As I walk down the corridor, she screams, “Why did you come back, Angelica, nobody wants you here? Go back to wherever you’ve been and leave the rest of us to live happily ever after. I give you one week before you fall on that fat ass of yours and make yourself look like a fool.”
“Keep telling yourself that sister, from where I’m standing, the only fool around here is the woman dressed as a cheap whore looking for tricks. Maybe I should call the cops and have you arrested for soliciting, I’m sure that would look good on the front of the society pages.”
Slamming the office door behind me, I try to stop myself from crumbling. Images of her and Sebastian together destroy me all over again and as Dora looks up, I hand her the coffee and say tightly, “Please tell security I don’t want any of my family allowed access to this building. I also need a moment alone, so, please would it be possible to finish your work at your desk?”
To her credit, Dora just nods. “Of course, consider it done.”
She heads outside with her coffee and I’m grateful for her professionalism because I need to be alone with my miserable thoughts as I try to work out if I’m strong enough for this.
Sitting down, I take a huge swig of my coffee and reach for the phone. As I dial the number I know by heart, I feel my heart settle. I should have done this right from the start.
“Yes.”
“It’s Angel.”
There’s a light pause and then in a gentler tone, he says, “Hey, baby, we’re worried about you.”
I almost crumble but he would not appreciate that, so I ram some steel in my heart to keep it upright and banish all emotion as I’ve trained myself to do before saying, “I need some help.”
“Just ask and it’s yours.”
“I need information on Tobias Moretti.”
“Is he threatening you?”
I hear the ominous tone and smile to myself. Yes, I knew I could count on my family. “Not yet, which is why I need to be armed with information before he does.”
“You’ll have it within the hour.”
My voice almost breaks as the tears threaten to blind me and I hold it together just a fraction of a second longer as I say, “Thanks, Ryder.”
I cut the call and lie face down on the desk and cry harder than I have for some time. It’s all too much. I knew it would be hard, but this is like a pit of salt waiting beside an open wound. Every step I take, someone throws some in and it burns.
15
Angel
Dora feeds me the information I requested, and I read every word. It appears that daddy had a loyal workforce because they appear to like working here and stay for years. The turnover is small and I can see why. They have good working conditions, higher than average pay and generous holiday entitlement. The healthcare package is a good one and they enjoy many benefits that don’t come as standard. My father has surprised me. He obviously valued his staff and treated them right, I’m glad of that at least. Once again, I feel a pang as I think about what I’m planning. Would I really sell out to a criminal just for petty revenge? I’m not so sure anymore and when the information I requested makes its way over to me, I study it with interest.
Sebastian was right to be worried because Tobias Moretti is a felony on legs. He has his fingers in several pies dotted around the city and most of them illegal. I can only wonder why he hasn’t been taken out already and wonder if he’s the devil that can be controlled.
However, I know enough about men like him to know he won’t be a pushover, so I need to up my game before we meet. I can’t back down and I need to be firm about what I want because one sign of weakness is all it would take to give him the information he needs to break me all over again.
The day passes, and I stay locked in my office. Dora keeps me supplied with food, drink and information and my eyes close long before my resolve and as I see her weary face looking at me, I feel bad. “It’s way past clocking off time, Dora, why don’t you head home and make sure to come in at lunchtime tomorrow? You’ve worked hard and I need you fit and well to help me through this.”
She looks surprised. “No, I’ll be in at 7 am sharp, as always.”
Shaking my head, I adopt a fiercer tone. “I insist, bosses orders. Now go and salvage at least some of your evening.”
She nods and then says softly, “Will you be ok, Miss. Johnson?”
“It’s Angel and yes, I think I will be. Thanks for your help today, I think we’ll work well together.”
She smiles and heads outside and I know how lucky I am to have her. My gaze falls to my father’s photograph and for once I don’t have any anger toward him. If anything, I feel a new found respect for the man who obviously valued his employees and I can see why. Here everybody worked well and got the job done. They put in the hours and he reaped the rewards. When he went home, his family grasped what he gave them and never helped in any way. I wonder about the man whose heart gave out in the end. Will I discover that I formed the wrong opinion of him without getting to know him properly first?
Sighing, I decide to head back to the cabin. A few hours’ sleep will help because tomorrow, I intend on facing the staff and I’m still not sure what I’ll tell them.
As I close my office door behind me, I notice a light on under a door a few doors away. Feeling curious, I push it open and swallow hard as I see Sebastian poring over his computer screen with only the desk lamp as a companion. He looks weary and defeated and I feel solely responsible for that. He has discarded his jacket and his shirt is unbuttoned showing the smattering of dark hair that I remember well. His stubble filled jaw makes my legs weak with desire and as he raises his weary eyes to mine, I see them darken as he shoots me the usual lust-filled look we always shared.
“Angel.”
I nod, noting he used my new name and I thank him for it. A small victory but one that matters—to me, anyway.
“You’re working late, what’s the matter, did my sister wear you out earlier and you feel you should make up the time?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Anastasia, she was here earlier for your regular booty call I believe.”
