Beautiful Girl: Modern Beauty and Beast (Happy Ever After Standalone Series) (Happy Ever After Standalone Novel Series Book 2)

by Kailin Gow

  I shouldn’t have been driving, but I wasn’t about to argue. His swift action had resonated even in my fuzzy head. He was damn serious and this was not the time to push it. So off I went, down the highway at a break neck speed trying to catch up with the nobody who’d ruined my evening. It was so bogus!

  At first I thought that Dad would quiet down when we got into the car, but I was wrong. He talked and talked, only pausing to breathe. “You are the eldest son and should have been setting an example tonight, representing the family in a professional way. But you didn’t. You have a responsibility as the golden boy—the face of Beast Company—and need to watch your public image more. The publicity from this is going to be atrocious.”

  “I thought all publicity was good publicity, Father.”

  “No, it’s not, not when it’s an embarrassment to the family and to our organization. I’d like to retire some day, but can’t do that until I know that you and Mason can handle the company on your own. You’ve got to grow up and stop being so vain, and thinking with your dick.”

  I sighed, not sure what to say. I knew that he had a point and really, the last thing I wanted to do was have my father disapprove of me. Tonight had been a disaster and it probably was the drugs talking, but I couldn’t tell him that. Quite the conundrum.

  “Callum, are you listening?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. You are not a college playboy anymore. You’re a grown man with real life responsibilities. You’re about to become an heir to one of the biggest enterprises in America—in charge of carrying on the legacy of the Beast name.”

  I’d heard all of this before, of course. I’d hoped to have as much fun as I could before having to get serious with all of that, but Father clearly had a different idea. “What if I don’t meet your expectations?” I asked.

  Father sighed and reached over to pat my shoulder. “I have every faith that you will, but it’s just a matter of how long and how much it will take to get your there, son. I love you and Mason very much, but when it comes down to it, I have to make the choice of who runs the company based on who is best at it. As of this moment, Mason is doing a better job at it than you are.”

  “How could that be? I do everything—model, appear at events, meet people, and am constantly bringing exposure to Beast Stores. Mason is a paper pusher. He looks at figures…”

  “What he does behind the scenes is equally important,” Father immediately countered. “It is my wish that you and he will begin working together and both of you will use your talents and skills to peacefully and successfully run this business. Two brothers can run the Beast Company, but it seems our alpha males always get competitive when challenged. And from the looks of it, both you and Mason were challenged tonight. About the store, and about…that girl.”

  “That girl?” I asked, feeling my lip curling up in a sneer. “You can’t be serious. She’s not even my type…the girl next to Ms. Chu.”

  “She’s got something regal about her,” my father said. “She’s Ms. Chu’s daughter, you know, and she’s getting her MBA from USC like Mason did, and she’s helped her mom get Helen Chu Cosmetics distributed worldwide—all at a young age. That girl has looks, brains, and gumption—something that is sorely lacking in many young adults today. If she wasn’t already Helen Chu’s daughter, I would adopt her and bring her onboard. Kids these days feel so entitled. But not her. She was brought up right, and…”

  “Obviously you think highly of her, Dad,” I said. It took a lot to impress Theodore Beast III and this girl had managed to do it without so much as having a conversation with him. “So, you playing matchmaker for Mason?”

  “Why Mason? I’m talking about you, Callum. A girl like that will make a man of you yet.”

  “Dad,” I protested. “She’s not my type and I don’t need a matchmaker.”

  “Any girl who is not a floozy is not your type. You are in your late twenties, Callum. It’s time you grow up. I’m tired of holding your hand. Will I always be there for you? Of course, but as a parent it is my wish to see you grow into a mature, responsible, and kind person—not someone who bullies older ladies and puts down people who are less fortunate. You have really disappointed me tonight, son, with the hurtful words you said to Ms. Chu. You didn’t even know what you were talking about. She’s had a harsh life and it took a lot to build herself up to where she is now. She should be respected and admired, not treated so poorly.”

  “I know, I know, it embarrassed you,” I said.

  “Worse than that, it shamed me, Callum. It’s going to take more than an apology to set this one right. It’s going to take action and proving that you don’t have a dark heart.”

  “I told you, it was just a joke.”

  “And I call bullshit. It wasn’t.”

  Now I felt bad and the more my head cleared up, the worse it became. My eyes started to tear up. I didn’t like that I’d hurt and embarrassed my father. I wanted him to be proud of me. Before a tear could escape down my cheek, I reached up and wiped my eye.

  I didn’t see the curve ahead until it was too late. The car hit something and stopped instantly with a force that propelled me forward. I felt my body hurling through the windshield and sharp pain everywhere. Then darkness set in.

