Page 17 of Ruthless Financier
“It’s a step toward my own plan. The former owners sold me their full shares.”
Her brother-in-law was now technically my employee. I’d had no idea. I waved my hand like the conversation was done and said, “We’ll talk about business later. Tell me more about your family.”
“Right,” she said as the cake was brought in. She didn’t mind if anyone heard her as she said, “My sister Stephanie was born a year after me. She’s in London and engaged to some British guy I’ve not met. Ridley is a nurse and always working. Nicole is a blogger with millions of followers on her green-living lifestyle site. And the youngest is Olivia; she’s a teacher.”
I waited till we were alone again and I heard the door click. Then I asked, “Are you invited to the London wedding?”
She waved her hand and picked up her fork. “Of course. My sisters and I are all close. Ridley, the nurse, works too much and I wish she’d take time off for her health. I hope she doesn’t blame herself for mom’s passing or anything like that.
“Nicole, the blogger, is amazing at following her dreams. She makes me wish I had some bigger dream besides my business plans. And Olivia became an elementary school teacher because she’s honestly lost and never had a clue about what she wanted to do. She’s probably the most like my mom.”
A mom, a dad, a nurse, a teacher … The rest of her family sounded like … like the family I’d always wished for, if I were honest. All my life, I’d been alone. I sipped my champagne and then reached for my cake fork as I said, “So you were the one that went after the money.”
She scoffed and then said, “Someone needed to.”
No. That wasn’t true. The families I idolized were the ones where they spent every night together after work finished at five. I kept that to myself and finished my cake in small bites. Done, I said, “I go after resources for completely different reasons, and it has nothing to do with family loyalty. But I read your cousins are also close?”
“Jasmine is one, and she’s great to have work for me. She doesn’t have the desire to be running her own team though.” She finished her entire dessert, which meant she had a sweet tooth. Then she took a sip of champagne and once she put it down, she said, “And yeah, my parents took in my cousins for various reasons. Our home was often the base for all the Steels. Phoenix Steel is probably the most famous of us.”
I’d heard him perform as a teenager and snapped my fingers. “He’s on the radio again.”
She finished her champagne and her eyes had a gleam in them. “Yes, with his new wife. I went to the wedding a few months back.”
Family was important to her. In an ideal world, every child should have people who cared for and supported them. She’d agreed to marry me for money, but I had a feeling she had a soft heart under her practical exterior.
I asked, “Anyone else you want to mention?”
She shrugged her shoulders and said, “Not at the moment.”
The mysteries of Indigo might never be solved entirely. She was fascinating. This was temporary, and we’d both agreed to no emotional involvement, thankfully. But I wanted to know more, either way.
I stood and said, “I’ll get more from you later. In some ways, I’m jealous.”
“Of what?”
I’d never told this to a soul before, but my fingers connected with hers and I wanted to trust her. So I didn’t blink as I shared my secret. “That you had family around you when you were growing up. All I had was a mother. She struggled every day to keep us a float and happy, Once she died, all I had was a father who didn’t care if I starved, froze or died on the streets until he became legally responsible for me.”
Her lips parted. “You can’t mean that.”
She had zero idea. People like her were surrounded by love. I never had anything like that. I didn’t even blink, but my lips thinned when I said, “I do. I experienced all that and more because he hated my mother.”
Her eyes softened and she motioned toward the door. “Let’s head back to the hotel now.”
“Yes.”
Now we’d go to our honeymoon suite. She stood beside me and curled her hand under my elbow and sparks raced through me.
Without asking permission I quickly kissed her.
She approved, and ran her hand through my thick hair. And unlike most women, she made me pause and forget myself with her lips.
Chapter 5
Indigo
Men have never made me nervous, but the zip in my veins with Jacob wasn’t normal. It couldn’t be. Seriously. I wasn’t okay at all, near him. My skin and body jumped with anticipation when he was close to me, which was why I rushed into his bathroom instead of enjoying the view from the penthouse.
Seeing myself in this dress only added to the thrills he sent through me and the wishes I’d never normally acknowledge. I needed to stop my racing heart and get it back to calm, rational and normal.
