Page 9 of Lucas (The Valeur Billionaires #2)

Chapter Seven

LUCAS

“ Y ou’re making a colossal mistake,” Cora says as she strides into the living room, clutching a large tray with a teapot and cups. She sets it down on the coffee table with a clatter. “Marrying into the Gant family? Have you lost your mind?”

I smile. “It’s like in medieval times when they’d marry off two kingdoms to make peace.” I haven’t told her about the plan to take down Gant’s construction company. Her heart is too pure; she wouldn’t like the idea. She never took an interest in our rivalry anyway.

“We’re not in medieval times, Lucas.” Cora’s voice rises in pitch.

“You intend to make peace with them now? Give her the castle? Slay the dragon? Bring her home to Dad? I know you’re angry with him, but do you want to destroy him?

” She paces back and forth, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor .

“He’s the one who insisted I get married!” I shout.

“He didn’t mean to the Gant family,” Cora continues. “Out of all the women in the world, her? Couldn’t you find someone else?”

“I have my reasons. And I want a big, high-profile wedding. I want it reported everywhere, I want the announcement to appear in all the newspapers. And I want it soon, like a month from now.”

“What’s the rush?”

“I just want to get it over with.” The sooner we get married, the sooner I can get the board to trust me and end the marriage.

Cora narrows her eyes. “What are you trying to do? This isn’t a good idea. Dad will never agree to it.”

I run my tongue over my teeth. My mouth is dry. “Trust me, he’ll be pleased. Got any whiskey?”

“Are you angry that he’s forcing you to get married? Is that what this is about? Revenge? Because I have to point out, marrying a Gant to piss off Dad isn’t the best way to go about it.”

“I’m not trying to get revenge on anyone.” I shrug. “Why don’t you have a housekeeper or something? How does one get a whiskey around here?”

“By getting up and fetching it. You know, like a human being.” Cora shakes her head and approaches the liquor cart. “Ice?”

“Neat.”

She pours into a crystal glass, walks over to me, and extends her hand from a few feet away.

I have to get up to take the glass, and I know she’s doing it on purpose to annoy me .

“You know, we never talked about what happened at the family meeting, the bombshell you dropped.” She settles onto the couch across from me, leaning forward. “Why did you say Mom committed suicide? Do you blame Dad?”

“No, I don’t blame him. Not for her death, anyway.

But I know it wasn’t a simple car accident.

She put on a pretense that everything was fine, but when no one was looking, she let the facade slip, and she was miserable.

She was sad all the time. Things weren’t good between her and Dad.

Every time he tried to touch her, she’d flinch away from him. ”

Cora shakes her head. “That can’t be. I was there. I didn’t see any of that.”

“You were like five or six at the time, you probably didn’t notice.”

“But Dad adored her.”

“At first, yes. Not in the last two years, though.” I lean back, swirling the whiskey in my glass.

“There was this time when they were talking, not knowing I was anywhere around, and I heard him apologizing. He was asking for forgiveness, and Mom replied, ‘What’s done is done. You can’t turn back the clock. ’”

Cora’s eyes widen. “What happened? What did he do?”

“I don’t know exactly. I didn’t hear that part. But from the conversation, I got the impression he cheated on her. I think he had an affair, and she found out.” I down the rest of my whiskey in one gulp.

“Impossible.” Cora’s voice is barely above a whisper. “He loved her. Still does. He hasn’t been with anyone else since she died, and it’s been years.”

“Because he feels guilty.” I set my empty glass on the table with a thud.

“I think she was suffering from depression, and he missed the signs. He was the only person there for her, the one with a chance to save her if he’d paid attention in time.

You know Mom had no family left, she was an only child and Grandma and Grandpa passed away long before.

Dad was probably too busy with his infidelity to notice. ”

Cora’s face hardens. “So you do blame him.”

“No, he blames himself. I think he’s a coward. He should have asked for a separation instead of cheating. She’s the one who chose to end her life, she chose to leave us, not him. She had four children. Were we not worth enough to live for?”

Cora takes a deep breath, leans over, and places a hand on my knee. “So you blame her. You’re angry with her.”

“Yes, I’m angry!” I stand. “She left us alone.”

Cora rises to her feet, facing me. “We’re not alone. We have Dad and each other. And if you’re right, if it wasn’t an accident, she must have been in a terrible place to make that choice. I don’t think infidelity alone would drive someone to suicide.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps it was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as they say.”

