Page 14 of Believing in a Billionaire (Hearts and Holdings #7)

JULIA

J ulia shuffled from Grant’s office, her brows furrowed at his reaction to the mysterious phone call he’d received moments ago.

His posture had changed, becoming stiff, before he’d twisted to her. “Hey, do you mind if I take this? It’s work. But I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

She offered him a fleeting smile, an attempt to offer silent support for whatever was happening at Harrington Global that had kept him at the office until late last night.

She wondered if it had anything to do with Lydia. The dull headache building at her temples made it difficult for her to focus.

A warm hand slipped around her shoulder. “Julia?” Kyle asked, pulling her attention from the swirls on the marble floor.

“I’m fine,” she answered.

Kyle squeezed her shoulder. “It’s okay if you’re not.”

“Thank you, doctor, for your expert opinion. My sister shouldn’t have to worry about being kidnapped or killed courtesy of her husband’s ex-wife.” Alicia poked a finger at him.

“We are going to protect Julia,” Kyle countered. “We’d never let anything happen to her.”

“Aren’t you the one who kidnapped her? That’s rich coming from you.”

“Daddy won’t let anything happen to her,” Sierra retorted. “And Kyle may be crazy, but he also loves Julia, so he won’t let someone else kidnap her or hurt her.”

“You’re as crazy as your mother.”

Julia slid her eyes closed as the words escaped her sister’s mouth.

Sierra’s features twisted, her eyes turning glassy as they clouded with upset. “I’m nothing like my mother!”

She pushed past Alicia as she stormed up the stairs.

“Sierra…” Julia called after her before she sighed. “Great. Nice going, Ally.”

“What? They’re all a little crazy, not just him,” Alicia said, jabbing a finger at Kyle.

Julia pressed her lips together as she shook her head at her sister. “Sierra is incredibly sensitive about being compared to her mother whom she is nothing like, by the way. That was really low, Ally.”

“Oh, well, so sorry, I didn’t know that. I’m just frustrated.”

Julia skirted around her sister and mounted the stairs. “And you took it out on Sierra. That’s not okay. You are a guest in this house. Act like it.”

Kyle offered Alicia a haughty stare as he circled past her and joined Julia on the stairs. “Good going, Julia. You really told her.”

Julia raked her fingers through her hair as she blew out a sigh. “I wish I didn’t have to.”

“But you did. This is why Sierra and I were so concerned about her staying here.”

She slid her eyes closed as they snaked through the opulent halls. A dull thud pounded at her temples.

“Julia, are you okay?”

She massaged her forehead as she snapped her eyes open. “Yes. I just wish everyone got along. Ally lashes out when she’s upset. And everyone here sees her as a threat already.”

“Because maybe she is,” Kyle said as they reached Sierra’s room.

“She’s not. She’s just having a tough time. She and Ethan are fighting and…never mind. I’m not leaving. No one is going to make me leave, okay? Now, I’m going to make sure Sierra is okay. We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Yeah.” He pulled her into a hug before he disappeared down the hall.

Julia blew out another sigh as she knocked at the door.

“What?” Sierra’s voice barked.

“It’s me. Can I come in?”

The door opened a second later, and a sniffling Sierra frowned at her. Julia cocked her head as she wiped a tear from her stepdaughter’s cheek with her thumb. “Sierra…”

“Come in. We can list all the ways I’m as crazy as my mother.”

“You’re not,” Julia said as she stepped past her stepdaughter into her suite. “You know that.”

“Still stinks to hear it from your bitchy sister.”

“I know. And I told her, too. That was uncalled for and unacceptable.”

Sierra pouted as she raised her eyes to Julia. “Really? You yelled at your sister for being mean to me?”

“Yes, I did. And she’d better not do it again.”

“Or you’ll yell at her again?”

“I will,” Julia said as she adjusted a lock of Sierra’s hair and offered her a consoling smile.

“You don’t think I’m like Mom, right?” Sierra asked.

“I don’t. And you aren’t.” Julia pulled her into a hug before she pulled back. “How are you handling the news about her, by the way?”

Sierra’s frown deepened as her forehead creased. She shrugged, refusing to look at Julia. “I’m fine.”

“Are you?”

The worry etching Sierra’s face intensified as more tears slid from her eyes. “No.”

Julia guided her to a chair and eased her into it as she perched on the edge of the other one. With a tight hold of Sierra’s hand, she gave her a moment to collect her thoughts.