  Chapter 3

  Mason

  Standing in the hospital waiting room, I pulled my bowtie off from my shirt and stuffed it into my tuxedo pocket. Mother was standing off to the right, just staring at nothing and playing with her strand of pearls. I walked over to her and tried to comfort her, but no words could really be spoken that were adequate. Callum had crashed the car and now he and Father were in critical condition.

  “I just don’t understand,” my mother mumbled.

  “Sometimes there are no explanations for this, Mom,” I offered.

  She looked at me with such pain in her large blue eyes. “Mason, I just never thought I’d be standing here, waiting for someone to tell me I could see your father. We’ve always been so fortunate.”

  “And we will be again,” I offered. Sadly, I didn’t really believe that, because I saw how the staff was glancing at us and running in and out of the room where Callum was. Father was in surgery for internal bleeding. “Let’s go get some coffee. Maybe we can visit them when we get back up here, okay.”

  She nodded and I went and told the attending nurse. When we came back, a nurse was pointing in our direction, talking to a doctor. “See, they’re ready for us,” I said.

  The doctor walked up to us and a somber look was on his face. He was tall, but he seemed to stare at the floor when he spoke. “I’m sorry. We tried, but your husband didn’t make it through surgery.”

  Instinctually, my arms wrapped around my mother’s as I felt her body go limp and begin shaking. I guided her to a chair and the doctor kept talking, but what did the words matter. He didn’t make it. That was all I kept hearing.

  “Can I see him?” Mother asked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  I got up to guide her and we walked down the corridor and toward a room in the distance. My eyes stung and my heart was racing, as I thought about how much my family had changed that evening. And all because of Callum being a pompous ass.

  We walked into the room and there he was—Theodore Beast III, the man who’d always been mightier than life to me—lying there with a gray complexion and cuts all over his face and body from the windshield’s glass. Mother started to weep, overwhelmed.

  I couldn’t help but cry, too. It was so damn unfair and I felt such excruciating pain swelling up in my chest, but in my mind, I was so angry.

  “How is Callum doing?” I heard my mother ask. I didn’t care at that moment. Because of him, our family had been permanently changed.

  “He’s still out of it and pretty banged up. He’s young enough that he should rebound, but he’ll have an uphill climb. His face is broken in four spots and has a lot of abrasions on it. There’s a lot of stitches.”

  “Can I see him?” Mo
ther asked, grabbing my hand for support.

  “Yes, but I want to warn you, it may be tough to look at him. He’s swollen and bandaged and…not the same as what you are used to seeing,” the doctor said.

  “But he’ll survive?” Mother asked hesitantly.

  “It’s touch and go right now. With the way the leg and hip broke, a permanent limp is highly possible and as far as his face, I’m not certain how much reconstructive surgeries will help due to the severity,” the doctor offered softly.

  “Just so long as he survives,” she whispered.

  I listened to this and felt myself growing angrier with every word. Callum had caused everyone so much pain. It was horrible, but I was glad that he’d had such a bad accident and it would cause him problems. He needed to be knocked off his high horse.

  The doctor guided us over to Callum’s room, saying that we could go in, but I took a pass, not wanting to see my brother and fearful that my hatred would show on my face and mother would take note of it. I didn’t want that to happen.

  Standing in the hallway, my back pressed against the sterile white wall, I tried to process it all—so many emotions and one lingering thought. The business…what would happen to Beast Companies? I knew for sure that I’d do everything in my power to not have Callum take over as CEO. He’d ruin generations’ worth of work and from the sound of it, underwear model was no longer in his future. No, he will not ruin this family’s legacy, I thought.

  ***

  Four weeks later…

  Life had been a whirlwind of activities. Burying Father. Dealing with the press from Callum’s activities. He’d become the male Lindsey Lohan to many—everyone curious about his bad behavior and drawn to every gritty detail of it. But the headlines in the gossip magazines blaming him for my father’s death were the worst. They were harsh and I thought they were true.

  I’d been named temporary CEO of the company, not able to persuade the board to use common sense over following the instructions that Father had in place. So…I was there, but would have to work hard to make sure that Callum never became the face behind the position. It was too risky. The first decision I had was to delay the opening of the flagship store for a month. It was challenging and met with opposition, but I felt like it would be an unwelcomed media circus and that wasn’t going to be acceptable. Some other well known face would do something ridiculous and take the pressure of Callum before then, and that would be good for us.

  Finally, Callum was released from the hospital. We had him set up with home health care and the ugliest nurse I could find, just to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid too soon. To the best of my abilities, I was leaving no stone unturned, and that included the beautiful Charisma Chu.

  Chapter 4

  Charisma

  The news about what had happened to the Beast family on the very night they’d insulted my mother and me was shocking for me. However, for the media, it was a sensational story, one that had every element they loved—tragedy, drama, shock, and intense emotions. On Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, the messages that Callum had said about Helen Chu Cosmetics were trending in all the newsfeeds. It was easily managed with a bit of PR, and also helped by the fact that Callum Beast was under investigation for being under the influence when he was driving that evening. Apparently a combination of alcohol and some other drugs. He’d paid a heavy price for it—losing his father and becoming quite deformed physically, from what I understood. One headline had been particularly cruel: The Beauty is Definitely a Beast Now.

