by Nadia Lee
“Whenever Barron decides is good, I guess,” Vanessa grumbled.
“That man. Don’t let him walk all over you. You’re family now, not one of the servants.”
“Don’t worry. By the way, I haven’t told this to anybody except Justin, but I’m pregnant.”
“Oh.” A short pause. “Is that…? Never mind. We should meet and talk about this. Can you get away? I’m in downtown at the moment, and I can be at the Starbucks across from your office in about ten minutes.”
“You don’t have to change your plans for me,” Vanessa said.
“Don’t be silly. It’s just some shopping.”
Ceinlys hung up, and Vanessa stared at her phone. Did she have enough time to talk to her dad? Maybe yes, maybe no. Biting her lip, she dialed his number and sighed with relief when it went to voice mail.
“Dad, I married Justin Sterling about seven weeks ago. I thought I should let you know before Barron calls. Love you, bye.”
She picked up her purse and got up, then hesitated. What the heck. She took her briefcase too. She had a feeling she wouldn’t be coming back to the office after talking with her mom. It looked like the partners really wanted her to take time off—anything to keep Barron Sterling happy.
There were stares as she left, but she kept her chin up. She would not be cowed by something like this.
Ceinlys had already ordered a drink by the time Vanessa had made it to Starbucks. She got an iced tea and joined her mother at a table in the corner.
Ceinlys was dressed in black slacks topped by a dark magenta silk blouse with a round neck. Stilettos encased her impeccably pedicured feet, and not a fleck of gray showed in her hair. Her makeup was perfect, her skin smooth and flawless. With diamonds at her ears and throat, she looked like the proverbial million bucks despite going through what had to be a stressful divorce. When people had the kind of assets Ceinlys and Salazar did, divorces rarely were clean and easy… even with a prenup.
Despite her cool disinterest, a few men were checking her out. Vanessa almost bared her teeth at them. Her mother wasn’t on display at a meat market.
“So. The baby,” Ceinlys said, getting straight to the point.
Vanessa sighed. “Almost eight weeks.”
“Is that why you decided to marry?”
“It was mostly his decision. He said something about it’s being the heir to the Sterling & Wilson fortune.”
“Well, yes, I suppose. But surely, marriage wasn’t necessary.”
Vanessa took a sip of her tea, which was too bitter. She pushed it aside. “I’m not sure. It’s complicated.”
“Do you love him?” Ceinlys peered at her.
Vanessa shrugged, then cleared throat. “I don’t know. We have…chemistry. We dated when I was in college and law school, then we—actually I—broke it off.”
“So how did the pregnancy come about?”
Vanessa sighed. “I went to Chicago when I heard about your divorce.”
“Ah.” A frown creased Ceinlys’s forehead briefly. “Do you still want to talk about my divorce?”
“Are you going to tell me to go see Samantha?”
A small smile appeared on her mother’s lips. “No. I suppose that wasn’t very nice of me. But at the time I didn’t want to discuss the matter with anyone who might question my decision.”
“Why not?”
“Because it was a very difficult one. And I didn’t think I would be able to do what I needed to if people tried to talk me out of it.”
“Do you still love him?” Vanessa asked.
Looking away, Ceinlys dragged in a lungful of air and exhaled softly. “In some ways.”
“Even though he was so bad to you?”
“We were bad for each other. By the time I realized this, it was too late. There were three children, and I couldn’t leave.”
Vanessa tapped the table with a fingernail. The infamous Pryce prenup meant her mother would have lost custody of her children, and that wasn’t something she would have risked.
“For a time I thought things might change if he realized the prenup had nothing to do with my decision to stay, but…we just weren’t meant to be,” Ceinlys added.
“Love isn’t enough, is it?”
“No.” Ceinlys reached over and held Vanessa’s hand. “You’re a smart girl, so maybe what I’m about to tell you is superfluous, but…” Something in Ceinlys’s eyes shifted, grew hard. “Never forget you have to protect yourself. Don’t ever let yourself be in a position where you have to depend on somebody else for your happiness and fulfillment in life. Don’t ever let emotions cloud your judgment and make you see things that aren’t there. I don’t want you to have the kind of life that I had. I want you to be free and happy.”
Vanessa laid her other hand over her mother’s. “Are you free and happy?”
Ceinlys’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Soon, dear. Soon I will be.”
