Billionaire Games Boxed Set 1-3 (42 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CECILY CHARGED THROUGH THE FOYER of her brother’s home. She needed no help in finding Connie’s library. She knew the layout of this house better than she did the place where Andre de Laurent had stashed her and Daniel.

Connie was already inside the library. Good. Cecily laid her purse on the table by the door and hurried toward her brother standing by the window with a drink in hand.

“Well, you sure took your sweet time…” He raised his glass in a toast. “Considering the hurry you seemed to be in on the phone.”

“Make jokes all you want.” Nothing, not even Connie’s negativity, could alienate her now. “But you’ll be thanking me before too long.”

“Is that a fact?” He took a drink.

Cecily went to the bar and poured herself a whiskey and seven. She deserved a drink, and lots more. She raised a silent toast to herself before turning back to face Connie. “A couple of days ago I thought we were done for.”

“We
are
done for.” He shook his head. “You had a damn good job with the de Laurents. You should’ve just kept your mouth shut.”

“You say that now.” She strolled toward the window and glanced out. The backyard was small but lush, with green grass and trees lining the back fence. If she leaned toward the window enough, she’d be able to see the hot pink Phlox lining the perimeter of the house. “It’s like I’ve always told you, Connie…good things come to those who wait.”

“A couple months more…” Connie shrugged. “And it won’t matter.” He looked at Cecily with a soft expression. “What will you do now?”

“Wait.”

“Wait?” His voice filled with surprise, then skepticism. “Wait for what?”

“For the attorneys to call us and tell us that Andre de Laurent has relinquished his claim on the Renault fortune,” she said in a mean-spirited tone.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen.” He shook his head. He looked at Cecily and raised his near-empty glass in a toast. “You’re an optimist, I’ll give you that.” He swallowed the rest of his drink.

“Well, I do have reason to be.”

“What have you done now, sister dear?”

“I had a little chat with Mrs. de Laurent today.”

That got his attention. For the first time since she’d walked into the room, he looked at her with a hopeful expression. “I take it you mean Andre’s wife?”

“That’s the one.” The whole thing gave her a puffed-up feeling. “Turns out I was right. She hadn’t a clue about the will’s stipulation requiring Andre to get married in order to inherit. You should’ve seen her face. It was amazing, even a little amusing…” Her declaration trailed off into a chuckle.

“Upset, was she?” He grinned. “Do you think she’ll leave him?”

“I think she’s preparing to leave as we speak, if she hasn’t left already.”

“What do you think his chances are that she’ll accept a payoff to stay?”

“Zero.” Cecily shook her head. “That girl’s in love. And when you’re in love, nobody likes to be used—especially when it comes to money.”

Connie refilled their glasses. The siblings raised their drinks and toasted. Their jovial laughter filled the room. Finally, Lady Luck had smiled upon them.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

TASHA WAITED IN THE LITTLE-USED PARLOR in the west wing of the third floor. Andre had some explaining to do, and once he got started, she didn’t want them disturbed. She skipped the drink she wanted to settle her nerves. Instead, she poured herself a glass of chilled water and moved to the window.

A variety of flowers in a bounty of colors lined the paths in the west garden. Tasha was going to miss this place. She’d resigned herself not to fret over it. Instead, she was going to cherish each moment she had left until her time here was up. At least it brought her some peace of mind.

The door opened. Andre came in carrying a binder. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” He went to her side and kissed her cheek. She tried not to cringe at his touch. It was just a lie. But Tasha was an actress, and a damned good one.

“I just wanted us to have some privacy.” She smiled.

“We’re going to have plenty of privacy during the upcoming weeks.” He offered her the binder. “Here.”

She took it but didn’t open it. “What’s this?”

“It’s a portfolio of the properties we’re inheriting.”

We’re inheriting
. That almost made Tasha laugh out loud. Luckily, she managed to contain it by clearing her throat. She didn’t want to tip her husband off just yet. She preferred to have the element of surprise when they got down to it, down to the real nitty-gritty of how they’re gotten here to this place in time, where she just so happened to be his wife.

She set the glass down on the small table in front of the window, accepted the binder and opened it. In the first leaf was an eleven-by-fourteen picture of a five-story castle of worn yellow stone. Trees, shrubs and flowers complemented a well-manicured lawn. It took her breath away.

