Cruel Billionaire

by Luma Rose

  It’s coming, though. The wedding is only a couple weeks away.

  Today is election day, and all I can think of is that I should be by her side to either help her celebrate Ford’s win or soothe the burn of defeat if he loses.

  But instead I’m sitting on my couch, sipping a drink and staring at the screen of my TV but not really seeing anything on it. I need to figure out a way to get Isla back in my life, but first I need to figure out how to get my dad out of the way.

  He obviously doesn’t know about the broken engagement or he’d have been up my ass about it days ago.

  I bring the crystal glass to my lips and take a healthy gulp. The scotch burns as it goes down, but I don’t mind. Lately all I’ve felt is numb, so this is an improvement.

  My phone buzzes on the coffee table, but I ignore it. There’s no one I want to talk to right now other than Isla, and she’s not calling me anytime ever. A minute later it buzzes again. I pick it up this time and see Lincoln’s name on the screen, then hit the button to send it to voicemail. I’m not in the mood.

  A minute later, it buzzes again, so I hit the green circle with my thumb and bring it to my ear. “What?”

  “How come you’re not down here at Ford’s campaign office to celebrate?”

  People are talking in the background, and the desperation in me tries to make out Isla’s voice among the rest.

  “Because my ex-fiancée is there and wants nothing to do with me, asshole.”

  “I figured you’d still be here so you could see her. I wanted to see you tonight. I found something.”

  I sit up straight on the couch. “What?”

  “I don’t know if it’ll mean anything to you.”

  “Tell me,” I demand.

  And he does.

  For the first time since the engagement party, I smile.

  The next day, I call Ford to congratulate him. He won the election and is now the mayor of the largest city in Colorado. I somehow resist the urge to ask how Isla is. It’s not that I don’t want to know, but I don’t want to put him in the middle. I’m determined to win her back, but first I have to deal with my father. And for once, I’m looking forward to it.

  I arrive at the office at my usual time. Roslin is already perched at her desk, ready to do my bidding.

  “I need to see my father today. Can you call up and see what time works? Don’t take no for an answer.” Without waiting for her to reply, I walk into my office and shut the door behind me.

  I’m doing the old man a favor by even trying to accommodate his schedule.

  Twenty minutes later, Roslin buzzes into my office, “Your father can see you at ten a.m., sir. His secretary said he only has five minutes for you, though.”

  I grin. We’ll see about that. He’ll have as long as I want once he hears what I have to say.

  “Thanks, Roslin.”

  Most of the morning, I scan pictures from last night just to see Isla as she celebrated with Ford.

  Once it’s almost ten, I make my way out of my office and out to the elevator to take it up to the floor my dad’s office is on. It’s just his office up there—him and his secretary and a large boardroom. He sees himself like Zeus at the top Mount Olympus. Well, he can consider me Typhon. I’m not going to defeat him today, but I will maim him.

  I step into the elevator and smooth my tie down my chest, whistling when I step out into the foyer housing my dad’s secretary.

  “He’s waiting for you inside his office. You have five minutes,” she says.

  I give her a nod and wrap my hand around the handle of his office door, pushing it in and closing it behind me.

  “What’s this about?” he barks from behind his oversized desk.

  I take my time waltzing across the room and sit down in front of him. “I want to talk to you about something.”

  “I have a virtual meeting to take in five minutes, make it quick.” He scowls as he leans back in his chair.

  “It’s about the land in Texas you want from Isla’s family.” I rest my elbows on the armrests and steeple my fingers in front of me.

  He grins, getting that greedy gleam in his eye. “Have you talked to her about it already? I underestimated you. I figured you’d be giving me the excuse of time to grieve.”

  I return his smile. “There’s no need. It’s not going to be yours. Not now. Not ever.”

  The line between his eyebrows grows as his scowl deepens. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. You can forget about ever getting your hands on it. I’m going to make sure that never happens.”

  He stands and leans forward on his desk, palms resting on the wood surface in front of him. “You forget who’s in charge here, boy.” His voice is full of dark menace.

  “I know exactly who’s in charge. And that’s me.” He opens his mouth to speak, but I raise my hand up to stop him. “Unless you want the rest of the board to know about your hefty investment in Sunfire Solar and Wind.”

  His face falls at the same time his ass drops back into his chair.

  Gotcha.

  “That’s right, I know all about your ownership in the company. Though, good job trying to hide it. As I understand it, all those shell corporations and accounts in other countries made it difficult to find. Difficult, but not impossible.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He’s slowly losing his control as his eyes frantically shift around the room like he’s looking for a life vest on a sinking ship.

  “Actually, I do. It wasn’t until I looked up Sunfire that I realized that’s what you were looking at on your computer that day I dropped by the house. I saw the logo in the reflection in the glass, but it didn’t mean anything at the time.”

  This is the first time I’ve ever seen him speechless.

  My father owns a fair stake in a wind and solar company, which wouldn’t be a big deal except for the fact that he’s the head of the board for an oil company. It’s clear in our contracts that we can’t own any stakes in competing technologies in the energy sector. If the board found out about this, it would result in his removal from the board and he’d be fired as president of the company.

