”

  “Then join me. I mean, me and my mother that is.”

  Tahlia glanced over to his brother. “Is Lucius and his family welcome to join us?”

  Max bristled inwardly. He hated being backed into a corner, but in order to figure out his next move where Tahlia was concerned, he might have to tolerate a meal with his older brother and harlot of a mother. Though he had no ill will against Naomi.

  “If that means you’ll agree, then yes.”

  * * *

  Tahlia smiled. She’d won a small victory in getting Maximus to agree to dinner with his brother, Lucius. When Robert had first telephoned her a couple of days ago, she’d been unprepared for the bombshell he was about to drop on her. One day she was a lowly assistant at an art gallery in Los Angeles, the next she was the owner of the gallery as well as a 2 percent partner in Knight Shipping, one of the largest shipping companies in the United States. Talk about a change in circumstances overnight! Not to mention she was finally going to get close enough to Maximus to actually have a conversation after seeing him only from afar!

  Tahlia had been so shocked by the turn of events, she’d kept the news to herself and hadn’t even told her mother, Sophia, or sister, Kaitlynn. How could she tell them she was tied indefinitely to the Knights and Maximus, the man she’d secretly crushed on the last year? Ever since she’d first seen him from across the room at one of the gallery’s exhibit openings, he’d been on her mind. Not that he had noticed her that night. When she’d asked Robert why he was telling her in advance of Arthur’s bequest, Robert indicated he thought there might trouble between the two brothers when they learned their fate and was hoping she’d play peacemaker.

  It was a tall order, one which she knew wouldn’t be achieved overnight, but it was a start. They were family after all. And for some reason, Arthur, her dear friend, had chosen her to lead the effort, and Tahlia was determined not to let him down.

  Tahlia tried not to show nerves as she and Maximus walked over toward Lucius and his family, but instantly a chill spiked in the air.

  “Lucius.” Maximus nodded in his direction.

  “Max.” Lucius used his youngest brother’s nickname, and Tahlia felt Maximus immediately tense beside her. She was sure it was used only by family and close friends, certainly not a brother he’d known nothing about until a couple of weeks ago.

  Tahlia had been horrified when she’d heard that Arthur had been caught in flagrante with Lucius’s mother, Jocelyn, in a hotel room and had a heart attack. The news media had been unforgiving in their portrayal of the shipping magnate and his womanizing ways. And when the press had realized that Lucius was the product of their decades-long affair, they’d been brutal. It was no wonder both men were angry. They had a right to be. Arthur should have been honest with them much sooner.

  “I’ve invited Ms. Armstrong,” Maximus began, but she interrupted him.

  “Tahlia.”

  Maximus nodded. “I’ve invited Tahlia to dinner this evening. And she thought you and your lovely fiancée might like to join us.”

  Tahlia frowned. She was sure she’d said Lucius’s family, including h
is mother, but was that asking too much under the circumstances?

  “That’s quite generous of you, Max,” Lucius replied with a wide grin. “And I’ll stay if my mother is welcome.”

  Lucius was purposely baiting him, and Tahlia hated that she was the cause, but Maximus didn’t seem fazed—or at least not that he was showing outwardly. In Tahlia’s opinion, he plastered a fake smile on his face before saying, “I suppose, but it might be best to keep both our mothers on opposite sides of the table.”

  “That would be prudent,” Lucius responded.

  Soon they were all headed in the direction of the dining room. Tahlia was shocked when Maximus returned to her side after briefly speaking with his mother. She could see Charlotte Knight recoil with the turn of events as evidenced by the glare she threw in Tahlia’s direction, but she remained silent and did as Maximus instructed.

  Once they made it to the beautifully appointed dining area, Charlotte immediately sat at the head of the table, making it clear this was her home and they were all just visitors in it. Maximus flanked his mother to the left, leaving the seat to her right open, which Tahlia reluctantly took. Meanwhile, Lucius and his mother sat beside Tahlia while his fiancée sat next to Maximus.