She stared at the photograph. “Where is that place?”

“Avignon. It’s called Belle Vallee,” he said. “It’s the home where my mother grew up.”

“Wow.” Tasha trailed her fingertips over the image. “I’d like to see the house in person.” She looked at Andre. The last bit of her thought,
before I go
, stayed inside her head.

“Of course, you’ll see the house. You’ll see them all.”

“How many properties are there?” The thought crossed her mind that he must have dozens of properties at his disposal, maybe he’d let her live in one.

“Around twelve, if memory serves me.”

“All in Avignon?”

“Oh, no.” He shook his head. “All over the world.”

Are you sure you want to do this?
Leaving Andre took guts. But Tasha’s pride insisted upon it. She should’ve known this whole
Mrs. de Laurent
deal was too good to be true. And boy, was her mother going to be disappointed. Tasha was going to put off telling her as long as she could.

But she couldn’t put off the confrontation with Andre any longer. “You’d better sit down.” She pointed toward the couch, then moved to it herself. Andre was right behind her. She hesitated, sucking in a breath.

“Tasha…” He reached for her hands. She tensed up. “You’re scaring me.”

“I have questions for you.” She avoided looking at him. One come-hither look from him and she might cave. “How you answer them will figure prominently on the future. And trust me…” Tears swelled around her eyes. “The stakes are huge.”

“What is it?” The light in his eyes flickered. “What’s happened?”

“Why did you marry me?”

“Because I love you.”

She ignored his declaration. “Was it because I was pregnant?”

“What are you implying?” The light in his eyes dimmed.

“I’m just trying to figure out why you asked me to marry you last September, as opposed to six months before that? You’d told me then that you loved me.”

The failing light in his eyes died out. He glanced away, looking wholly embarrassed. “You know, don’t you.” It was more of a statement than a question.

“What exactly do you think I know?” She wanted to hear him say it, admit it. Explain to her how he could marry her for money’s sake and not tell her about it.

“I can explain,” he said in a pleading tone.

“And I can’t wait to hear it.” Her voice had grown so tense that it cracked. She moved to the end of the couch, away from Andre.

“I don’t know why my mother’s uncle—a man I can never recall meeting—decided to place everything on my shoulders.” Andre shook his head and then settled his gaze on her. “One hundred million dollars to be split equally between my brother and my sister, was dependent upon me getting my inheritance.”

“I’m well aware of that part of it.” Tasha could tell that the burden had weighed heavily on Andre’s shoulders for nearly a year now, but Andre wasn’t getting off that easily. This wasn’t about his responsibility to Julian and Lecie, it was about his inability to trust Tasha. “When you came to America last year, was it your plan all along to use me without telling me?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then what changed your mind?”

Andre shook his head and dropped his head into his hands. Tasha didn’t like seeing him anguish this way, but she couldn’t worry about that now. Besides, he’d brought this on himself.

Still, she couldn’t help wanting to aid him in finding the words. “What were your intentions when your plane landed in LA?” she asked. “You must have had something in mind.”

He looked up at her. “I did.” He nodded. “I had every intention of telling you everything. You were…you
are
the person I trust most, and I couldn’t imagine marrying anyone else. I was planning to ask you to help me. I knew I’d be asking a lot, so I was planning to compensate you.”

“Compensate me?” The distaste of those two words shuddered through her.

“I was going to give you one hundred million dollars to be my wife for one year.” His tone had gone weak. “With money to fund the project and Draco Studios at your disposal, you’d finally get that big break. And I’d honor my obligation to my brother and sister.”

“Not to mention gaining billions yourself.”

Andre lowered his eyes and looked away, unable to meet her gaze now.

On the verge of feeling sorry for Andre, Tasha jumpstarted the conversation again. “Okay, so you’re at my door, ready to knock, rehearsing the speech you’ve prepared…I open the door and it all flies out the window. Why?”

“Two little words.” Andre smiled sadly, but still didn’t look at her. Tasha waited for them. “I found a pregnancy test in your bathroom.”

