Worth Everything: Worth It, Book 4

by Karen Erickson

  Alex sighed wearily. “I shouldn’t be telling you this. Hunter is furious. Afraid she’s going to try and come in and take what we’ve worked so hard to build. And Rhett is so in love with his girlfriend he’s blissfully unaware of how high the stakes are in all of this.”

  “I suppose you’re trying to hold everything together.” Typical Alex. He had big brother syndrome down pat.

  “Always. Why does she want to meet?”

  “Why else? She wants to get to know you.”

  Alex laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “I’m telling the truth. She’s not in a good place right now. After Giorgio Renaldi disinherited her because he wasn’t her father and the odd way her mother has treated her since, her life’s a mess.” A terrible mess he’d witnessed firsthand. He still couldn’t believe Claudia Renaldi’s selfish neglect of Stasia. “She’s looking for an anchor. Looking for her place in a family and she wants to meet her new brothers.”

  “My father never mentioned Claudia Renaldi to us. Ever. Not even in passing. He didn’t like Giorgio Renaldi, but that was healthy competition, nothing more.”

  “According to Stasia’s mother, the affair happened. Claudia told Stasia the entire story.”

  “Did you hear it?”

  “No.” He wished he had. Everything he learned in regards to the circumstance was secondhand information via Stasia. She might’ve forgotten details, misinterpreted what her mother said. And he couldn’t admit to Alex why he never heard the story. Claudia didn’t know Gavin was Stasia’s lawyer. She believed them a couple in love.

  Not the usual way he conducted business.

  “Strange, but I’m not one to criticize the way you handle yourself.”

  “I appreciate that,” Gavin said wryly.

  “I’m sure you do. I don’t think we should bother meeting until a DNA test is completed and we know for sure.”

  “That could take up to two weeks,” Gavin pointed out. He could get whiplash, what with the way Alex changed subjects. And if he had to tell Stasia she’d have to wait upwards of two weeks before meeting the Worths, she’d most likely flip.

  Something he really didn’t want to deal with.

  “Not much time, don’t you think? She’s waited this long,” Alex said. “What’s another two weeks?”

  “She’s tired of waiting. Can you imagine what it’s like? To lose your birthright, your foundation, your career? She’s been a part of Renaldi Accessories her entire life, just like you’ve been a part of Worth Luxury your whole life. What would you do if it was taken away from you out of nowhere?”

  “I’d fight to keep it all.” The conviction in Alex’s voice was strong, inarguable.

  “What if legally you couldn’t? What if everything was so tied up in legalities, it would take years to untangle?” A team of lawyers that handled estate and corporate laws had been hired by her oldest brother, Matteo, over the last few days. They planned to evaluate the entire will, looking for any weak spot where they could possibly break free of the clause that Stasia could no longer work for Renaldi, that legally banned her from participating even an iota in the family business.

  Alex sighed. “I get your point. Let me call Hunter and Rhett and try to coordinate a meeting. It’ll have to be here, though. No longer than thirty minutes and…I can’t guarantee the other two will participate.”

  “Understood.” Excitement fizzed in Gavin’s veins. Now they were getting somewhere.

  “I’ll have my assistant call you as soon as we can schedule it.”

  “Mid this week would be ideal,” Gavin suggested.

  “I’m sure it would.” The amusement in Alex’s voice was clear. At least he was being amendable. “I’ll speak to you soon.”

  Gavin hung up, a smile curving his lips. It wasn’t a complete victory, but he’d jumped a major hurdle and it wasn’t even noon. He’d been secretly afraid he couldn’t convince Alex and his brothers to see Stasia. Alexander Worth could be a stubborn son of bitch when he wanted, a man few crossed.

  But he’d also been a thoughtful friend when they were in college. Alex had taken Gavin in with no questions when they were incoming freshmen, introduced him to his friends and treated him like he wasn’t different than anyone else. Coming into such a prestigious college, he’d been nervous, afraid he wouldn’t fit in. Alex had eased his worries. Had turned into a lifelong friend, even though they’d drifted apart over the last few years.