  A uniformed man Tahlia could only assume was the butler came to speak with Mrs. Knight. Several seconds later waitstaff entered to fill their water glasses as well as offer them wine with their meal. Other than everyone selecting their choice of red or white, the silence in the room was deafening.

  “Th-thank you for having us,” Tahlia offered, glancing at Charlotte. “It’s really quite generous.”

  “Did we have much choice?” Mrs. Knight queried under her breath.

  “If you don’t want us here, we can leave,” Lucius responded tightly from across the table, and Tahlia could feel the tension ratchet up a notch, but Maximus intervened.

  “We’ve invited you and you’re our guest,” Maximus stated wanly. He turned to the company on his side. “Naomi Brooks—” he offered her his hand “—it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard quite a lot about Brooks & Johnson. I believe you use their products don’t you, Mother?”

  He turned to Charlotte.

  She gave the first sincere smile Tahlia had seen since she’d arrived. “Yes, I do. They are the only products my salon carries where I get my facials.” She lightly touched her cheek. “They’re really quite remarkable products.”

  “Thank you.” Naomi smiled.

  “You started the company with your best friend, yes?” Maximus inquired, sipping his wine and leaning back in his chair to regard her.

  “Yes, in our apartment in college,” Naomi replied.

  “And turned it into a billion-dollar business,” Maximus added. “You’ve got yourself quite a find here, big brother.”

  Tahlia gave Lucius a sideward glance. The love in his eyes was evident as he grinned across the table at his fiancée.

  “And you?” Charlotte turned her attention to Tahlia. “What is it that you do, dear?”

  “Mother,” Maximus cautioned. The tone in his voice told her to tread lightly.

  “I’m just being cordial,” she replied, reaching for her wineglass.

  “Up until recently, I worked as an assistant at Art Gallery Twenty-One.”

  “That was one of Father’s favorite galleries,” Maximus said, offering Tahlia a warm smile.

  “Have circumstances changed?” Charlotte asked.

  “As a matter of fact they have,” Tahlia answered. “Robert informed me that Arthur was owner of the gallery and has bequeathed it to me.”

  A loud gasp escaped from Charlotte, but she soon recovered. “So now you own it? You must have made quite the impression on my husband.” She took another sip of her red wine. “Very much like other people I know.”

  Her implication was clear that Arthur and Tahlia had an intimate relationship, a seedy one. Fury boiled inside Tahlia, but she needn’t have worried because Jocelyn rose to the bait.

  “If you’re insinuating something, Charlotte,” Jocelyn spoke after being silent since they were seated, “just say it. Maybe then we can all end this whole charade.”

  Tahlia suspected it must be very difficult for Jocelyn to sit in her former lover’s home with his wife and son, knowing she’d had an affair with the man for years and produced a child. A child who was sitting beside her but had never been acknowledged, until now.

  “Au contraire, contraire,” Charlotte replied with a snort. “It gives me great pleasure to sit with the mistress of my lying, cheating excuse for a husband and her illegitimate offspring after you’ve in essence ripped my child’s inheritance right out of his hands.”

  “I did no such thing!” Lucius roared from beside her. His dark eyes blazed with indignation. “I didn’t ask for any of this. Neither did he.” He flung his hands in Maximus’s direction. “Did you know Arthur was cheating on your mother?”

  Maximus glared at him, and at first Tahlia thought he wouldn’t respond, but then he shook his head. “Of course I didn’t,” he finally replied. His dark brown eyes were very much like Lucius’s. “Do you think if I did I would have let Arthur continue to humiliate my mother with yours?”

  Tahlia tried to speak. “Everyone, why don’t we calm down. I think dinner is coming.” Or at least the salads were. Several waitstaff entered the room carrying plates filled with mixed greens, cranberries and walnuts and what appeared to be some sort of vinaigrette. As they set a plate in front of her, Tahlia couldn’t wait to dig in.