* * *
Salazar drained another glass of whiskey. The home office was dark except for the light on the desk. It illuminated his mother’s portrait. Shirley Pryce had been a harshly beautiful woman with a mind that stayed sharp to the very end. The artist had put a small curve to her lips and softened the lines around her eyes. A complete lie. Shirley Pryce had never smiled easily, and her eyes had always been hard and vigilant.
“You wanted your grandkids to marry well. And gue…guess what? Vanessa snagged Justin Sterling! Can you believe it?” He toasted his mother. “Amazing what that girl can do, eh? Despite your worries about her ‘over-education’.”
He staggered over to the liquor cabinet. “S’pose I should call and congratulate Vanessa,” he mumbled. “But that would take energy.” Ever since Ceinlys had hired Samantha Jones, Salazar hadn’t been able to focus on anything.
Why now? He couldn’t figure it out. Did she think he’d change his mind about the prenup? Or was it something else?
It was really too bad the best liquors in his cabinet couldn’t help him. Because he’d do anything to numb the bitter ball of panic in his gut.
Chapter Fifteen
His hands still on the keyboard, Justin took another look at his phone. Vanessa hadn’t called him back or returned his texts about their weekend getaway to Mexico. Maybe she was occupied doing the busywork her partners had given her. Even though it was clearly bullshit, she dedicated herself to the work, just like always. He appreciated that about her, even though her work ethic could be annoying from time to time.
When his phone rang, he answered immediately. “Justin Sterling.”
“Holy shit, you dog!”
He made a face. “Nate?”
“You married Vanessa Pryce? And you didn’t tell me when I asked you why you were flying to L.A. so much?”
“What are you talking about?” Justin flipped through all the possibilities in his mind. “Who told you that?”
“Barron. He had his assistant send out a text blast to everyone in the family just now. He said he’d already gone to L.A. personally to welcome her into the family.”
His stomach dropped like somebody had disemboweled him. “You’ve gotta be kidding. When did he go?”
“This morning.”
Justin bit back a curse. “How did he find out?”
“Unlike your erstwhile brother, Barron is a suspicious bastard. He probably checked on why you were flying back and forth between San Francisco and L.A. so much. I told you to watch your expenses.”
“Damn it.” Justin gritted his teeth, thinking shit shit shit. “Okay, thanks. Gotta go.” He hung up. No wonder Vanessa hadn’t contacted him. She was probably furious right now. He tried her number again, but it went to voice mail. He tried the next person on his list.
“How are you doing, Justin? I hear the doctor gave you a clean bill of health, but I don’t know if I can trust it.”
Justin reined in his temper at the droll tone. “Barron, what did you do?”
“Be more specific. I’ve done a lot of things in my life.
Actually you can hang up now. I’m right outside your office.”
Barron cut the line and simultaneously opened the door to Justin’s office. He looked hale and happy, his color high as he walked inside and took an armchair near Justin’s desk. “You horrible child. You should’ve invited me to the wedding.”
“Have you considered the possibility that maybe we didn’t want to make a big deal about it? That we wanted to keep it to ourselves?”
“Why on earth would you do that?”
“Various reasons.” It wasn’t really a lie. Vanessa had her big reason, and Justin had the reason of wanting to show support and make her happy. “We were going to keep it quiet until July.”
“July! Ridiculous.”
A secretary scurried in with a tray of hot tea and sugar cookies. She left it on the table by Barron and ran out as quickly she could.
When the door closed behind her, Justin said, “It may seem ridiculous to you, but not to us. You should’ve at least talked to me first.”
The good humor leeched from Barron’s face. “You were unreachable this morning.”
“Not on purpose.” He’d been on a commercial flight and unable to use his phone.
“I wasn’t going to wait. This is about the family.”
“No. This is about you trying to show everyone you’re still in charge.”
“I am in charge. I’m the head of this family!”
Justin stared at Barron, who stared right back. This is it, Justin thought. If he didn’t put his foot down now, Barron would continue to interfere whenever he felt like it. No more. No way. “Then I’m resigning.”
“What?” Barron said in a booming voice.
“I quit. If you want to be in charge, you don’t need me. I won’t play this game, Barron.”
“Do you think you’re irreplaceable?”
Justin gave him a slight smile. “I wouldn’t go that far. Let’s say…very difficult to replace. You’ll want a family member who’ll be okay with attempting to run the company while all the executives try to gauge your intentions. But Sterling & Wilson is your legacy, so of course you’ll want that person to be trained. And you have Kerri, Nate, Robert, Benjamin and Beatrice to choose from. Thankfully they’re all intelligent…it won’t be that difficult to mold them.”
