Bound by Their Love

by Nicole Flockton

  ‘As far as I know the baby is fine. Greta hasn’t mentioned anything being wrong. I hate to say this, but Greta’s father lied to you. He pulled her from the account and from what I can tell, fired her from the firm.’

  ‘What?’ Luc asked.

  Jeffrey rubbed his hand down his leg. ‘Somehow her father found out that she was pregnant with my baby and that we’d slept together when she was up in Broome researching for her presentation.’ Not wanting to sit, Jeffrey stood and started pacing. ‘What I want to know is how they found out about Greta’s pregnancy. She thinks I told her father.’

  Luc looked at him and Jeffrey knew the question was coming before it was even asked. ‘Did you?’

  ‘Why the hell would I do that, Luc? I love her. I promised her I wouldn’t say anything. What about you? Did you or Nick say something?’

  Luc had the audacity to laugh. ‘Of course not, why would I? Nick wouldn’t say anything either. We both like Greta. I like what she’s done with the campaign.’ Luc looked directly at Jeffrey. ‘More importantly, I like that she’s brought you back to life. Out of the darkness and into the light. Don’t go back there, Jeff. It’s too lonely.’

  Jeffrey acknowledged what he said as the truth. He didn’t want to go back to the shadows that had been his life. Saying he loved Greta was freeing and he wanted the opportunity to say it to her. ‘Well, if you and Nick didn’t say anything, then who the hell did?’

  Luc shrugged. ‘My guess is that the leak was closer to home than any one of us.’

  It took a moment, but Jeffrey thought back over the interactions they’d had with Greta’s father and his agency. His previous thoughts coalesced in his mind and confirmed his suspicions on who told Greta’s father.

  ‘Graham.’

  Luc nodded. ‘Yes, that would be my main suspect.’

  ‘The bastard,’ Jeffrey clenched he fist and looked at Luc. ‘Tomorrow you and I are going to pay them a visit.’

  ‘I agree, we will get it sorted.’

  Jeffrey still had one problem and he voiced it. ‘How can I get Greta back?’

  Jasmine piped up. ‘I’ve got the perfect idea.’

  Jeffrey and Luc sat in Greta’s dad’s office, waiting for the man to join them. He was anxious for the meeting to get underway so he could get back to Broome. He was itching to design the images that had come to him in a dream last night. But sorting out Greta’s father was the most important thing in his mind.

  ‘Sorry to keep you waiting, gentleman.’ Derek Adamas said smoothly as he walked into the room. ‘How can I help you?’

  Jeffrey was about to stand but Luc gave a subtle shake of his head, letting him know he’d take the lead, then Jeffrey could take over.

  ‘We wanted to discuss the account and who will be heading it now Greta has removed her—no wait, that’s wrong isn’t it? She’s been removed from the account, hasn’t she?’

  ‘Oh, let me assure you Greta took herself from the account; in fact, she left the firm. I only gave her a job in the first place because everyone expected me to because she was my daughter. She doesn’t have what it takes.’

  Jeffrey shot out of the chair and grabbed Derek by his jacket lapels. ‘That is the mother of my child and the woman I love you’re talking about,’ he ground out. ‘You’d better watch what you say about her or I won’t be responsible for what I do next.’

  ‘Jeff, let him go.’ Luc’s calm voice penetrated the red haze enveloping him. He never lost control, but when Derek had talked about Greta as if she was nothing but a piece of rubbish, he’d had enough.

  ‘Fine,’ Jeffrey said, releasing Derek.

  ‘Derek, while I know you have a good reputation, the way you’ve dealt with the Morelli Corporation has been less than professional. We’re here for two reasons. The first is that after the gala event our contract with your agency will be terminated. Any ongoing advertising work we need, will be,’ Luc paused and Jeffrey wondered what he was about to say next. ‘Handled in a deal I will personally negotiate with Greta. Now, can you call Graham in here please.’

  Jeffrey had to admire his friend. Luc was calm and his tone even, but there was no mistaking who was in charge of the meeting and it definitely wasn’t Derek.

  ‘Why do you want to see Graham?’

  ‘You’ll see. Do you think you can get him?’