The cloud that had blown over Andre made its way to Tasha. Her heart ached for the baby they’d lost. She tried to dispel the sorrow. She had to focus on the here-and-now and the future. “I still don’t get how you went from asking me to help you to using me to help yourself.” Her words were cold and had a bite to them that chilled even Tasha.

“I was never fully confident that you’d go along with my original plan to begin with. Let’s face it, asking a girl you love to marry you for one year is rather audacious.” A muscle quivered at his jaw. “I knew the odds weren’t in my favor when I devised the plan.” He shrugged. “But I had to give it a try. If I had to marry someone, you were my first choice.”

Tasha had to work to block out the charm Andre was showering over her. She was a fool for that man, but her feelings were beside the point. “Okay, so you found out I was pregnant and that changed everything.” She gave him the hardest stare she could manage. “Why?”

“Well, like I said…I already had the fear that you’d say no to my offer.” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving you alone with a child to take care of.
My
child.” Andre sucked in a breath, and maybe a little courage. “That’s the moment I knew I wanted to marry you, for real. That I’d never want to marry anyone else. And most of all, I wanted
you
to be the mother of my children.” Andre looked down at his hands and latched his fingers together. When he looked back at Tasha his eyes had moistened. “I acted hastily and foolishly and I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to risk losing you and our baby.”

Tasha loved Andre, but up until that day when he’d suggested they get married, she’d thought that was an unattainable goal. She’d never figured herself for rich people material. And it’d taken a will with strict guidelines for inheriting and a baby to convince Andre of it. Tasha wished she knew what the right thing was, if she really belonged in Andre’s world or if she was just kidding herself. One thing she was sure of, Andre had hurt her. Badly. She knew he was sorry, and one day she hoped she could forgive him. Sadly, that day, she feared, was far, far away.

Regret swelled inside Tasha’s chest and crowded her lungs, making it hard to breathe. She sucked in several breaths, trying to compensate. Tears misted her eyes.

How could she deprive one child of something she hadn’t dared take from another?

Tasha began to hyperventilate. How could Andre have done this to her? She leapt to her feet and ran from the room.

T
asha scolded herself for running out on Andre in the middle of his explanation, but she just couldn’t help herself.

Sitting on the bench in the hidden grove in the garden, she stared at the memorial stone Andre had erected for their sweet little Angel.

Tasha swiped at the trail of tears dripping from her eyes. “Sweetie, I promise you…” She leaned in and touched the face of the stone. “We’ll never forget you. Not me. Not daddy.” She caressed her stomach. “And not your little baby brother or sister.” Tasha gazed around the hidden alcove and sucked in a deep breath in hopes of choking back the urge to cry uncontrollably. “I feel like you’re here, tied to this stone. I’m just sorry that I can’t take you with me.”

The sound of his throat clearing behind Tasha startled her. Even so, she didn’t have to look to know it was Andre.

“I wanted to give you some time by yourself.” He moved around in front of her and stood beside the stone, hands in pockets, gazing down at her. “I hope the time was adequate, and I didn’t come in search of you too soon.”

“I do understand why you did what you did.” She avoided looking at him. “And someday I hope to be able to forgive you.”

“But you don’t see that happening anytime soon.” His voice cracked with regret.

Finally, she looked at him. “No. Sadly, I don’t.”

“So where do we go from here?” He sat down on the bench, leaving some space between them, trying not to crowd her. “Are you leaving?”

“Do I have a reason not to?” She blinked, but it didn’t help clear the teary haze.

“Yes, you do.”

“You need two more months.” The bite was back in her tone. “How could I forget.”

“I’m not talking about the money.” His voice was fragile and shaking.

“Well, you should be,” she said matter-of-factly. “Because it’s what’s between us.”

“So that’s it then…you’re going to leave.” His tone sounded final. “I guess I’ll let Julian and Lecie know…” He stood, his head hanging down and stepped back. “I don’t suppose you’ll let me help you?”

“Not so fast.” She patted the empty spot on the bench he’d just vacated. “As uncertain as I am about you and me, the one thing I won’t abide by is letting a woman like Cecily Mason claim a fortune that my child should rightfully inherit one day.” Tasha looked up and stared deep into Andre’s eyes. “I’m pregnant.”