  Alex was, above all, a man who always put family first, who’d taken the Worth name and grew it into a global brand that only the elite few could compete with. Gavin didn’t blame him for being protective, for wanting to keep his family out of the muck and mire that had consumed Stasia since the death of Giorgio Renaldi.

  The entire situation was a complete mess and would most likely take years to straighten out. He’d tried to break that to Stasia as gently as he could on the plane ride home. She’d nodded as if she understood, watching him with those pretty dark blue yes, tempting him with her sweet, sad beauty. After a few minutes of talking business, he’d broken down, leaning in for a quick kiss.

  Which had turned into a minor make out session on the red eye back to New York. Thank God the majority of people on the flight had been sleeping, with the exception of the flight attendant, who’d smirked every time she passed by them.

  Gavin swiped a hand over his face. He wasn’t handling this correctly. One minute the strict, by-the-book attorney, the next the lust-addled man who thought with his dick and nothing else. It was crazy. And so far, he wasn’t fighting it.

  He was probably making the biggest professional mistake of his life, but he couldn’t resist her. It was both simple and the most complicated feeling he’d ever experienced.

  Exhaling loudly, he grabbed the phone, punched in Stasia’s cell number. She answered on the third ring, sounding breathless, which fueled every phone-type fantasy he’d had over the last few years.

  Now she was the starring feature in all his fantasies.

  “Couldn’t stand going a few hours without speaking to me?” she teased as an answer.

  “I spoke with Alex.”

  She sobered immediately. “What did he say?”

  “He was reluctant at first, but I talked him into it.”

  “Reluctant over what? Meeting with me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh.” She sighed. “And what about the other two? Will they be there as well?” So much hope sounded in her voice, he knew he’d hate to disappoint her.

  “Supposedly. Alex will get back to me later today and let me know when this meeting will take place.” Gavin paused before he launched into the next bit of news. “He wants a DNA test.”

  “Of course he does.” She sighed forlornly. “I suppose I should go and get one, then.”

  “The sooner, the better. This could come to a complete standstill if you don’t do it. Alex assured me he’d get a DNA test soon as well.”

  “I’ll do it, don’t worry. I’m just…scared. What if my mother lied? What if she made up this entire thing to get us some money and get her a bit of fame?”

  “You don’t think she’d do something like that, do you?” Horror filled him. If this all turned out to be a lie…he didn’t know if his career could survive the fallout.

  “No, I believe her. I really do. I sometimes wish it all wasn’t true, you know? That it never happened.” She laughed softly, but it wasn’t real. More like hiding her true feelings, which were probably too much for her to deal with. “That I’ll wake up and this will all turn out to be a bad dream.”

  She wished she’d wake up from this bad dream that was her life? His gut clenched and he felt like he’d been kicked. What about him? Damn it, he was offended. The feeling was completely irrational, but he couldn’t deny it.

  “But then I wouldn’t have met you.” She sounded like she was backtracking. “And I’m glad for that.”

  Confusion swirled within him. Was she really? The constant back and forth be
tween them was starting to wear thin. “Listen, Stasia, I have to go, lots to do still today. But I’ll call you when I hear back from Alex, hopefully that’ll be today.”

  “Gavin, wait—”

  He hung up, too agitated to talk to her. Afraid what he might’ve said if they’d continued the conversation. He wanted to tell her how he felt. Wanted to know if she really felt the same way about him. But he was also afraid. What if this—thing they shared nothing but a lark for her?

  It was a thought he really wasn’t prepared to face.

  Stasia paced the floor, chewing on her index finger and trashing the nail, effectively ruining her manicure with a few gnashes of her teeth. The meeting with the Worths had been scheduled for eleven o’clock, and it was already ten past. She was punctual to a fault, had arrived ten minutes before the meeting, and the wait had been agonizing.

  The Worth Building was huge, a rather famous tower in Manhattan’s Garment District. The interior was constructed of glass and chrome, oversized framed posters of the various Worth campaigns through the years, reminding everyone who entered the building they were in the presence of fashion greatness.

