Page 160 of Falling for the Wife

When her eyes immediately turned serious, I stilled, waiting.

“I came to speak to you about something personal and I hope you don’t mind me interfering, but I came about Callum.” The distress in her voice was evident.

Callum. Hearing his name alone resuscitated me. “How is Callum, Eleanor?”

She shook her head as I guided her towards the sofa to sit. “He’s alive.”

I frowned at her response.He’s alive?I didn’t follow…

When she saw that I was taken aback with her answer, she filled me in. “He got into an accident last night.Have you not heard?It was all over the news. He was speedboat racing with that Greek actor and that Italian guy.” She fanned herself. “They even have footage for it. Thank goodness they’re all okay.”

Accident. Speedboat. Racing,again!

“Goodness,” I shakily whispered. My greatest fear had almost gotten him. He’d had a close call with death. It had been my only wish when I had asked him to keep away from racing, but he was doing a splendid job of proving he didn’t have to listen to it now.

My entire body froze, suddenly numb as I pictured what would have happened had he not managed to survive the accident. “Callum’s in a hospital, I take it?” I tried to sound unaffected, but failed to do so.

“He was for a bit.” Eleanor sighed, worried. “This is why I came here. He’s back to his old recklessness and I’m afraid for what this will do to him.” She reached for my hand, seeking my eyes. “You see, he had always had this streak, but it spiraled out of control after Zara. His grandfather died with worry. He’d already had a mild heart attack the day before, but when he heard of news that his grandson and only heir had smashed into a boutique window in Monaco and that Callum was being taken into emergency, the second attack wasn’t as kind as the first,” she continued with that shocking news. “He’s officially on leave.Indefinitely.”

“On a leave? Why? Is he hurt? Does he need therapy? A shrink? What?” Okay I sounded like a mad woman, but for the life of me, I couldn’t grasp how Callum—who was a workaholic—would easily give up work for no valid reason. Not only was it mind-boggling, but truly disconcerting.

I was beyond worried of what would happen if he continued on this path. What if he had a hard time harnessing this wild streak of his and decided to live life as a truly reckless, privileged heir like a lot of the people born with money?

“He’s chosen me as the person in charge while he’s on vacation. At my age, I want to think about traveling and Sunday luncheons and dinners, not the stock market, videoconferences and bloody meetings. I’m not prepped for these things and he knows it.

“You’re the only one I can think of that could get through to him, love. You have to help him,” she pleaded, beseeching. “He holds you in a high regard, Miss Stella.”

What if he laughed in my face? After all, I hadn’t spoken or seen him in a month. A lot could happen in a month. For all I knew, he probably hated my guts. “Where is he exactly?”

She shook her head again, disappointed. “He’s on that Greek’s yacht, partying. If you check the gossip sites as much as I have for the last couple of hours, it’ll update you on everything. It’s mooring off the coast of France. The French Riviera, I believe.”

Yacht parties.Oh, bloody joy!“How do I get to him?”

“Don’t worry about any of that. All I need to know iswhenthen I will take care of the rest,” she assured me.

“You’re quite the woman in charge. I’m glad Callum chose you.” I tried to sound optimistic, knowing quite well that Callum was going to be a stubborn one to reel back to England. If he was having a ball with his speed racing and streaking naked around the Mediterranean, he would hate me for trying to intervene with his party life.

Eleanor finally stood up, giving me a hug before looking me in the eye. “He’s like a son. I love him like one… I worry, is all.”

“I’m going to try and get him back to tamer pastures,” I murmured, somehow grinning at the thought of me trying to bring him to tamer pastures.

Oh boy.

Time to see my kryptonite. I could only hope I fared well this time around.

CHAPTER70

Stella

“Welcome aboard.Who might you be and whose intimate room party should I escort you to?” A tall, tanned, emerald green-eyed man with careless sexiness and a potent dose of eight-pack abs glistened before me, curious to the newcomer. “Luca di Medici at your service,” he introduced himself.

Hold on. Did he just asking me if I was a prostitute? “I beg your pardon?” I questioned, aghast.

“Kosta is only allowing us a maximum of two personal guests. A man in love tends to forget how it is to party all weekend long.” Luca’s Italian accent made that swoony singsong tone which distracted me to no end. “Since you aren’t one of my women, I was asking if you’re Bertrand’s? Franco’s? Kensington’s? But I believe Callum’s booked.”

Booked?

“You mean Callum’s with his guests?Right now?” Uh, what the heck did I get myself into? I could’ve just stayed in London. I knew I should have, but… a big part of me wanted to see him. Now I wondered how much this careless action would cost me.