  My father loves his money and power, but the one thing more important to him than both those things? His ego.

  “You can’t do anything about it. I’ve got just as much shit to hang over you and your friend’s heads, so don’t go getting any ideas, son.”

  I grin at him. “I’m willing to take my chances, though. What about you?”

  He balks for a second, then narrows his eyes. “You’re full of shit.”

  I tilt my head. “Am I, though? Are you willing to test that theory?” I stare at him in stony silence, hoping he’ll see the truth of my words.

  I meant it when I said I’d do anything to protect Isla. And if that means me going down to bring him down with me, then that’s what I’ll do. I’d rather take my chances in the courtroom than take the chance that he could hurt Isla.

  He sees that I’m serious because he says through clenched teeth, “What do you want?”

  “I want you to leave Isla alone. Accept that you’re not getting that property and don’t try to use her, her mother or me to change that.”

  His nostrils flare and his fists tighten. “And if I do that, you’ll keep this information about Sunfire to yourself?”

  I nod. “Correct.”

  It’s clear that he’s at war with himself. On one hand I’m sure his ego is telling him not to let me win, but on the other, he’s probably envisioning what the headlines will read if he’s yet another disgraced CEO. Not to mention that all that press would surely send journalists digging, and who knows what they’d find?

  He keeps his gaze locked with mine, but I don’t look away. Let him test me. I’m not fucking around.

  “Fine,” he grits out.

  I stand and button my suit jacket. “I’m glad we have an understanding.”

  Walking toward his office door, I turn and look at him once my hand
grips the doorknob. “And don’t try anything because I’ll be watching. I’ve got an email ready to go to all the members of the board. I just have to press send.”

  He grunts, his face bright red with anger.

  I turn the handle and leave, slamming the door behind me. When I hear something smash against the other side of it, all I can do is chuckle as I walk away.

  Step one complete.

  Now I have to figure out how to win my woman back.

  46

  Chapter Forty-six

  Isla

  Every day has been awful since my split with Garrin, but today feels especially so. Today was supposed to be our wedding day. I’ve tried not to wallow in the grief over my father’s passing and the end of my relationship with Garrin too much in the weeks since the end of Ford’s campaign, but it’s been difficult now that my days aren’t filled with to-do lists.

  Ford offered me a spot on his team at City Hall, but I declined. It’s not what I want for my life. I want to study for the bar so that I can help those less fortunate. The question I’m trying to figure out now is whether that’s here in Colorado or back in Washington.

  If my dad were still alive, I would have already hopped on a plane to D.C., but I don’t want to leave my mom alone. It’s too soon.

  So, I’ve spent my days watching shitty TV and eating too much crap food. Not even exercise helps to relieve the stress anymore. All I do is think of either my father or Garrin. I’m trying to do what my dad asked me to—live my life and be happy—but it’s impossible because my life is so empty with both him and Garrin absent.

  A knock on the door causes me to look up from the book I’m pretending to read while my thoughts run rampant.

  “Come in,” I say.

  My mom enters, carrying a garment bag over her arm and wearing a small smile on her face.

  “Hi, honey. How are you doing?”

  She knows what happened with Garrin—I explained it all to her shortly after it happened. I’m bracing for it to hit all the society papers any day now, since I officially put the word out that the wedding was cancelled.

  “I’m okay. How about you?” I ask.

  She frowns. “I know today is a harder day than most lately. So, I have a little surprise.”

  “Okay…” I sit up on the bed and cross my legs.

  She carries the garment bag over and sets it on the end of my bed before unzipping it. Inside is an ivory Grecian-looking evening gown.

  I tilt my head at her. “It’s beautiful, but what’s it for?”

  “It’s for you. I want you to put it on. Then I’m going to go get dressed and we’re going out.”

  I groan. “I don’t want to go out, Mom.”

  “It will be good for both of us.” Her hand rests on mine. “I need this, sweetheart, please don’t make me go alone.”

  She has me. She knows she does. And I uncross my legs and scoot off my mattress.

  “Where are we going?” I ask, hoping it’s not somewhere where we have to hobnob with people.

  “It’s a surprise. Now you get ready and I’ll meet you by the door in an hour.”

  An hour. It will take me longer than an hour to get myself together, but I agree and she leaves my room.

  Reaching down, I pull the dress all the way out of the garment bag. It’s gorgeous. My mom did a great job picking it out besides the fact that the color and style remind me of a wedding gown. I push that thought from my mind as I go hang it in the closet and then head to my bathroom for a quick shower.

  An hour and fifteen minutes later, my mom waits for me in the foyer. She’s dressed in a floor-length navy-blue-and-silver sequined dress.

  “You look gorgeous, Mom.”

  She gives me a sad smile. “Thanks, it was one of your dad’s favorites.”

  Leaning in, I give her a hug and kiss on the cheek, careful not to leave a lipstick print.

  “You look beautiful, honey.” She takes my hands and holds them out so that she can get a good look at me.

  “Sorry I’m late. It took longer than I thought to make myself presentable.”