  Stasia felt much like a groupie, a longtime fan who’d finally met her idol. She’d always admired Worth Luxury’s business acumen, the steady growth Alexander Worth had brought for the company. It had fallen on hard times prior to Michael Worth’s death, and his eldest son had worked long and hard, devoting hours, years to build the brand into the global powerhouse it was today.

  How she wished she could still be with Renaldi and help it grow. She had no doubt her brothers would do well, but she knew her touch, her ideas, were as invaluable as theirs.

  Sadness gripped her. Would she ever have a chance to work at Renaldi again? Or would she be forever adrift, unable to find her place in life, always the lost princess of fashion with no castle or crown.

  Pushing her ridiculous thoughts out of her brain, she glanced around, noted the elegant woman who sat behind the reception desk. Her dark hair slicked back, with cherry red lips and heavy black-framed glasses, she was chic in that New York way. A look Stasia had never been able to accomplish, what with that touch of Italian wildness flowing through her veins.

  The woman was beautiful, as was the executive floor’s lobby, which was the epitome of understated elegance. Warm lighting that cast the room in a flattering glow, more of those large posters of vintage Worth Luxury advertisements. Sleek brown couches made of the softest leather invited visitors to sit, the sort of furniture a person could sink into and never want to get out of.

  She’d sat on one to test it, only to immediately bounce back up and start pacing. Nerves wouldn’t allow her to relax. They were pinging inside her belly like one thousand metal balls in a pinball machine. Clanging and banging against each other until she thought she might be sick from the constant motion.

  Gavin stood near the elevator, on his phone as usual. Something wasn’t right with him. He’d been avoiding her, claiming he was busy at work, but she knew he was lying. For whatever reason, he kept his distance. She wasn’t sure if he was angry with her or merely trying to keep it professional after what had happened between them in Italy.

  A shame that he avoided her, since what they shared those few stolen nights had been some of the best sex she’d ever experienced. The man was a smoldering, gorgeous mass of contradictions, almost all of them infinitely arousing. On one hand stern and uncommunicative, irritating the life out of her, he could turn on a dime. Become charming, smooth, funny, sweet, sexy…

  Most definitely sexy.

  “Miss Renaldi, Mr. Westmore? They’re ready to see you now.”

  Stasia whirled around at the sound of the woman’s voice, heard Gavin’s approach from behind. Without a word, he settled his hand at the small of her back and walked with her as they fell into step behind the assistant. She led them down a short hall, stopping at a door on the right, which she opened with an efficient flick of her wrist. Offering them a small smile over her shoulder, she murmured, “Right this way.”

  They entered a small conference room that was dominated by a broad table, which was surrounded by at least ten black high-backed chairs. The room was empty, not a Worth in sight, and Stasia turned, prepared to ask the woman where they might be.

  The assistant was ready for her. “They’re on their way. A previous meeting ran late and they have just now returned. They’re in the elevator as we speak.”

  Stasia snapped her lips shut. “Oh. Thank you.”

  “May I offer you coffee? Tea? Perhaps a glass of water?”

  The thought of drinking anything made Stasia’s stomach slosh unattractively. “No, thank you.”

  “For you, Mr. Westmore?”

  “I’m fine, thank you.” His deep voice was a balm, soothed Stasia into believing everything was going to be all right. Gavin was an old friend of Alex’s. He was her lawyer, her guardian, the man who knew her current weaknesses and strengths, who would do his best to protect her.

  She wasn’t going into this alone, and knowing that was a tremendous relief.

  The woman exited the room without another word, the only sound the quiet click of the door shutting behind her. Exhaling sharply, Stasia turned to Gavin, hoping for words of reassurance.

  He said nothing, merely looked at her as if she were nothing more than a very uninteresting bug crawling across the floor.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” The words flew out of her before she could give them any thought but she didn’t regret them. Her fiery temper, which had been doused to near nothing after all the devastation her father’s death brought to the family, had suddenly flared back up with a vengeance.