  Derek huffed and picked up his phone to call the other man into the meeting. Jeffrey took the time to get his emotions under control.

  The door opened and Graham walked in. Jeffrey turned to face him, wanting nothing more than to wipe the smugness off Graham’s face. It was like he didn’t care he knew he’d ruined Greta’s career or her relationship with her father.

  He stalked over to where Graham stood. ‘Why did you do it?’

  ‘I heard everything you said while you were having lunch.’ The other man lifted his chin in defiance. ‘Her father needed to know the lengths Greta would go to get an account.’

  This time, Jeffrey couldn’t control his anger. His fingers clenched into a fist and he swung his arm, connecting with bone-crunching accuracy on Graham’s jaw, knocking the man flat.

  ‘Mr Courteux, what the hell do you think you’re doing?’ Derek blustered out.

  ‘Doing what you should’ve done. That man,’ he flung a hand to Graham’s prone figure on the ground. ‘Just insulted your daughter. Your flesh and blood, and you have the audacity to get upset with me. Let me tell you, Derek, Greta is better off without you in her life. We all are. It will take hell freezing over before I ever let you near Greta or our child.’

  Jeffrey turned and looked at Luc. ‘I’m done here.’

  Luc nodded, and Jeffrey walked out satisfied that he’d done what he’d set out to do when he arrived at the Adamas Agency—protect Greta’s reputation.

  Chapter 25

  The date on the calendar mocked Greta. She walked over to the window, not seeing the view of the city laid out in the late afternoon sunshine. As if the view could help her forget what she had planned to be doing today.

  Today was supposed to be the biggest day of her career. Where she showed the world that Greta Adamas was a force to be reckoned with in the advertising world. Instead it was just another day. Like all the days that had passed since she’d walked out of her father’s office. He hadn’t even tried to contact her once. If she needed a sign he didn’t give a damn about her, that was a pretty big one. She didn’t want her baby to grow up not knowing his or her grandfather. It saddened her to think Dad didn’t care about his future grandchild.

  She began to rub her expanding belly. The motion soothing to her as well as, she hoped, to the baby growing inside of her. The visit with the doctor last week had shown that everything was going well. The doctor had told her he was able to tell her the sex of the baby if she wanted to know. Part of her wanted to know but the other part wanted to be able to share the moment with Jeff. She’d said no, she didn’t want to know.

  She’d promised she would let Jeff know when her next appointment was going to be so he could come with her. But their last meeting and the vision of the woman sitting on the couch played over and over in her mind. In the end she’d gone to the doctor’s by herself.

  A knock at the door sounded. It was probably Sheree wanting to see if she wanted to have dinner together. The only plus about her enforced stay at home was the fact that she and Sheree had become good friends.

  She opened the door. Standing in front of her was the last person she ever expected to see.

  ‘Heather? What are you doing here?’

  ‘Oh, I’m so glad you’re home,’ the other woman gushed. ‘We don’t have a lot of time, can I come in?’

  Dumbfounded as to why Heather, Luciano Morelli’s personal assistant, stood at her front door with a garment bag draped over one arm. Greta stepped back so she could enter.

  ‘What’s going on?’

  Heather placed the garment bag on the couch before answering her question. ‘One of the models is sick and L
uciano wants you at the gala. He says you deserve to be there. Your campaign has made the event the talk of the town. He wants you to replace the sick model.’

  Greta laughed. The whole idea of her being a model at the gala was unbelievable. Her father would have a heart attack if she walked into the room. ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘I’m sorry, I’m not taking no for an answer.’ Heather picked the bag up and thrust it toward her. ‘Here, this is your dress. Wear comfortable shoes. Ones you can stand in for a while.’

  Greta crossed her arms. She wasn’t taking that dress. ‘No, Heather, I’m not doing it.’ She pointed to the small bump of her stomach. ‘Firstly, if you hadn’t noticed, I’m not exactly model-sized at the moment. And secondly, my father would have me escorted out the moment I walked into the room.’

  Heather waved away her concerns. ‘Your belly is cute. The dress is going to look dynamite on you. And don’t worry about your father. Luciano and Jeffrey have the situation under control. This night is going to be a huge success. If anyone should be there to celebrate, it should be you.’