  Maximus gave her a small smile from across the table, but it was pointless because Jocelyn rose to her feet. “I’m sorry, Lucius.” She turned to her son. “I can’t sit here and break bread with these people in A-Arthur’s home. It’s just too much.” Seconds later, she pushed her chair back and rushed out of the dining room.

  “Good riddance!” Charlotte said with a smile.

  “That was uncalled for, Mother,” Maximus hissed. “Apologize.”

  “For what? For speaking the truth in my own home?” she replied bitterly.

  Lucius rose from his chair beside Tahlia, and she watched in horror as Naomi did the same. Despite her best efforts to bridge the gap between the brothers, it was all in vain.

  “We’re leaving,” Lucius stated, throwing his napkin onto the table.

  “You don’t have to go.” Tahlia attempted to save the day.

  Lucius patted her on the shoulder, preventing her from getting up. Then he bent down and whispered in her ear. “Good try, ole girl, but you’re going to have to do a lot better than this to get us to become a family. C’mon, Naomi.” He extended his hand to his fiancée and headed for the door.

  Maximus stood as well, buttoning his suit jacket that looked sexy as hell on him, and strode confidently to the dining room door and met his brother at the exit.

  “Lucius.” He inclined his head. “I’m sure we’ll be speaking soon.”

  “No doubt,” Lucius replied. Seconds later he and Naomi were gone.

  “Did you really have to be so gauche?” Maximus asked, turning to his mother after Lucius and his family had gone. It was only the three of them remaining.

  “Quite frankly I did.” She stood. “You should be happy I was willing to get through salad, given everything that woman—” she pointed to the door Jocelyn Turner had just vacated “—did to me.”

  “That you let them do to you,” Maximus corrected. “Don’t try to rewrite history.”

  “I—I’m not going to talk about this right now,” Charlotte huffed. She reached for her wineglass and without another word took it along with her as she stormed out of the room.

  “Was it something I said?” Tahlia asked when it was just her and Maximus alone in the dining room.

  He let out a loud rumble of laughter that was so infectious Tahli
a couldn’t resist and joined in on the fun. Soon, they were both howling, unable to control themselves. After several moments, the chuckles finally subsided and Maximus came beside her, pulling out the chair next to her that Lucius had vacated.

  “That was a complete and utter disaster,” he stated unequivocally, leaning back in his chair and staring openly at her.

  She nodded her agreement. “It was.”

  “I applaud you for trying to calm the waters, but considering the circumstances, you must know that this is an untenable situation. We are never going to be a family.”

  “Who says? There are all sorts of families.”

  * * *

  “You’re not really that naive are you?” Maximus inquired, peering at Tahlia. Where the hell had she come from anyway? He knew his father liked to frequent the art gallery. And now he knew she was the cause. And could he really blame his father? Tahlia Armstrong was a bombshell.

  Had she, too, been carrying on an affair with his father right under their noses? Or at least under his mother’s since she’d known for years about his father’s affair with Jocelyn Turner. How could she stomach staying in the marriage knowing he was unfaithful?

  Maximus would never have tolerated such a betrayal. When he married, if he married, his wife would be his and only his. He’d kill the man who dared look at her, let alone touch her. It was why he couldn’t understand how his mother allowed the adultery to continue for decades.

  “I’m not naive,” Tahlia responded. “I just choose to be positive and was trying to make the best of the situation.”

  “Very noble, but wasted on us,” Maximus replied, rising to his feet. “Can I walk you out?”

  She blinked several times. Perhaps she thought they were still going to continue with dinner. Not tonight. He needed time to think and strategize his next move.

  “Uh, yeah, sure,” she said.

  Maximus pulled her chair out and followed Tahlia as they walked down the corridor. He purposely walked behind her so he could enjoy the view of her backside. His groin tightened as she swayed, and God help him, he wanted her.