“It’s a big brick mansion,” I said, ignoring their gasps. “Listen, I’ll be home soon, I think.”
“Thanksgiving is soon. We want you to bring Will over!”
“No, Mom. We’ve only been dating for a few weeks.”
“If you don’t bring him, we’ll ask Ben to come over. He’s visited us twice, Natalie. Asking where you are—what your boyfriend is like—”
“What?” I shrieked. “Do not invite my ex for Thanksgiving! I don’t want to see him!”
What the fuck is wrong with them both?
“Then bring Will over. Okay, we’ll see you soon!”
Click.
I stared at the phone in stunned disbelief. All they talked about during the whole conversation was Will. His family and their wealth fascinated them. They didn’t even ask me how I was doing. They didn’t care about the designs I made on the trip.
“Are you okay?”
I faced Will, who was sitting up on the bed and looking at me with concern. I clenched my phone and was seized with a desire to hurl it across the room.
“They will invite Ben for Thanksgiving if you don’t come with me.”
“So don’t go.”
My heart hammered. “She’ll call me ten times a day to bitch at me. Please, please, Will.”
A small sob shook my throat, and he slid off the bed, looking frustrated with me but gathering me in his arms.
“I’ve never asked you for anything. Come over on Thanksgiving, and they’ll shut up about you. They just want to fawn over you.”
“I don’t mind meeting them, Natalie. The only thing that bothers me is the reason you want me there.”
“What do you mean?”
“You only want me there to appease your parents.”
I pulled away from him. “That’s not true!”
“Then why the reluctance?”
“Because you’ll hate it. They’ll suck up to you because you’re rich. I don’t want you to think badly of them.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “Is that all? I’m used to that. Don’t worry, I’ll be there.”
I stammered thanks as he grabbed my waist and I remembered the time alone with him in Cinque Terre. He kissed me and warmth spread to my toes; his tongue flicked inside my mouth and I felt my muscles unknotting.
His hands wandered down my jeans, and I kissed him more urgently as desire shot upwards the more he touched me. He slipped under my jeans and played with my panties, squeezing my bare flesh. I heard myself moan, and I knew he remembered that night, too.
“William!”
We sprang apart as his mother called for him outside the door. He grimaced and tried to shift his pants so that his erection wasn’t so obvious.
“Yes?”
“Your father is here.”
“Okay, I’ll be down there soon.”
We heard her walk away.
“He has the worst timing.” Will slid his arm around my waist and planted a kiss on my neck. “I’ve got to talk to him and you have got to come with me.”
“What?” I yelped. “No way.” I found the idea of meeting his father, much, much worse.
“He knows you’re here. C’mon.”
He slapped my ass and grinned as I scowled at him. The door flew open, and he tugged me forward, even though I wanted to dig in my heels.
A lightning bolt seared up my spine as I heard him downstairs, talking in a low voice. William laughed at me as I stopped on the staircase.
“Keep going, doll. Or I’ll keep squeezing your ass.”
Doll?
A ruthless pinch made me start forward. I ignored William’s deep laughs as I descended the staircase. We passed the marble foyer and entered a living room, which contained a white grand piano and a gold painting ceiling; we crossed over and entered the next room, which was a dark-brown study. I halted at the threshold, but William continued inside.
Domenico Pardini, CEO of Pardini Worldwide, sat behind a mahogany desk with a phone to his ear. William stopped in front of the desk and crossed his arms, waiting for his father to get off the phone.
The Pardini patriarch was a thin reed of a man, with a wiry mustache and angry, dark eyes. He still wore a business suit and looked terrifying because his face was devoid of any joy. He stood up from the desk, revealing a lean, skinny waist.
“Goodbye.”
Will’s father hung up the phone and glared at his son.
“You are not supposed to be here, William.”
I knew what he meant. We came back early from the campaign because William felt he had to return to Chicago. I was hoping to slink out of the room, unnoticed.
“Thanks, Dad. Hello to you, too.”
“Who is that?”
At that unfortunate moment, Mr. Pardini acknowledged my presence. I stepped into the room, my legs trembling.
William looked surprised to see me standing all the way in the back. He waved me over. “This is Natalie. She’s the graphic designer for the campaign.”
Will, I’m going to kill you.
Mr. Pardini was looking for something polite to say. “I see. And—er—you brought her here because?”
“I’m also dating her.”
I wanted to die. Please someone just shoot me. Mr. Pardini opened his mouth angrily, but William interrupted.
“Dad, I’m here because I found out you’re in a lawsuit with Luke. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Mr. Pardini stepped around the desk. For a moment, I thought he would hit his son. “It was none of your concern. I wanted you to focus on the campaign which you’ve decided to just drop.”
“Is it true? Are you trying to stiff him out of his shares?”
Mr. Pardini’s hot glare flashed in my direction and I took a step backward. He didn’t want me there. He grabbed the half-empty glass of amber liquid on his desk and took a small sip.
“Yes, it’s true. Giacomo and I were planning to do this with all of you. It’s time to break up the empire.”