  “Absolutely nothing is wrong with me.” He fixed her with a neutral stare, his lips pressed into a hard, thin line. “You, by the way, are a bundle of nerves.”

  “No kidding,” she muttered, pulling out a chair so she could sit. She sank into the butter-soft chair with a quiet sigh, determined to get to the bottom of Gavin’s mood. “You’ve avoided me, Gavin.”

  He sat next to her, his arm bumping against hers, though he wouldn’t look at her. “I’ve been busy at work. I told you this.”

  “And I don’t believe you.”

  A chuckle escaped him and he shook his head. “That’s unfortunate, since it’s the truth.”

  “What happened? Did I do something? Say something? Is there anything you’re not telling me in regards to this meeting? Are they going to drop some sort of verbal bomb that will send me reeling?” She grabbed his arm, gave it a little shake. “I’ve been sent reeling before, Gavin. I don’t think I could take it again. Not now, not so soon after my father’s death.”

  “Let me reassure you, I know of no bombs the Worths might’ve planned to drop on you. Today’s meeting is a simple meet and greet sort of thing. A chance for you to talk to them, to show a bit of your personality, to show you’re not threatening them or the company in any manner.”

  “That is all anyone cares for, is it not? Money and riches and who might end up with what cut.” The disgust curling through her was potent. Overwhelming. “They see any sort of glimmer of my diamond-encrusted claws and they’ll lock down their entire financial portfolio when I couldn’t give a damn about getting one cent out of them.”

  “You know that, Stasia. I know that. But they don’t know that. And they’re the ones who matter right now,” Gavin pointed out.

  She released her grip on his arm, taking a deep breath. “You’re right. I need to keep a cool head.”

  “You do. Don’t display even an iota of that temper you just shared with me. They’re looking for any excuse to walk and shut down communication with you. Don’t give them a reason.”

  Emitting an un-ladylike snort, she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “All of this hinges on me and my behavior. I am the one who is scrutinized. It’s so unfair.”

  “It is what it is. You take it too personally and you’ll fall apart within minutes. Stay strong.” He le
aned in, brushed the quickest, sweetest kiss to her cheek. “You can do this, baby. I know you can.”

  She stiffened her spine, his words and tender kiss giving her courage. There was still minor turmoil rumbling between them, but they would solve their troubles later. Right now, she needed to focus on the task at hand. Convincing the Worths she wasn’t a threat.

  The door opened, and one by one, the brothers entered the room, in birth order, even. Alex first, emanating power with just a glance, his expression tight, his dark blue suit utter perfection. She trembled at the sight of him, gripped the arms of her chair tight when he looked at her, then flicked his glance away.

  Dismissed. Just like that.

  Hunter was next, his expression one of seething, barely restrained anger. He wouldn’t even look her way as he chose a chair to sit in, keeping his gaze carefully averted.

  Disappointment left a hollow in her stomach.

  And finally Rhett strode in. Casually dressed in khaki pants and an untucked white button-front shirt with the sleeves rolled up, he appeared to have not a care in the world. He flashed Stasia a cheeky grin, acknowledging her with a flick of his chin.

  It was probably foolish, but Stasia viewed the youngest Worth brother as her only ally among them.

  “Gavin,” Alex said, reaching out to shake Gavin’s hand, who stood to greet him. “Good to see you. You’re looking well.”

  “Same goes for you, Alex.” They shook hands before they both sat down, Alex directly across from him. “I see marriage and fatherhood agrees with you.”

  A spark of pleasure lit Alex’s dark blue gaze, quick as a flickering match before the flame was doused. “It does, indeed. Family, as you well know, has always been important to me.”

  “I do know. That’s why I hope you’re looking forward to meeting my client.”

  Alex’s gaze met hers and fear trembled in her heart. He was intelligent, shrewd. Tough. She’d heard many a story how he could make grown women and men cry with just a look.

  She refused to let him break her. After all, she’d grown up with three macho Italian brothers who thought they were God’s gift. Surely she could handle three more of them, right?