  ‘My father won’t mind?’

  ‘Doesn’t matter what he thinks. I don’t know all the details. But I was asked to remove your father’s name was from the guest list I just dropped off at the hotel.’

  So many emotions rushed through her, each vying for her immediate attention. The daughter in her wanted to find out what happened with her father. Why his name was off the list. The advertising executive in her was yelling in excitement, telling her this was her opportunity to see her ideas come to life, while the broken-hearted woman didn’t want to be in the same room as Jeff. What if he was there with the girl she’d seen in his hotel suite?

  ‘I can’t do it.’ Greta whispered out.

  Heather walked toward her and touched her arm. ‘I know this is a bit of a shock. But Greta, you can do this. Besides, I know that if I don’t bring you, Luciano is going to fire my arse. And I really like working for him. I think you need to do this. You need to see your ideas come to life. You deserve this. You really do. I saw the ads on the television. They were amazing. Everyone is talking about the collection. We’ve had to engage more security because everyone wants to get a glimpse of the jewellery.’

  Tears pooled in Greta’s eyes. Hearing that she’d created the sort of buzz Jeffrey and his jewellery deserved warmed her soul.

  ‘You have to be there when The Angel Collection makes its appearance out in the world. You need to be involved. Wearing the stunning pieces Jeffrey has created.’ Heather’s argument was convincing. She wanted to see the collection on the models. She only hoped the piece of jewellery she had to wear wasn’t the ankle cuff. Greta didn’t think she could wear that piece. Not without remembering her time with Jeff at his house.

  The need to see Jeff, even from afar, pushed away her doubts. God, how she missed him. Missed his touch. Missed his smile. The special smile she knew he only had for her. Whatever happened tonight, she had to try and see if she could mend their broken relationship. To get it back on even ground where they could talk about what was going to happen with their baby. She didn’t want to lose her child and she didn’t want her child to be pushed from pillar to post between them.

  She had to go tonight, she had no other option.

  Taking a deep breath, she reached out and took the garment bag from Heather. ‘Fine, you win. I’ll do it.’

  Heather clapped in excitement. ‘Brilliant, just put the dress on, and once we get to the hotel we’ll have hair and make-up get you fixed up. It’s going to be so exciting. Just you wait.’

  Greta hoped Heather was right.

  Jeffrey paced the foyer of the penthouse suite, waiting for Luc to arrive. He wondered if Heather had managed to talk Greta into coming to the event. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d wanted to pick up the phone and call her. To see if she and the baby were doing okay. To find out how she was feeling. Was she starting to show? Had she had another doctor’s appointment? He should’ve been there. He only had himself to blame for not being there. God, he was such a fool sometimes.

  Jeffrey closed his eyes as he imagined their child growing inside of Greta. He had no doubt she would look beautiful.

  The door opened and Jeffrey turned. Luc and Jasmine walked into the room.

  ‘Well?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s done,’ replied Luc. ‘She’ll be there.’

  The weight Jeffrey had been carrying around for the last few weeks lifted. He couldn’t wait to see he pieces he’d created especially for Greta to wear this evening. He’d started on them the moment he’d returned to Broome after their fight.

  Anticipation fired his soul. Tonight he was going to win back the woman he loved and he was never going to let her go again.

  Chapter 26

  Looking in the mirror, Greta didn’t recognise the woman looking back at her. Her black hair was down, flowing in soft curls around her shoulders. She’d expected it to be put in an up-do so that the pieces she’d be wearing would be shown to the best advantage. When she’d asked the hair stylist, she’d been told her hair was to be down. Her dress was a bright purple. The fabric silky and smooth. The low neckline was perfect for a pendant and she assumed that would be the piece from the collection she’d be wearing.

  ‘You look gorgeous, Greta.’ Heather smiled at her as she walked up to where Greta was sitting in the make-up artist’s chair.

  ‘Thank you. I’m so nervous. I’ve never walked a runway before.’