A heavy silence followed his words, with only the sounds of Domenico sipping his drink and my pounding heart filling my head.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Lots of family members want out. They want their money, now. Breaking up the empire was something Giacomo, and I had been talking about for years. It’s time and both of us realized that our sons were incapable of managing an empire.”
“You will butcher the empire our family has spent generations building?”
“I have no choice. Did you think Luke was the only lawsuit I’m dealing with?” Will gaped at him as he walked across and studied a painting. “Most of the family’s money is in corporations owned by trusts. I will sell all the companies we own and liquidate Pardini holdings.”
“Dad, you can’t—”
“I am the sole trustee for the family. There's nothing I can't do. I am selling Luke’s shares and I am giving him an appropriate amount for the deals he has made for the company. Everyone else will get the same treatment.”
Will gave a frustrated sigh. “Just give him the money, Dad. He’s already been screwed over by his father.”
Mr. Pardini wheeled on his son. “You think that just because you’re a Pardini, you’re entitled to be wealthy? The trusts were meant to meet your reasonable needs. That’s it. They were designed to enhance the family’s position through donations and investments. They were not meant to make individual billionaires!”
His voice rang in the small room, echoing in my ears.
“I am old, son. And I’m being hounded by my nephew, cousins, and every member of the family with a trust. They want out and I am tired of dealing with this. If your grandfather knew what had happened to this family, he would spin in his grave.”
He almost seemed to limp back to his chair behind the desk. He looked tired.
“I’m sorry that you had to witness this,” he said, addressing me suddenly.
I forgot my presence. “Oh, uh—it’s fine.”
We chatted;
he asked me the same questions his wife had, but William said nothing. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded, looking disturbed.
What am I going to tell Jessica?
Mr. Pardini wasn’t selling the shares out of greed, as I assumed. He was following a principle they were only entitled to the amount of money and work they had put into the family’s advancement. Frankly, it seemed fair. Then I thought of Luke, who had been disappointed by his father’s will—and now his uncle was, in his eyes, giving him a meager amount for his shares.
“Well, it was nice meeting you, Natalie.”
“Yes, Mr. Pardini.” I leaned forward and shook his hand, Will watching me out of the corner of his eyes.
That was my cue to leave. I walked out of his office and wiped my hands on my jeans.
“That wasn’t so bad.”
Will scoffed as we ascended the staircase back to the room. He opened the door for me and I walked in, startled by the violent look on his face.
“What the hell am I going to tell my cousin?”
I lifted my shoulders. “Honestly, what can you do? Your dad has all the power and his argument made sense.”
He paced the room like a caged animal. “I should be able to do more. He’s one of us. He deserves what’s owed to him. God, this family is so fucked. This will ruin us.” Will sank to the bed and stared at the floor.
An odd feeling swept through me. Why was he so upset over this? Was this really about Luke anymore?
“When I first met you, you were thrilled that Luke’s dad was dead because he was out of the running for CEO. Now, you’re getting upset because he’s not inheriting his millions?”
A pained look crossed over his face. “I feel guilty about it. He’s getting screwed over.”
“You can’t control your dad’s actions anymore than you could control the accident.”
William’s eyes were livid. “Please, don’t.”
His hands gripped the edge of the bed, whitened with panic, and I dropped my gaze.
9
I swear to God, if you ignore another one of my emails, I will call you. You’re really acting like a bitch. I’ve been nothing but nice to you. I don’t deserve to be treated like garbage—
I deleted the email before I finished it, my heart pounding with poison. It coursed through my veins, spreading a sick feeling. The phone trembled against my ear.
“I’m getting freaked out by Ben’s emails. He has never called me names.”
Jessica sighed on the other line. “I think it’s best you ignore them, like Will said.” She paused for a moment. “He’s been over here a couple times, looking for you. He still has a key, you know.”
“What? He went into our apartment?”
Will’s head jerked up from his arms and looked at me, fury etched all over his olive-skinned face. I waved him away.
“Yeah, but don’t worry. I got a locksmith to change the locks. He wanted to know where you were…and he wanted to know about Will. I’ve never seen him so agitated.”
“I don’t know what’s gotten into him. It’s weird.”
“Well, anyways. Tell Will thanks for trying. I’m sure Luke appreciates it. How are you doing?”
I shook my head. “Fine, I guess. This whole thing with Ben is stressing me out. He obviously isn’t getting the message.”
I glanced at the article splashed across the website: Will Pardini Spotted with Petite Beauty. My ears burned whenever I read the title. Underneath was a photo of us kissing at O’Hare. That was only half an hour ago.
I hated this. All of these photographs and articles would only incense Ben further. I wished it would stop.
Suddenly, the jet engine roared to life. “I’ve got to go. Plane’s taking off.”
“Okay, we’ll catch up when you come home.”
I ended the phone call, refusing to acknowledge William’s presence one foot away from me, but he would not be ignored. He tapped on the desk with his fingers. I shut my laptop and looked at him.
"What?"
“You should file a restraining order against Ben."
I laughed at him, looking up at his furious face and swallowing my laughter. "No."
"I'm serious, Natalie. He's crossed the line."