“How could she get out?” Sierra squeaked. “I thought we were rid of her.”

“I know. We all did. But it’s going to be okay.”

“Is it? Julia, I’m scared.” More tears spilled onto Sierra’s cheeks.

Julia squeezed her hand tighter. “I know. But Grant isn’t going to let anything happen to you. And I know your mom threatened your reputation, but I don’t think she’d actually hurt you.”

Sierra flicked her red-rimmed eyes to Julia. “I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about you. What if she does something to you? Julia, I can’t lose you.”

“No one is going to lose me, Sierra. I promise. I’m going to be careful.”

“You’d better be.”

Julia smiled at the woman’s statement. Her stepdaughter had grown so much since she’d arrived. From a spoiled girl who held everyone at arm’s length to a woman who cared deeply for her, she’d morphed into one of her biggest allies and friends.

“I promise. I’m not leaving anyone here, okay? And Ally isn’t going to make me go away either.”

“She’d better not,” Sierra said. “She’s so mean. How can you be related to her?”

“Ally was always the tougher one. But…she’s just…scared, too. And that’s how she reacts to being scared.”

Sierra sniffled before she wiped at her cheeks. “I guess she has some issues, too, huh?”

Julia nodded.

“She shouldn’t point the finger at anyone else, then. She’s sort of crazy, too. Kyle said she told him and Daddy you filed a restraining order against them. That’s crazy.”

“We all tend to do crazy things for the people we love.”

Sierra shrugged. “I guess so. As long as you don’t leave. Also, I’m going to change our massage to be here at the house. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Julia patted her hand and smiled at her. “Whatever you want to do. I meant what I said. I’m not going to hide in the house and let your mother win.”

“Well, we are not skipping the Mother-Daughter tea.”

“No, we are not. You’ve been looking forward to that, and I don’t want us to miss it.”

Sierra inched forward and wrapped Julia in a hug. “Oh, Step-mommy, I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, Sierra.”

“If my mom does anything to hurt you, I’ll kill her myself.”

Julia cupped Sierra’s face. “I’m going to be just fine. Now, no more tears, right?”

“Right. I’m not like my mom. You don’t think I am, and that’s all that matters.”

Julia grinned at her before she kissed her forehead. “See you at dinner.”

“Can I bring James?”

“Of course,” Julia answered. “See you both later.”

She left Sierra’s room behind.

“She okay?” Alicia asked as she stepped into the hall.

“No thanks to you,” Julia answered as she strode past her sister toward the stairs.

“I’m sorry, Juju. But they’re all weird.”

“They are not weird. Just because they don’t behave the way you think they should doesn’t make them weird.”

“Julia–” she started when Julia whipped to face her.

“No, Ally. I love you, I do, but I’m not going to let you cause trouble in my family. I love them, too. We have spent two years going through a lot together.”

“Big deal, Julia. We spent a lifetime together. But you love them more than me, I guess.”

“That’s not true, and you know it. But I am not going to have you attacking them at every turn. We have enough going on with Lydia’s release. We don’t need to be fighting you, too.”

Alicia’s shoulders slumped as she fluttered her eyelashes. “Fine. I’ll…try to stop saying what’s on my mind.”

Julia arched an eyebrow.

“I will stop being mean.”

“What happened to the nice conversation you had with Grant this morning?”

“I…it went out the window when I heard you were in danger…again. Look, I said I’ll stop being mean, okay?”

“Good. Sierra is not the mean girl you think she is. She’s a scared, vulnerable little girl whose mother walked out on her when she was a child. And Kyle just desperately wants to be included and accepted. As for Grant–”

“I get it. You love them all. I’ll be nice. I’m going to go be nice in my room.”

“Thank you, Ally. I’ll check on you later.”

Alicia pulled her sister into a hug. “I love you, Juju.”

“I love you, too.”

They parted ways, and Julia continued down the stairs. She crossed the foyer and poked her head into Grant’s office. He nursed a bourbon as he stared out the window, the tension in his shoulders obvious.

“Hey,” she said as she slipped inside.

He plastered a grin on his face, but it didn’t look genuine. “Hi.”

He set his glass down and crossed to her, pulling her closer to him. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay. How are you? This has to be a shock.”

“It is. I can’t believe any judge in his right mind would let her out after what happened. But…I’m doing everything I can to make sure she doesn’t hurt you or any of us.”

