Page 25

Four weeks later…

I stood at my mother's grave in a cemetery in west Los Angeles, holding a bouquet of blue forget-me-nots in my hand. As I gazed down at her tombstone and read the inscription Sarah Gray, Loving Mother , my eyes filled with moisture. Kneeling down, I put the flowers in the built-in vase by the tombstone. I hadn't been to her grave since a few weeks before my wedding, and that felt like a lifetime ago.

I should have come before now, but I'd felt too emotional, too close to everything that had happened. And there had been a lot to deal with in the past few weeks as I learned more about Andrew and his friends.

Andrew, Colin, and Jay had been transferred to the county jail in Los Angeles and charged with multiple crimes. Jay had decided to talk in exchange for a lighter sentence, and it turned out the three of them had met in their early twenties and had been stealing for over a decade, their skills and ambition increasing with each passing year. Andrew's real estate company had made a few development deals in the past several years, but it was primarily a front for laundering money made through fencing stolen works of art.

Allison had worked with them on multiple occasions, but they had never really trusted her. As Andrew had told me on the island, she was too impulsive and too reckless. She and Andrew had had a sexual relationship that had lasted far longer and gone far deeper than he'd shared with me, which explained why she'd gotten so angry with him. She'd felt betrayed by his marriage to me, and his secret plan to use me against Victor for his own personal gain.

Harper had known nothing about Colin's life as a thief and had been devastated to realize she'd fallen for another bad guy. It would take her a while to trust someone again, but I hoped she would get there. I hoped we would both get there. I'd told her we couldn't let these men steal our future happiness. They'd already taken too much from us.

As for Bennett, he had been charged with murder and attempted murder and was being held without bail. Paula had apparently checked herself into some sort of luxury mental health sanctuary as she tried to deal with the fact that her son had killed someone and her husband had a bastard daughter.

According to Megan, who had also been in touch, the marketing campaign had been completely scrapped. The photos and video we had shot would never be seen, but news of my relationship to Victor had come out, creating more interest in the Carrington family. Ironically, the extensive coverage had resulted in more people booking rooms at the resort, wanting to see the lighthouse where Bennett Carrington had tried to kill his half-sister.

Over time, people would forget. But I would never forget any of it.

However, I would move on. I had a life to live, a life I had almost lost, and I wouldn't waste it. My mom wouldn't have wanted that for me.

Tracing her name with my fingers, I said, "I wish you'd told me about Victor, Mom. I'm trying to understand why you didn't want me to know who my father was. And I'm angry that you can't tell me now, that we can't discuss it. I want to hear your version of the story, not just his. How will I know if he's telling me the truth?" I sighed, feeling a futile yearning for a voice that could never come again.

"It might not be the same story your mother would tell you, but it will be true," a man said from behind me.

Shocked, I got to my feet and faced Victor Carrington. I still had trouble thinking of him as my father. We hadn't spoken since I'd seen him at the lighthouse, and I wasn't sure I was ready to do that now.

The polished veneer he usually wore had cracked. His blue eyes, normally sharp and confident, were shadowed with exhaustion and uncertainty. Silver had begun threading through the dark hair at his temples, and the perfectly tailored suit that had always seemed like armor now hung on his frame as if he'd forgotten to eat for days.

"Will you let me tell you the story, Lauren?" Victor asked, bringing me back to the present.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked.

"I went to your apartment. A woman watering the plants out front told me you'd gone to the cemetery to see your mom."

"I'm surprised you would know which cemetery that was, or did my landlord share that information, too?"

"I knew where your mother was buried. I visited a few weeks after the funeral."

I started at that piece of information, remembering the odd bouquet I'd found on her grave on one of my visits. "Did you bring her flowers?"

"Lilies. They were her favorite after forget-me-nots. I couldn't bring her forget-me-nots, because she did all she could to forget me. And I couldn't blame her."

"How could you blame her? You deserted her when she was at her most vulnerable."

"It wasn't exactly like that. Sarah left me before she knew she was pregnant. We had a very short affair. I couldn't give her what she wanted."

"Because you didn't love her, or because you loved your wife's money more? Bennett told me Paula invested in the company and that you could never leave her without losing a lot of money."

"I did love your mother, but I also cared about my wife and my son," he said. "I had no idea Bennett would grow up to be a monster. He was a toddler then."

"Did my mom ask you to leave your wife?"