The anger in his eyes surprises me as he says tightly, “There was and never has been any booty call. You seem to have a very low opinion of me based on your own hurt and anger.”
“Can you blame me?”
The look in his eyes shocks me as he fixes me with a pained expression. “No, I don’t blame you. I’m sure if I were in your position, I’d feel exactly the same.”
I feel curious and against my better judgment, move inside his office and say tentatively, “Maybe now is the time.”
“For what?”
He looks guarded and I feel a little anxious as I take the seat opposite him. “For explanations. You owe me that at least.”
Suddenly, I have his full attention and as I feel the full force of it, I swallow hard. When Sebastian looks at me, he sees inside my soul. He always has. He sees things nobody else does and as he stares at me now, I see the understanding in his eyes and he visibly relaxes. A gentle look crosses his face and I push away my desire to head across and curl up on his lap like I used to. He always did offer me comfort when I needed it most and there were many nights that we just sat while he stroked my hair and whispered that he would always look after me.
I can tell he has the same memory because I see the pain in his expression as he says softly, “It was never my intention to marry Anastasia.”
“But…”
He holds up his hand and says firmly, “Let me finish.”
I fall silent and he sighs wearily. “Your father knew it was you. It always was, but he wasn’t happy about that for some reason.”
“Why?”
“I never did find out but the day before you left, he called my father and me to his office. Once again, my father had gambled away further shares of the company and to say your daddy was pissed was putting it mildly. You see, Angel, despite what we thought of your father, he liv
ed for this company. He was fearful for its future. Not only was he unwillingly going into business with a criminal but the world was rebelling against the use of plastic. He was fighting on every level and my father was a weak link in the chain that had to be ended.”
Sebastian looks so broken my first instinct is to comfort him - but I can’t. Whatever his reasons were he betrayed me and I need to hear him out before I can decide if he deserves forgiveness or not.
“As it happens, my father was ill. Terminally.”
He raises his eyes to mine and I see the pain intensified in his. “He needed expensive medical care and his healthcare wasn’t up to the job. He offered the rest of his shares to your father in return for the treatment but…”
He breaks off and I hold my breath as I picture the scene. Surely daddy helped, he must have done. I almost can’t bear to hear the answer because Sebastian looks destroyed.
“He told my father that he only wanted one thing in return. Me.”
I feel confused and Sebastian laughs bitterly. “I still remember the hard look in his eye as I sat beside my father. He told me he knew of our relationship and wasn’t happy about it. I had dishonored him by taking the innocence of his beloved daughter—his exact words and now I would pay the price. I was to agree to marry Anastasia, to get her off his back as he put it and break all connections with you. He wanted more for you apparently and a relationship with me wasn’t in his life plan.”
“But why?”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing and he says angrily, “Because he didn’t think I was good enough. He told me my father’s weakness was evidence of that. He wanted somebody strong for you because you were the only hope he had left. You were his heir apparent and needed to be strong and not distracted by love.”
The tears fall freely down my face as I whisper, “He wanted me to suffer, to lose the one thing I loved for this… the company’s future?”
Sebastian shrugs and says gently, “Probably, yes. Whatever his reasons, he was very clear he didn’t want me in your life. Maybe it was a punishment for going behind his back, or maybe he just didn’t think I was good enough for you but it appears he wanted to break you to rebuild you a stronger person. Chaining me to Anastasia was the weapon he needed and my biggest regret is that I agreed.”
I feel so bitter I almost can’t speak. “You gave up on … us.”
Sebastian says angrily, “I never gave up on us, I bought us time.”
“Time, are you kidding me? You thought by agreeing to marry my sister made you look stronger and would make my daddy accept you. You’re a fool, Sebastian. He was testing you. He wanted to see how strong and how committed you really were. Well, as it happens, you failed at the first test, so well done, honey, you get the prize for being the biggest dumb fuck of the lot.”
Sebastian brings his fist down on the table and shouts, “I was given no other choice. Agree to marry Anastasia and give my father the treatment he needed to make his last days comfortable. It was an impossible choice. The two most important people in the world to me were being used against me. I had to agree because despite his weaknesses I loved my father and would make the same choice all over again.”
I can’t help the tears that fall and pull away as Sebastian moves across and kneels before me. He takes my hands in his and says in a broken voice, “I agreed to marry your sister for him. When I made that decision, I vowed that was all it would be—a pretense. I never once kissed her, I certainly never touched her, and I just played the fiancé in public. In private I kept my distance and her coming here today was to threaten me all over again.”
“What do you mean?”
“She told me that unless we married and become a proper couple, when you leave and she inherits the company, she would make sure I lost everything. She told me it was certain you will leave and I would end up with nothing.”
“What did you do?” My voice comes out in a whisper, almost fearful for his answer, as he says firmly, “I broke off our fake engagement and told her to leave.”