Julia massaged his shoulders. “I know you are. That’s not what I’m asking.”

His features tensed as he avoided her gaze.

“Grant?”

“I’m fine. I’m not happy, but I’m fine.”

Her shoulders slumped. He was holding something back from her, she could tell. Why, she wasn’t certain, but she knew he was. She chewed her lower lip as she tried to determine a way to ease his nerves.

She rubbed his arm, trying another route. “How’s everything at HG? Did you get everything squared away?”

“Almost,” he answered, pulling away from her and returning to his desk to retrieve his bourbon. “We’ve got all the pieces in place to solve the problem.”

“Good. I’m glad you got it solved. You know, you never said what it was.”

He flicked his gaze to her before he returned it to his drink as she perched on the edge of his desk. “Didn’t I? Probably because it’s nothing to worry about. Just a minor thing.”

Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the subtle shift in his behavior, the way he avoided her gaze, the hollowness in his voice. Why was he withholding this from her? Did it have to do with Lydia?

She sucked in a breath, her head pounding again. “That’s good. That it was minor, I mean.”

“Are you okay?” he asked as she massaged her temples.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just a headache. It’s been a long day.” She dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand as she forced a smile onto her face.

He cupped her cheek in his hand, rubbing her cheek. “You sure? You look a little pale. Maybe you should lie down.”

“Yeah, maybe I will,” she answered, the pain in her head growing stronger.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Really? Do you promise or is this just you saying that before you try to take on the world?”

She offered him a weak smile. “No, I’m really going to rest. As long as you’re okay.”

“I’m fine, Julia,” he said with a kiss. “Hey, if you’re not feeling any better in an hour or so, maybe check with Kyle.”

She nodded. “Wow, it’s nice to see you two getting along. Even recommending him as a doctor.”

Grant grinned at her. “We’ve made some progress. And all because of you. We’d have never made it this far without you Julia. So, you have to take care of yourself.”

“I promise. You can even check on me if you don’t believe me.”

“I just might,” he warned. “Although, I’m going to run into the office while you’re resting and finish with that little issue.”

“Okay,” she said with a squeeze of his hand. “Good luck.”

She gave him a peck before she left him behind, her head still spinning from the conversation. Why was he being so secretive about what was going on at Harrington Global?

The pounding at her temples made her stop questioning everything as she climbed the stairs. Was the news of Lydia affecting her this deeply?

She didn’t usually suffer from physical symptoms this severe when it came to stress. What was happening to her?

She wound through the halls, her stomach quivering. When she reached the bedroom, she stumbled to the bed and collapsed on it. She sucked in deep breaths as the room seemed to spin around her.

She squeezed her eyes closed, her lunch threatening to climb back up her throat.

A knock sounded at the door. She groaned as she pulled herself from the mattress, and shuffled to it. She tugged it open, finding Worthington on the other side.

“Mrs. Harrington, I wanted–are you all right?”

“I’m just not feeling very well, Worthington. I’m fine, though. I’m going to lie down.”

“Perhaps I should fetch Dr. Carter.”

“Really, it’s okay,” she said, her voice breathy as the pain in her temples ramped up. “I just need some rest.”

“If I can bring you anything, please let me know.”

Julia nodded as she closed the door and returned to the bed. She twisted the covers in her fist as she fought another wave of nausea.

Another knock sounded at the door. She could have cried as she dragged herself from the bed and made her way to the door.

“Julia?” Kyle asked as she opened it. “Worthington said you were sick.”

“I’m just tired. I don’t need a doctor,” she answered, her voice weak.

Kyle eyed her with a mix of concern and professional scrutiny. “You’re looking more than just tired,” he said, his voice laced with worry. “You’re pale.”

He pressed a hand to her cheek. “You’re warm.”

He checked her pulse. “And your pulse is racing. Worthington was right to call me. You do need a doctor, Julia.”

“I don’t. I’m just…” She struggled to finish the statement, her temples throbbing.

The world went fuzzy as the room spun around her. Every heartbeat was a thunderous echo in her ears, drowning out the world around her. She clutched the door jamb before she reached for Kyle as her knees buckled.

“Julia!” he shouted, catching her as she fell. “That’s it. You’re going to the hospital.”

She wanted to say no, but she’d never felt this awful in her life. Instead, she clung to him, desperate to stay conscious as she wondered what was wrong.