  ‘Don’t be. Just think of the runway as walking down a hallway. Once you’ve done that, you then walk into the crowd and show off the pieces you’ll be wearing. Just like you planned. It’s going to be amazing.’

  Greta knew she wouldn’t be wearing the ankle cuff. Her dress was long, so no one would see it when she walked. ‘What pieces will I be wearing?’

  ‘Oh, they’re gorgeous and I have them right here.’ Heather held up a bag. She placed it on the table and then pulled out the boxes, setting them down next to the bag. There were three in total. ‘Okay, let’s see these on you. I know they’re going to be perfect.’

  As she opened the first box, Greta’s ability to speak was lost. In front of her were the most exquisite pieces she’d ever seen. ‘Are these part of the collection? I wasn’t shown these.’

  ‘Oh no, these were just added to the collection in the last couple of weeks,’ Heather said as she pulled out two items. ‘Right, these are to go on your arms. The instructions are to push them up as far as they can go.’ She held out the gold bands for Greta to see. The bands looked like spirals of stars. They should’ve been gaudy, with all the diamonds in them, but instead they were elegant and tasteful.

  Greta took one band and slipped it over her wrist and pushed it up her arm until it sat midway between her shoulder and her elbow. She repeated the action for the other one. Looking closely, she could see that each individual diamond was heart-shaped. It was like she was carrying a million hearts on her arms.

  ‘Right, here’s your next piece.’ Heather held out a necklace. Greta gasped in surprise. The necklace Heather was holding was the piece Jeffrey had shown her. The piece he’d told her was an ‘apology’ gift.

  ‘I think there’s been a mistake. I know for a fact that necklace is a custom piece for a client of Jeffrey’s. It’s not part of the collection.’

  A flash of confusion crossed Heather’s face. ‘I don’t think so. I was there when Jeffrey allocated all the pieces. This one was definitely included in the items allocated to be worn by the model you’re replacing.’

  Greta wanted to protest further, but a shout of ‘five minutes’ sounded around the room. ‘Fine, put it on me then.’

  Greta turned and Heather placed the necklace around her neck and fastened it.

  ‘Okay, here’s the last piece.’

  Greta swivelled back to face the mirror, seeing her reflection once again. The necklace looked even more beautiful on than it had in the box. The centre heart sat
perfectly between her breasts. It was like the necklace had been made specifically for her. Greta touched the diamond heart, wishing she did live up to her name—unbreakable like a diamond.

  ‘It looks beautiful on you, Greta. All the pieces do. I would give anything to own a piece of Jeffrey’s jewellery. Sadly, I think one piece would be the price of my yearly salary.’

  Greta laughed. ‘I know what you mean.’ She touched the heart again. ‘So what’s my last piece?’

  ‘This.’

  This turned out to be a beautiful diamond ring. The centre stone was large, but not so large that it looked fake. It was a marquise cut, the style she’d admired when she’d been in Jeff’s studio. The colour a beautiful deep pink. Flanking the large centre stone were two bright white, round cut diamonds. The band was made up totally of baguette cut stones.

  ‘Oh my.’

  ‘Exactly.’ Heather agreed.

  ‘Which finger do I put it on?’ Greta asked.

  ‘Oh, Jeffrey’s instructions were that it must be worn on the ring finger on the model’s right hand.’

  Greta slipped it on. It fit perfectly.

  ‘One minute. Models, I need you lined up now.’ The thunderous voice of the stage manager boomed around the room.

  Nerves the size of footballs tossed around her stomach. ‘I can do this,’ she muttered.

  ‘Of course you can. And Greta, you look gorgeous. Every man’s eyes are going to be on you and the beautiful jewellery you’re wearing. I wish it was me.’

  ‘If there was time, I’d change and you could take my place.’

  ‘Nope,’ Heather laughed. ‘Now go strut your stuff.’

  Greta closed her eyes and counted to ten, calming herself. She opened her eyes and made her way to where the models stood. Another group of models lined up behind her so she was sandwiched in the middle. She stood out in her purple dress. For the first time since she’d arrived in the make-up room, she saw that every other model was wearing black.

  ‘You in the purple. You’re going last. Move to the back of the line.’ A harried woman carrying a clipboard barked at her.