"No. Sarah felt guilty for getting together with me in the first place. We got swept away by a passion neither of us expected to feel. We knew it was wrong, and we were only going to hurt each other the longer we stayed together."

I frowned, not sure if I should believe what he was telling me. "When my mom told you she was pregnant, what happened? Did you suggest an abortion?"

"It wasn't like that. We talked about options. I said I would pay for whatever she needed to end the pregnancy or to continue it, but that I couldn't publicly confirm your existence. That was a dealbreaker."

"Because that would have ended your marriage and maybe your business."

"Yes. And Sarah knew that."

I was a little surprised he wasn't trying to sugarcoat his actions. "Well, at least you're not lying."

"I'm telling you the truth. I assumed Sarah had decided to terminate the pregnancy and had paid for it herself, because I never heard from her again."

"She would have had too much pride to beg for scraps from a man who didn't want to acknowledge her or her child." I was beginning to understand my mother's choices a little better.

"That's what she told me when I ran into her twelve years later at the Christmas Tree Lighting at Rockefeller Center."

"Rockefeller Center?" I echoed. "That was our big trip to New York. She wanted to show me a white Christmas. You were there, too?"

"I was with Paula and Bennett. I went to get them hot chocolates and coffee, and there she was. You were standing next to her in line. I looked at you and I just knew you were my daughter, that she'd had my child. Before I could say anything, you went to look at the tree, and then Sarah turned and saw me."

"Did you speak to each other?"

"We did. She confirmed what I'd already guessed. She also told me that while you carried my blood, you weren't my daughter, and you never would be. It wasn't only because she wanted it that way; it was because I wanted it that way. And she dared me to say she was wrong."

My body tightened as I asked, "What did you say?"

"I told her that if I had known about you, I would have supported you. And I was willing to do that going forward."

"You were talking about financially and nothing else." It wasn't a question because I already knew the answer.

"I was," he admitted. "Sarah told me she didn't need my support, and she didn't want someone in her daughter's life who couldn't love her the way she should be loved. She didn't want you to feel less than Bennett. She didn't want you to be a secret. As far as you knew, your father was dead, and she wanted it to stay that way. The two of you had a great life, and I needed to keep out of it. Then she walked away, and I never saw her again."

"What about me? At some point, I grew up. I turned twenty-one. I was my own person. You could have tried to see me."

"I would have been taking a risk."

"That I would tell Paula or Bennett who I was?"

"Yes. But I also wanted to respect your mother's wishes."

I shook my head, not buying that reason at all. "That's not why you did it. You wanted to keep me a secret to protect your business, your marriage, and your reputation. It was all about you."

"Well, I already admitted that, didn't I?" He gave me a small smile. "You are your mother's daughter, Lauren. Sarah was strong and independent, determined to live life on her terms. And you're as brave as she was. I saw that on the island more than once. To be completely honest, you were probably better off being raised by your mother than me. I didn't do a good job with my son, that's for sure."

"I don’t know that you can blame yourself entirely for Bennett's actions. He's a man, not a child. Although, I think he inherited your greed."

"I'm sure he did. I always knew Bennett didn't have the will to do what was hard. He was always looking for a shortcut. That's why I didn't give him more responsibility in the company, and why I was thinking of selling properties to put our financials in better shape. I didn't work as hard as I did for the last thirty years to have my son ruin all of that. I also knew I couldn't trust him. He's been in and out of alcohol and drug rehabs since he was fifteen. He's good for a while and then something snaps, and he goes off the deep end. I worried for years that I'd get a call one night that he'd overdosed. However, I never thought I'd find out he'd killed someone. That part is still difficult to digest."

"Have you spoken to Bennett about it?"

"Briefly. He doesn't want to talk to me, although, he has spoken to Paula a few times."

"How's she doing?"

"Not well. She wants to hide from all the bad publicity, so she's gone to stay at a sanctuary in France for a few months. She's embarrassed and ashamed of her husband and her son."

"I'm sure she's hurting. Will you stay together?"

"We've been married a long time, so probably…"

"I've wondered if she suspected something was off about your interest in me. She acted rather oddly when she let me wear your mother's necklace for my wedding."

"She wasn't thrilled with the idea. And she thought I was spending too much money on the wedding." He shrugged. "She might have been suspicious of my interest in you, but we didn't discuss it."