Reaching up, he strokes the side of my face and says huskily, “It was always you, Angel. You know that. Losing everything was a price I was willing to pay because without you, I have nothing. I did what I had to for my father but now I owe nobody. It’s time I did what my heart always wanted and try to win you back. I never wanted to lose you in the first place but you ran before I had the chance to explain. I never stopped loving you and you were always the first thing I thought about when I woke and the last thing at night.”
I almost can’t breathe as the past swirls around like a choking fog. It seeps into my mind and distorts my feelings. On the one hand, I want to forgive Sebastian and recover a future that was always meant to be, but I have lived with the hurt for five long painful years and I’m not sure it’s so easy.
Pulling back, my voice sounds strangled as I say, “I need time.”
I don’t miss the disappointment in his eyes as he drops my hands and stands up. “Of course, I’ll wait for as long as it takes.”
Unsure about what to do next, I stand on shaking limbs and clear my throat. “Um… I need to get some rest and think about everything. Maybe you should too.”
I turn to leave and his hand on my shoulder causes my heart to beat frantically as he says softly, “Please believe me, Angel. I was never going to marry Anastasia. I did what I had to for my father; I can’t change it and would do it again. My biggest regret was that you never got to hear it from me.”
It’s tempting. So tempting to give into what I know is inevitable but something is preventing me from doing it. It’s too much and will take a lot more than words to rebuild the broken person I became, so I just nod. “I believe you, Seb, I’m sorry, I just need time, a lot has happened in the past five years and I’m not the girl who left all those years ago. I’m not sure Angel is who you think she is and you may not like what I’ve become. Please, let’s just deal with the future of this company and worry about the rest another day.”
I walk away from Sebastian as is becoming the habit. I walk from the building and wonder about its future.
As I head back to the cabin, I do so with fear in my heart because I’m not sure I am strong enough for the days ahead. My daddy broke me for a reason and now I just need to discover what that reason is.
16
Sebastian
I’m not sure I slept a wink all night. Angel is so far inside my head there’s no room for me anymore. Every time I see her, I just want to rewind time and make it all better. Five years is a long time to regret one decision. I have been lonely for the entire time because the only physical contact I’ve had is with the subs at the club. They ask no questions and demand nothing. It’s just sex, and I was a fool for thinking it would drive the memory of her away. It didn’t. All it did was reinforced the fact I miss her so much my heart hurts more each day. Now she’s back and there’s so much I want to say and yet my words sound weak and pathetic even to my own ears. No, Angel deserves a strong man, one who will never let her down, so whatever it takes I will stand by her side and see this through—wherever it may lead.
As soon as I step foot inside the office, I know she’s here already. Her door is closed but I know she’s inside. We always did have a sixth sense where the other was concerned and I wonder how she’s feeling. A staff meeting was called for 9 am today in the board room and I sense the unease in the air as the staff fear the worst. I fear nothing except that she will leave. Turn her back on the lot of us and head right back where she came from.
Thinking of the company she’s been keeping makes my blood boil. Bikers. It doesn’t bear thinking about and thinking of Angel in their world, being used like a cheap whore is enough to send me over the edge. I try not to think about it but seeing that beast waiting for her that day has painted a picture I’m not keen to dwell on. I did that. I sent her to hell and I have no right to judge her for it.
Pamela, my assistant, smiles as I head toward my office. “Good morning, sir
.”
I note the tense set to her lips and the worry in her eyes. She is worried about her job, it’s obvious but I have no words of comfort. I don’t know which way this will go as much as the rest of them and can only hope that Angel has seen enough to make the right decision and not act out of revenge.
For the next hour, I catch up on emails and wonder what’s going on inside her head. I wish I knew because its agony waiting for her to determine all our fate. I only want one thing—her and if it takes me the rest of my miserable life, I’m going to make it up to her.
“Um... excuse me, Mr. Stone.”
Looking up, I see Pamela waiting nervously by the open door. “What is it?”
“Um... Dora told me to add a meeting in the diary for this afternoon and I wanted to check it was ok with you first.”
“What meeting?”
“Um... it’s at 2 o’clock with Tobias Moretti.”
I just nod because I expected this. Angel means business, and it’s what I would have done in her shoes.
“Fine, add it to my schedule.”
She nods and heads back to her desk and I wonder what Angel will make of Tobias. I’ve had the displeasure of meeting him three times and hated every minute of it. He’s cold, calculating and cruel and the thought of sitting across the table from him is not a pleasant one. I just hope she’s made the right decision because if, as I fear, she’s about to make him an offer he would be a fool to refuse, it’s all over for the lot of us.
Just before nine, I make my way to the boardroom and wonder what I’ll find. Only the department managers have been summoned because there isn’t a room big enough in the building to accommodate all the staff in one sitting.
They nod as I pass but I’m not interested in exchanging pleasantries with any of them. I don’t care that they look worried and I have no words to reassure them, so I stand by the large window and look out over the city. Everything looks the same but soon it may all change - forever.
Breaking Beauty: A Second Chance Romance Page 8