Authors: Delaney Diamond
She went into her bedroom to check her
reflection in the mirror and straightened the jacket of her black suit.
Because of their separation, she not only
needed a way to make money, she wanted to stay busy, too. She’d decided to
finish out the week at the firm where she’d been offering her consulting
services. Her schedule was flexible, although she stuck to the same
routine—going in mid-morning and leaving six hours later. The project was
almost wrapped up, and today she planned to tell the onsite manager that her
last day was Friday.
The American firm, Midas Investments, Inc., was
based out of Los Angeles and had set up a satellite office in Sao Paulo to
facilitate a joint venture between them and a Brazilian company. She’d found
out they were looking for a consultant after scouring the classified ads. They’d
hired her the same day of her interview, stating it was because of her ability
to speak Portuguese and her experience in mergers and acquisitions.
Jewel had been so happy when she found out
Sabrina was moving back in with Renaldo, Sabrina felt guilty about not being
able to share the details with her cousin. Unfortunately, she had no choice in
the matter because the confidentiality agreement Renaldo had her sign forbade
her to say a word to anyone.
As a good faith gesture, he’d already wired two
million dollars into an account she still had in Chicago. The balance of the
funds would be deposited after the probation period when the mayor could no
longer cancel the contract.
Thirty minutes later, Sabrina stepped off the
elevator onto the floor occupied by Midas Investments. She was greeted by the
receptionist before she went into her temporary office. After working for a
while, she looked up when a gentle knock sounded on the office’s open door.
She smiled when she saw Rick, one of the
analysts from Los Angeles.
“Hey, there,” he said. His dark hair always
looked disheveled and windswept. “Got lunch plans?”
“No, I sure don’t.” Sabrina glanced at the time
on her cell phone. The morning had flown by. “How about in the next thirty
minutes? I’m giving this cash flow valuation one more review before I hand it
over to Jonas.” Jonas Abramson managed the office and everyone working there
reported to him.
“We’re going to miss you around here. You only
have a few more days, right?”
“Yes, and then it’s
sayonara
. I’ll talk
to Jonas when I’m finished with this and make sure I’ve tidied up all the loose
ends since I won’t be back next week.”
She was going to miss working in the small
office. It made her feel useful and filled the hours with activity—activity
which didn’t allow her to think about her dead marriage and pending divorce.
“Well, you’ll have to get in line,” Rick said.
“He’s got some hotshot executive in his office behind closed doors.”
“Oh, really?” Sabrina scanned the valuation
report, only half-listening to what Rick was saying.
He dropped into the chair across from her and
crossed his ankle over his knee. “Yeah, a local guy. What was his name again…?
I think it’s a common name. It’s…Salvi—no…” He snapped his fingers. “Silva!
That’s it. Silva.”
Sabrina’s heart skipped a beat, and she
immediately looked up. “Silva?”
Rick hadn’t made the connection because Sabrina
had used her maiden name, Porter, when she’d applied for the consulting job.
“Yeah, da Silva. He’s some local big shot.” His
brows drew together. “Hey, what’s the matter? You look like you’ve seen a
ghost.”
“When did he get here? Do you know what he
wants? How long has he been in there?”
“Whoa, I don’t know the details. I only know
what the receptionist told me, and she said that this guy was a big deal around
here. Jonas was excited to see him and told her to hold all calls while they
met.” He looked at her curiously. “Do you know this guy?”
“I’m not sure. Like you said, Silva is a common
last name.” If it was Renaldo, why was he here?
“Well, according to the receptionist, he’s
pretty tall, and these are her words, not mine…‘gorgeous with midnight black
hair.’ Sound like your guy?”
“Yes.” There was no doubt in her mind it was
him.
“Who is he?”
She hesitated before answering. The staff knew
she was married, but she’d never given them any details. “He’s my husband.”
“Your husband?” Rick dropped his foot to the
floor and sat up in the chair.
“It’s a long story.” Sabrina rose from the
chair. “I better go see what he’s doing here. Thanks for the heads-up, Rick.”
“Uh, yeah. Sure. No problem.”
Sabrina left him and within seconds found
herself in front of her boss’s secretary. She guarded Jonas like a bulldog, and
she refused to allow Sabrina into his office until Sabrina told her that he was
meeting with her husband. Even then she picked up the phone to double check.
Sabrina took a deep breath and pushed open the
door.
“Sabrina!” Jonas sprang from his chair, a huge
grin on his face. “Look who stopped by.”
Renaldo sat there, looking amazing in another
one of his three-piece suits. His gaze ran all over her before coming back to
her face, and she felt that look in every nerve ending.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I came to talk to a friend.”
“A friend?” Sabrina looked from one to the
other. “I didn’t know the two of you knew each other.”
“We do. If I’d known he was your husband, I
would have given you a bigger office.” Jonas winked and laughed. “We met a
couple of years ago at a business function when I first visited Sao Paulo to
scope out locations. Renaldo was kind enough to give me some advice on the real
estate market.”
“I would have had him lease space in one of my
properties, but we didn’t have anything that fit his needs at the time.”
Jonas chuckled. “You still helped me out a great
deal, and I appreciate it. Your knowledge was invaluable.”
Sabrina stared at Jonas. He was practically
drooling over Renaldo. She’d never seen him so excited about a visitor.
Renaldo rose slowly to his feet. “I was
explaining to Jonas how much your assistance is needed back at SDG. He’s been
gracious enough to release you early from your contract obligations.”
Sabrina swung her head back to the manager. “I
promised you I would work out the rest of the week. There’s no need for you to
make special concessions for me.”