  I opted for a brown-and-black smoky eye, nude lip, and my hair down and in waves. I only pulled a few pieces back from my head and secured them in back.

  “No problem, honey. What we’re doing will wait.”

  “What are we doing, by the way?”

  “It’s still a secret. But let’s get going. We have a car waiting.”

  I raise an eyebrow, but she laughs at my skepticism and heads out the door. It’s a little chilly since it’s only May, but I don’t bother with a coat since my mother didn’t. We’re obviously not going to be outside.

  There’s a fancy black SUV waiting for us in our drive, and we both climb in. A half hour later we pull up in front of the Old Mill. It’s a large Tudor-looking mansion that used to be a mill centuries ago and is now a venue. I had looked into it for the wedding and one of Ford’s celebration parties.

  “What’s going on here tonight?” I ask.

  The parking lot is empty, so either it’s just us or we’re early for whatever it is.

  The SUV pulls up to the front of the building and stops.

  “Come on.” My mom exits the vehicle without waiting for the driver to come around to her side, and I follow behind her.

  “Mom, what is this?” I ask.

  She loops her arm through mine and pats my hand. “You have so many questions.”

  “Wouldn’t you?” I ask with a small chuckle.

  She leads me through the building until we reach the doors of the main room, where she stops and faces me.

  “Now, don’t be mad at me but I wouldn’t have gone along with this plan if I didn’t think this was what is best for you.”

  “Go along with what?” I step back as my heart rate picks up.

  She cups my face in her hands, effectively stopping me. “Garrin called me and asked me to bring you here.”

  Tears spring to my eyes and a painful lump forms in my throat. “Mom,” I say in a strangled whisper.

  “I listened to everything he had to say, his whole story, and you should too. I don’t know if it will make a difference to you or not. But there’s no way you can move on with your life without at least getting closure.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t want to see him.”

  She presses her lips together and looks at me with sadness in her eyes. “I don’t think that’s really true. However mad I was at your father, deep down I always wanted him around.”

  “We’re not you and Dad.”

  This time her smile is full of mirth. “Oh, honey. You two are exactly like your father and me. Which is why I agreed to bring you here so that Garrin could try to win you back. In the end it’s your decision and I’ll respect whichever one you make, but don’t let the fear of being hurt stop you from finding true love. Some things are always worth the risk.”

  “But…”

  “It’s okay to be afraid. But know that even if I’d known all those years ago when I met your father that I’d lose him the way I did, I still wouldn’t change anything.” She leans in and kisses my forehead, just like Garrin did so many times. “Now go in there with an open heart and an open mind. It’s what your father would have wanted.”

  My lips tremble, but I nod and turn to face the door. She gives my hand one last squeeze before I push the doors open.

  I gasp when I step inside. The room stretches out before me—all wood flooring with an ornate wood ceiling. The far end has floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over a garden. Tables have been set up around the perimeter with beautiful floral centerpieces, and a DJ booth sits at the far end off to the side of the windows. In the center of the dance floor stands Garrin.

  Hearing me enter, he turns, and I lose my breath. He’s dressed in a dark navy tux with black lapels and he looks handsome. Though he looks nervous, he smiles and closes the distance between us.

  A huge part of me wants to run, but my feet are glued to the floor. I can�
�t seem to move.

  “I’m so glad you came,” he says when he reaches me.

  Finally, I find my voice. “I didn’t really have a choice. My mom didn’t tell me where we were going.”

  Hurt flashes across his face, but he schools his features quickly. “Did you know before you opened those doors to come in here?”

  I nod slowly.

  “I’ll take that as a good sign, then.” He reaches forward, almost hesitantly, and holds out a corsage.

  “What is all this?” I gesture to the space around us.

  “You never got to experience your senior prom. I don’t know if you remember, but this is where it was held. I had our party planner from the wedding recreate it. Even the centerpieces are how they were that night.”

  I blink back tears.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  I appreciate the gesture, and if we were still together, I’d be over the moon, but all of this doesn’t automatically erase all the hurt.

  “You don’t have to say anything. I was hoping you’d just listen, and then if you have something you want to say to me, I’m all ears.”

  I inhale to calm my racing heart. “Okay.” My mom is right, I need closure.

  “Can I put this on you first?” He holds up the corsage. “Every girl going to her prom needs one.”

  I nod and he steps forward, the scent of his cologne bringing with it all of intimate memories between the two of us. I miss the way that scent made me feel safe and protected. When his fingers brush over my skin to slide the corsage on, a surge of electricity races up my arm and we lock eyes. The intensity in his gaze unsettles me and I pull my hand away once the corsage is on.

  He clears his throat and pushes a hand through his hair.

  “You already know what my father is holding over my head. What you don’t know is that shortly after you first returned to town, he came to me and asked me to get close to you. Apparently, your dad had a plot of land down in Texas that he wanted, but your father refused to sell it to him. I didn’t know what he was up to at first, but I did what he asked because he held the photograph over my head. But once I started spending time with you, I swear, Isla, all the feelings I had in high school resurged and developed. I never once lied to you about how I felt.”