“We should ask Dad about it. Ask him to tell us.”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Why not? He knows what happened. We’ll confront him with what you’ve just said, and we’ll finally know the truth.”

“No.” My voice is firm, leaving no room for argument.

Cora purses her lips and fixes me with an irate stare.

“There’s a reason he hasn’t told us. I don’t think everyone is ready to hear the truth.

I’m not sure I’m ready to hear the truth.

There’s something to be said for Dad’s choice to leave it as an accident.

What good would it do for everyone to know he cheated on her?

That their love didn’t last? That she took her own life because we weren’t enough?

I’ve given it a lot of thought—his decision.

I think he was right to keep it from us. I’d rather not dig into the past.”

“Then why are you telling me this now?”

“Because you asked. Maybe I made a mistake dropping that bombshell at the last meeting without thinking, but apart from you, no one else has questioned how she died. I think that proves they’re not ready to hear it. And that’s okay. Nothing good will come in knowing.”

I stare at the large painting on the wall. Its bold colors, the strong lines. It reflects how I feel right now. There’s nothing good in knowing your father is a cheater, that love doesn’t exist, that your mother didn’t love you enough to stay in this world.

I sit back with a loud sigh.

“Anyway, Ava’s agreed to the marriage. I’m going to send her a contract soon, and the wedding will happen. So that’s why I’m here. I want to hire you as our wedding planner.”

Cora scoffs. “Not a chance. I’m not getting involved. Whatever your vicious plan is, and I’m sure there is one, I’m out.” She pours herself a steaming cup of tea.

“Is that a new tea set?” I tilt my head toward the teapot on the table. Cora has always had a great fondness for tea.

“Old, more like. Antique. I bought it at an auction. I love finding treasures at markets and auctions. They have the most unique things if you know what to look for. It’s from the 1920s.” She gazes at the cups with affection.

“You always had a keen eye. It’s beautiful.”

“Right?” She smiles. “I also bought some special vases at that auction. I think they’d make lovely centerpieces for a wedding. They have character, not something you see nowadays.”

“Use them at my wedding.” I steer back to the topic now that I’ve softened her up. “I know you’re the best wedding planner there is. Would you rather I turn to Weddings for All? For everyone to see a Valeur wedding not designed by a Valeur?”

“Oh God, no.” Cora nearly spits out her tea. “They’re terrible.”

“So that means you agree?”

She sighs. “Yes, fine, you’ve got me. But damn it, this means I’ll have to talk to her. I don’t want to talk to Ava Gant. I might end up spitting in her face. Are you really serious about this? It’s not too late to change your mind.”

“No. I have no regrets. Plan the most amazing wedding there’s ever been for me. Spare no expense.”

Cora meets my gaze. “Okay. But don’t expect me to be happy about it. And don’t come crying to me when it all falls apart.”

“Fuck!” I yell at the computer screen, staring as if my gaze alone could change the outcome.

How did we lose the bid to Malino Real Estate?

I know we submitted a solid proposal—I reviewed it myself.

I dial Logan but hang up before the call can connect.

He’s still in London, and it’s the middle of the night there.

If I wake him, Sloane will have my head.

Ugh. I need his cool, rational mind to understand what happened and why we lost. Our talks always help me clear my head and refocus. He’s sharp, always able to analyze deals down to the smallest detail to reach a logical conclusion. It’s no wonder Dad preferred him as the successor to me.

I’ll never admit it to Logan’s face, of course—his ego is inflated enough already—but he’s a better manager than I am.

Although Sloane has changed him. He’s softer now. As always, love manipulates you. I was sure cold, unfeeling Logan would never fall into that trap, but I’ve lost him, too.

I rub my face.

Back to the point — how did they win? Malino is smaller than Valeur, which means they have fewer resources, not more. Their bid is suspiciously low. They would have had to submit at a loss just to beat us. Unless they have a cheaper supplier.

I call my construction manager. “Please find out who Malino’s supplier is. I want to know how much they’re paying.” We have a brief conversation, and I hang up. It’s been a long day in an even longer week, and I’m running on the last of my reserves.

The door to my office swings open with a bang, and my secretary appears in the doorway with an arm stretched across Ava’s body, blocking her from entering. “I’m sorry, Mr. Valeur. I couldn’t stop her,” she pants.