“Nonsense.” Jonas waved away her concerns.
“You’re pretty much finished, aren’t you? And anything you haven’t had the
chance to review, I can have one of the other analysts take a look at. You’re
so thorough, I’m sure there’s nothing for us to worry about.”
“But Jonas—”
“Thank you for understanding, Jonas,” Renaldo
interrupted. “I’m sure you’re aware how dedicated my wife is to any task she
tackles. I’m looking forward to having her back at headquarters to help me on
this project.”
“I completely understand,” Jonas said. “I’m
excited that Estação Central is finally going to be finished. I can’t wait to
see the final product.”
“As promised, you’ll be one of the first to
take a look.”
Jonas smiled. Now she understood the
excitement. Renaldo had promised him a priority viewing of the complex. More
manipulations.
“
Meu
coração
,” Renaldo said to
her, lifting his arm in the direction of the door for her to precede him, the tender
endearment falling easily from his lips. But he didn’t mean it.
“Jonas, it was nice working with you.” Sabrina could
barely contain her frustration at having to fall in with Renaldo’s wishes once
more.
“Likewise.” Jonas hadn’t stopped smiling.
Sabrina stormed out of the office and retrieved
her purse. After she delivered the report she’d been working on to Jonas’s
secretary, she followed her husband to the elevator.
A chauffeured limousine waited for them in
front of the building. Even though Renaldo had a car, he liked to make use of a
driver. The convenience allowed him to get work done while in transit. She’d
grown accustomed to it, too—one of the benefits of being married to a wealthy
man—but she’d had to take taxis ever since their split.
She slid all the way across the seat to the
other side and crossed her arms, staring blindly out the window. They rode in
silence for a while.
“How long have you known where I work?” she
asked.
“Since we signed the contracts.”
Sabrina turned to look at him. “How? I used my
maiden name.”
“It was very easy,” Renaldo explained,
reclining against the soft leather. “I told you I’d keep an eye on you, didn’t
I?”
Sabrina unfolded her arms as understanding
dawned. Surely he wouldn’t stoop so low. “Are you having me
followed
?”
Chapter Seven
Renaldo raised an eyebrow. “Of course
I’m having you followed. Do you think I would make the mistake of trusting you
again?”
Sabrina shook with anger. “How dare you!
You have no right.”
“I have every right. I told you I would
keep an eye on you, and I meant it.”
“I didn’t know you meant hiring someone
to watch my every move.”
“I won’t have this deal fall apart
because of your loose morals. If it means keeping an eye on you twenty-four
hours a day, then so be it.”
“Do you intend to throw it in my face
every chance you get? I won’t let you do this to me.”
“It’s already done,” he said with
finality.
“That’s not part of the deal.” Sabrina’s
nerves were stretched taut. The thought of having someone shadow her day in and
day out was nerve-wracking.
“You should have added that stipulation
before you signed.”
“As if I knew you’d do something
so…despicable.” Her voice was getting louder and she was glad for the soundproof
glass that separated them from the driver. “Call them off.”
“Who do you think you are?” Renaldo
asked. “You are in no position to make demands.”
Sabrina stared him down, squaring her
shoulders. “Yes, I am. I know how important this deal is to you. It’s just as
important to you as it is to me.”
With a derisive chuckle, he crossed his
legs. “Is that what you think? That we’re on equal footing?”
Her confidence wavered under his self-confidence.
“Call them off.” She had to stand up to him. If she didn’t, he’d walk all over
her.
“Tell me, Sabrina, what will you do if I
don’t? Renege on the contract you’ve already signed? Not a good idea,
meu
coração.
I will sue you for breach of contract, and I will destroy you.
You’ll have nothing left when I get through.” Her confidence wavered yet again
with that damn sideways smile of his. “Yes, think about it. Long and hard.”
“You’re too concerned about your own
reputation to sue me.”
“Do you wish to try me?”
He was speaking to her in such a cold,
detached voice, she felt like they were strangers. “I don’t even know you
anymore.”
“Seems we’re in the same situation.”
Sabrina fell silent, her mind racing. He’d been
in her bank account, and now he was having someone monitor her movements. There
was no escape from his influence. “Why are you doing this?”
“You know why.”
“Because you don’t trust me and because you—you
hate me.”
He didn’t respond, his face an impassive mask,
and the words remained between them like a brutal, ugly thing. The fact that he
didn’t deny it crushed Sabrina, and she turned to stare out of the window
again.
She refused to feel sorry for herself. She
would get through it because she’d seen far worse in her life, was strong, and
would fight his control. “I wanted to leave Midas on my own terms.”
“We have an agreement. I expected you to give
them notice that, effective immediately, you’re no longer available. I thought
I had made myself clear the other day.”
She barely saw the pedestrians walking in the
street or the cars riding along beside them. She knew what she’d done was
wrong, but did he have to treat her like this? Like she was nothing? A nobody?
“I signed your contract, but that doesn’t mean
you own me. I wanted to finish what I started before I returned to SDG. I’ll
only be a figurehead anyway, so what difference does it make?”
“I need you to start showing your face, and I
fully expected you to do that right away. You also should have moved in by
now.”
Sabrina turned to face him. “I’m sorry, was
that in the contract?” she asked with mock sweetness. “I wouldn’t know, since
the entire thing was written in Portuguese and I didn’t have an attorney
present to represent my interests.”
Silence. “You know how important this deal is.
There are millions of dollars at stake—for both of us. This is not a game.”
There was an unmistakable warning in his voice.