"I don't want to escalate things.”
“He escalated things by visiting your apartment without your permission.”
“Ben would never hurt me. He's not dangerous, he's just being pathetic because his heart’s been broken.”
“He's had nine months to get over his broken heart."
I bit my lip so hard that I drew blood. “Maybe I'll send him an email warning him."
He sat down across from me and gave a slight shrug. “Do what you have to do, but don't expect it to work." He grasped my hand. “I don’t have a good feeling about this guy. He reeks of desperation."
I felt a rush of affection for my dark-haired paramour. He was so concerned with my safety. It was cute and touching at the same time. I squeezed his hand and leaned over the table to kiss him.
"I guess I'm lucky that I have you to protect me,” I said, an inch away from his lips.
He smiled against my lips and he grabbed my head, deepening the kiss.
Whatever I said, I was worried about Ben. The thought of returning home without Will made my insides churn, but I really wanted to get back to see Jessica.
“You should stay with me tonight,” he said in a low voice.
My skin was tingling all over at the thought of being alone with Will in his apartment.
“I’ll come over tomorrow. I have a lot of things to do. I still haven’t finished those newsletters, and I know I’ll be too distracted at your place.”
“Don’t forget—tomorrow.”
His throaty voice echoed inside my head as I bounded up the stairs to my place. I had only been away from Will for a few hours and I felt myself shaking as though I were suffering from a fever. I didn't step three feet into the apartment before Jessica threw her arms around my neck.
“Ouch—hey!”
There was nothing like coming home after a long trip, even if home was a two-bedroom shithole with wall-to-wall carpeting that was rotting away.
Jessica asked me how the trip went, what Italy was like, if Will and I were a couple. I was more curious about what had been going on here, but I didn’t want to ask her about Ben. There was just so much crap in my life, and I wanted for once, to focus on the positive things.
I sank down on the couch with my laptop sitting on my knees.
“I need to email Ben telling him to back off.”
Jessica groaned.
Ben,
I’m really sorry about these past few weeks, but as you know, I’ve been busy working abroad. I was not trying to ignore you.
It’s over. I’ve realized that I really have moved on and I don’t feel the same about you anymore. Please give me space and respect my boundaries. I don’t want to hear anymore about you visiting or calling my parents. I’ve also changed the locks on this apartment. I’m not angry with you, I’m just done.
Goodbye,
Natalie
I slid the laptop for Jessica to read and she nodded. I wanted it to be straight to the point, and I wanted him out of my life. Hopefully, he would read it and give up.
That would be too lucky.
I shut my phone off and watched TV with Jessica, gabbing about the new season of American Idol and laughing at the ridiculous auditions.
“What kind of pizza do you want?”
“Surprise me.”
Thank God for online ordering. We were settling in for a girl’s night complete with margaritas and I was in charge of getting the pizza. I was too tired to go out, so I paid for delivery.
“Now, what should we watch? Rom-com or should we nerd out on Gundam Wing?”
The anime cartoon was our favorite when we were children and it was fun to watch with the horribly dubbed voice actors. Last time we watched it, I was reduced to tears of laughter, and I
really needed a laugh.
The pizza arrived and Jessica blended the margaritas, forgetting to place the top on the blender and getting green ice all over the counter. We scooped the remains into glasses and brought everything to the living room.
BAMBAMBAM.
I jerked from my seat and Jessica’s widened eyes made a hot drop of fear slip down my throat.
BAMBAMBAM.
“All right, I’m coming.”
The door was pounding so hard that the walls rattled.
“Open the fuck up!”
My heart lightened when I recognized the voice. “Will?” Relief washed over me. I was just glad it wasn’t Ben. Annoyed, I yanked open the door. “What are you doing here? I told you—”
My voice stopped at his whitened, shaking face.
“I’ve been trying to call you for over an hour. Why the fuck didn’t you pick up your phone? There’s something you have to see right now.”
I stepped back as Will entered the apartment. He waved at Jessica, who was halfway out of her seat.
His expression worried me. “Sorry, I turned it off. I didn’t want to hear it ringing with Ben’s calls. What’s wrong?”
“I need to talk to you alone.”
I nodded, sharing a scared look with Jessica as we walked into my room. Will spun around as I closed the door and took my shoulders. His lips were shaking and he couldn’t seem to keep still.
“You’re freaking me out.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Just go to your LinkedIn profile right now. Ben did something to it.”
Blood roared in my ears. “What?” I sank into my chair and grabbed my laptop. “What did he do?”
“You’ll see.”
The deadly calm tone of his voice filled me with horror. Something was wrong. I typed in the address. Enter.
My profile picture was gone. Instead there was a webcam shot of my breasts and naked torso, sitting on the same chair I was. It was me.
I scrolled downwards and saw a half a dozen more pasted crudely in my job descriptions. They were all pictures of me I sent to Ben ages ago. Private, intimate photos he was never supposed to keep. I attempted to login and was rebuffed. Sobbing, I entered a dozen different passwords, but Ben had locked me out of the account.
The Cinderella Arrangement Page 25