  Today I was finally meeting with Mason, two weeks after the accident. I knew why the meeting was important to him, but he had no idea why it was important to me. I had an agenda, too.

  ***

  “Mason, hi,” I said, smiling at him as he stood up from the table at Rendezvous, a trendy French restaurant.

  “Charisma, thanks for your patience,” he said. I stared at him and saw an appreciative look in his eyes. I’d seen it before, but I also saw that there was a gentleman in there that was able to control the beast within, if you will—pun intended. “Please, have a seat.”

  He held out the seat for me and then sat back down. I looked at him and was curious if I’d see stress and sorrow from all that had happened the last few weeks, but I saw a man who was very composed. I was impressed and mildly curious about it for some reason. Not sure why…it wasn’t like I wanted him to break down weeping and have me come to the rescue and reassure him he’d be fine and then make hot, passionate love to him. Whoa! Where did that come from?

  “I hope you’re doing well,” I said.

  “Fair enough. Been some pretty long days, but everything’s coming together…feeling a bit more normal.”

  “That’s good to hear,” I said. “When is Callum expected to be able to go home?”

  “In a week or two,” Mason said. Then he changed the subject. “Well, originally this meeting was to apologize to your mother and you, but that’s been adjusted a bit. I just want you to know, that regardless of all that’s unfolded, I am personally truly sorry about it.”

  “All is forgiven. It’s ‘water under the bridge,’ as they say. Actually, I have something to discuss with you, Mason.”

  “You do?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Yes, it involves my final work for my MBA.”

  “Soon to be a fellow USC alum. That’s great. Tough program, but rewarding.”

  “Agreed,” I said. It was nice to meet a guy who loved a woman with brains, or at least wasn’t intimidated by them. Mason Beast was known to be one of the most astute graduates of the program, but I hoped to best him, if at all possible.

  “So, what is it that I can do for you, Charisma?”

  “I am hoping that Beast Company will help me with my thesis. The topic is Managing Change in a Corporation.”

  “And you didn’t want to do your mother’s company?”

  “Initially, yes, but my advisor said no. After I reflected upon it, it makes sense. So, I am hoping that I can spend a little time at Beast Company and use it as the subject of the thesis. What do you think?”

  Mason looked at me and I could practically hear the wheels turning in his mind. He finally said, in a rather soft and personal voice, compared to that “business meeting tone, “We’ve certainly been going through changes.” Then he paused and I didn’t speak, realizing it may be too bold of a request at the moment. Then his lips slowly opened and I watched them like they were moving in slow motion. “Yes, but on one condition.”

  Oh no, conditions, I thought. “Which is what, Mason?”

  “Helen Chu Cosmetics still agrees to do business with us.”

  “Well, I don’t have the final say in that, but I will certainly ask. We haven’t really discussed it the past few weeks. There’s been a lot going on.”

  “I’m guessing some serious PR thanks to Callum. I can relate,” Mason said. I sensed the hostility in his voice. There was definitely some bad blood going on between him and his brother. Had it been there previous to the past few weeks?

  “I don’t mean to pry, but…” I began, “I heard he had some drug problems. Is he getting help for that? It explains a lot.”

  “He’s dried out by hospitalization, but on so many pain meds there that I don’t really know. He’s not by the store, that’s what’s important to me. I am not interested in any more of those embarrassing situations. I’m sure you can relate.”

  I nodded my head. I sensed that Callum was a topic that was preferably off limits with Mason and I was going to respect that. It wasn’t so bad to focus on him as a man. He was handsome, smart, and successful, and he had a great body. Really, he was the type of guy that I always pictured myself ending up with.

  We’d already taken care of business before lunch even arrived at the table, which meant that for the rest of the lunch, we talked on a more personal level and about USC, of course. Mason was an interesting guy. He was a fairly decent pianist, played Polo, and was passionate about travel. But he d
id it smartly, incorporating it in with business. The guy was speaking my language, so I was all too disappointed when the meal had ended, because I felt this chemistry between us that excited me. It was new and different for me, which was good.

  “You can have your mother call me directly,” Mason said.

  “I will. I’ll try to connect with her right after this,” I said.

  Then he extended his hand out and I took it, feeling its warmth masculinity as he shook it, but he didn’t release it. He just looked at me for a second, but it felt like an eternity, yet it wasn’t awkward.

  “Excellent, and email me your agenda of when you’d like to come over to Beast Company and I’ll let all the relevant people know. You’ll have access to whatever you need,” Mason said.