I had a feeling they rarely discussed anything, but I didn't care that much about his relationship with Paula. However, I was curious about one thing. "Is there a chance Bennett is going to wiggle out from these charges or get them lessened? Will you use your influence and wealth to save your son from life in prison?"

"No." His answer was blunt and unequivocal. "I want to be clear about that, Lauren. I'm not going to try to get Bennett a deal, because I won't let him ever be in a position again to hurt you."

"You should take me out of your will. Then he won't have any reason to hurt me."

"You're my daughter. I haven't been there for you, and I want to do better. I want you to have the life you deserve. And you will be in my will."

My gaze moved from Victor to my mother's tombstone, then back again. "I want to make one thing clear; I've had a good life, Victor. I might not have grown up rich, but I was taught the value of work and how to take care of myself. I was babysitting when I was twelve and serving up scoops of ice cream when I was fifteen. I had jobs after school and every summer. My mom helped me pay for college by working two jobs."

My eyes filled with tears, and I took a moment to regain my composure. "She gave me everything I needed, and she was the best mom in the world. She was my hero. I loved her more than I could ever express." I drew in a ragged breath, then added, "I came here wanting to yell at her for keeping you away from me, but I can't do that because she did what she thought was right. And if she was wrong, there's nothing I can do about it now. It certainly doesn't change how I feel about her."

"She was trying to protect you."

"And maybe herself, too," I said honestly. "My mom was a stubborn, proud woman. When you were willing to walk away from her, she was done with you. You weren't getting back in, no matter what. She was a fiercely loyal person, but if someone crossed her or did me wrong, she could be ruthless."

"I'm glad she was a good protector and that you had a great life with her."

I cocked my head to the right, a question on my lips that I'd wanted to ask since I'd learned he was my father. "Did you have something to do with me getting hired at your company?"

He shook his head. "I had no idea you worked for me until Megan brought me the marketing campaign, and I saw your name and your face. I couldn't believe you were one of my employees. Since you hadn't used your connection to me, I assumed you still didn't know I was your father."

"I didn't. I had been working in marketing, but I had never tried to go into the hotel industry because my mother hadn't wanted me to follow in her footsteps. However, when I saw the position at Carrington Resorts, it reminded me of her. I'd grown up in hotels, and working in one felt comfortable, like a second home." I cleared my throat. "That decision led to all of this…"

"Your job is still available, Lauren. If you want it."

"Too much has happened for me to go back to my old job."

"I actually have another idea, if you'll hear me out."

"What's that?" I asked warily.

"The Carrington Foundation. I'd like you to manage our philanthropic efforts. I believe you would be the perfect person to oversee where our money can best be used outside of our profit margin."

"I know about the foundation, but I've never been that impressed with it."

"Because it hasn't been impressive or a priority. I want to make it both of those things."

"Why? Because you think your company will need positive spin?"

He smiled at my blunt statement. "Partly, yes, but also because I want you to be involved. You're my daughter. And this is the family business. I want you in it."

I had a lot of mixed emotions about his offer. "You already gave me a very valuable diamond. I don't need to work at all."

"I was wondering what you were going to do with that, but I didn't want to ask. It's yours to do whatever you want with it."

"Well, I'm not going to put it in a glass case for people to look at or try to steal. I'm going to sell it, and I want to use the money for good."

He nodded, his expression neutral. "Okay."

"That doesn't bother you?" I challenged. "You don't want it back after searching for it for so many years?"

"Like I said, it's yours. You don't have to work for me at the foundation, but I'd like you to consider it. I want us to have a relationship, however that might look."

I hesitated for a long minute, but in truth, I'd already made my decision. "I'd like to get to know you better. That's as far as I can go right now."

Relief ran through his eyes. "Good."

"There is another question I have for you."

"You can ask me anything."

"How did you have so many good fakes of that diamond?"

He smiled. "David's girlfriend Kirstie is an artist and a gemologist; she's very good at making fakes."

"Kirstie?" I asked with surprise. "Seriously? I would not have guessed that about her."

"People rarely look past her beauty. I was worried that someone might try to steal the diamond, so I asked David to have her make me several fakes. He gave them to me when we were on the yacht."

"It was you and David in the stateroom," I said as the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. "I heard parts of your conversation. You said something about taking care of Ethan. What did you mean by that?"

"I wasn't aware anyone had overheard our conversation," he said. "I did tell David that I didn't want Ethan to know about the fakes. I couldn't trust anyone, not even Ethan. It was too risky."

"It was risky to bring the second fake to Andrew. He almost killed you and then he would have come after me."

"I didn't think he would react so quickly and so violently. Have you spoken to Andrew?"

"No, and I won't. I've already filed for an annulment. I can't wait to be completely free of him. I was a fool to fall for his con. I won't be that trusting ever again."

"Andrew fooled me, too. I did look into Andrew's background because of Ethan's concerns, but I didn't find anything that set off alarm bells. And I knew you weren't a thief, so I dismissed the idea that you and Andrew might be working together." He paused. "I should have done a more thorough investigation, and I should have trusted Ethan's instincts. I'm sorry Andrew hurt you the way he did."

"He hurt me, but he didn't break me." I repeated the words I'd said to Andrew that last day. "I'm going to be fine."

"I'm glad. I'll go now so you can have time alone with your mom. But I hope I'll hear from you soon." He paused, giving me a smile. "You know, there are very few people who don't say yes to me immediately."

"Maybe that's not such a good thing."

"Maybe not. But I think I'll enjoy getting to know someone who isn't afraid to speak her mind and tell me when I'm wrong."

"Be careful what you wish for."

He laughed, then headed down the small hillside to his waiting car.

After he left, I turned back to my mother's grave. I wished he could give me time with my mom, but she was gone. And he was here. It wasn't fair. She should have been here, too.

But her spirit would always be with me, and I would have the life she wanted for me. I just couldn't follow completely in her footsteps with regard to Victor.

"I'm going to get to know my father, Mom," I said aloud. "I'll enjoy spreading his wealth to those less fortunate, and I'll see what kind of relationship we can have. I'll be more careful about who I trust in the future. But I know I won't be fooled again, because now I know who I really am. It's ironic that it took a con man to make me see that." I leaned down once more and traced her name with my fingers, then I put my fingers to my lips and blew her a kiss. "I'll be back soon. I love you."

When I got into my car, my phone rang. I answered it, feeling happier than I'd ever thought I would be to get a call from Ethan Stark, who had once been my nemesis.

"Hi, Ethan."

"How's it going, Lauren? It's been a few weeks. I wanted to check in on you."

"It's good. I brought some flowers to my mother's grave today, and Victor showed up with all kinds of tempting offers. He wants me to head the Carrington Foundation and be a part of his life."

"That sounds interesting."

"I don't need his foundation to spend his money. I have his diamond locked away in a vault at my bank."

"That's true. You have options."

"And I'll think about all of them. We had a good talk. He seemed sincere in wanting to have a relationship with me, and I feel like I want to at least get to know him better. But I don't want money or a job to be a part of that."

"That makes sense. You don't need to rush into anything. You can investigate, research, and make sure you choose what's right for you."

"That's good advice. What are you doing these days?"

"Victor made me an offer, too. He wants me to be in charge of security for all his properties, both business and personal."

"What do you think about the job?"

"I'm tempted. It would be broader in scope than what I've been doing, and I'd get to travel around the world."

"That could be fun. You should investigate, research, and make sure to choose what's right for you," I said, repeating his earlier statement.

He laughed. "In other words, take my own advice."

"Exactly. You're a smart man."

"And you are a smart woman."

"I am. So, where are you now?"

"I'm headed to New York to talk to the current head of security for Carrington Resorts, who is retiring at the end of the month. The research begins. What are you doing tonight?"

"I'm having drinks with Harper and Jamie. I'm not sure where that friendship will go in the future, but they didn't have anything to do with what happened to me, and at times they did try to warn me about Andrew, so we'll see." I paused. "Maybe you and I could get together if you ever come back to California."

"I'll be back," he promised, sending a little tingle down my spine. "As long as you're there."

"I'm here."

"But I want to make it clear that next time we go out, Lauren, I'll be buying. I don't want money to come between us, either."

"Is there going to be an us ?"

"I guess we'll find out."

"When we're done investigating and researching," I said with a laugh.

"Exactly. So, I'll see you when I see you."

"Yes, you will. Have a good trip, Ethan."

"Have a good night, Lauren."

As I ended the call, I smiled to myself. I didn't know when I'd be ready to take another chance on love, because I needed to be on my own for a while. But if I did want to take that chance, it might be on a cynical, pragmatic, and sexy man who had once been my enemy but had turned out to be my best friend.