“You’ll be cut off.”
“That doesn’t bother me.”
Barron gave him a penetrating squint. “What’s changed? The idea that you might not be my heir always bothered you.”
“I found something I value more than Sterling & Wilson.”
Barron snorted, then chuckled, the sound reluctant and soft. He reached for his tea. “All this over a girl.”
“She’s my wife. And she’s pregnant.”
Barron choked on his tea, and Justin walked over to pound his great-uncle’s back with slightly more force than was necessary.
“Pregnant?” Barron gasped. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. About eight weeks now.”
A huge grin split Barron’s face. “Kerri, and now you!” He let out a booming laugh. “Wonderful!”
“I’m still quitting.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Sterling & Wilson is also your son’s legacy.”
“It may not be a son,” Justin pointed out.
“Bah. Son, daughter, what does it matter? Girls can lead a company just as well as boys.”
Justin watched his uncle with bemusement. The old curmudgeon sometimes surprised him.
“If it would make you feel better, I suppose I could try to be more considerate of your situation.” Barron pursed his lips, but then he noticed the sugar cookies laid out for him. “By the way, did that marketing VP turn in his resignation?”
“Who, Ross?” Justin frowned. “No.”
“If he doesn’t do so by COB today, fire him.”
“Why?”
“He came to me to discuss your comments on his latest ideas yesterday, and I told him to resign.”
Justin scowled.
“You have to make examples of a few. Then things will be fine. I won’t overrule you no matter who you fire. I’m on the board, but that doesn’t mean I want to make managerial decisions. That’s your job.”
“Fine. I’ll talk with Hayashi and see if we can cut the strings on his golden parachute.”
Barron smiled. “See? There’s a reason I chose you. We always were on the same wavelength, as you youngsters like to say.”
* * *
After Barron left, Justin got up and stretched, then poured himself a drink. Finally, it looked like he was going to have full control of the company. It was a considerable weight off his shoulders.
As he sipped his scotch he glanced at the clock. It was already a little after one thirty. It was a Friday and victory or no, he didn’t feel like staying in the office any longer. Just at that moment a notice came in that there was a replacement jet and pilot waiting for him at the airport.
Okay, time to go to L.A. and do some damage control. But first, he needed to take care of a bit of business.
Rita helped him put away all his documents. “Anything else before you leave?”
“Actually, there is. Can you ask Keith Ross to come to my office?”
“Sure.”
“And get the security team ready to escort him out.”
Her smile faltered. “Uh… Is he being let go?”
“Yes, but don’t tell him. You know the protocol.”
She nodded. A few minutes later, Keith showed up. He was always well-packaged—an expensive suit, an expensive watch and expensive shoes. His dark hair was slicked back, the high forehead shiny as a pebble in a river. “Hey, boss. You wanted to see me?”
“Yes. Close the door.” Justin pointed his chin at the armchair and waited until the other man was seated. “You’re being let go effective immediately.”
His eyes bulged out, making him look like a goldfish. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“Why? My performance has been exemplary.”
“If you truly believe that, you’re delusional. Your performance has been adequate, but is outweighed by your disruptive influence. Nobody can undermine my authority and expect to stay on my team.”
“Jesus.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Is this because I called Barron yesterday?”
Justin merely sat back and watched Keith’s face turn red.
“It was just to get some feedback. It wasn’t like I was going over your head.”
“Spin, spin, spin,” Justin said, circling his finger in the air.
“Come on! I have a family.”
“Then you should’ve done your job, which doesn’t include running to Barron every time you disagree with my decisions. I sit in the CEO’s seat. I call the shots.”
“Justin—”
“I’ve been lenient with you, but obviously that hasn’t worked. Security will escort you out.” Justin got up and left, while the former VP sputtered. Outside his office two large men dressed in black were waiting.
That taken care of, he called Mark Pryce to make a reservation at his restaurant. They should probably do a big family dinner with Vanessa’s relatives since none of them had gotten invited to the wedding. Then he groaned when he saw a call from his mother. Ever since his father passed away, she’d lived like a hermit, but for her to call was serious. There was no way to avoid this one.
“Hi, Mom!” he said extra cheerily.
“Justin Augustine Sterling!”
He winced. She hadn’t used his full name or that tone of voice since he was twelve.
“I cannot believe you got married and didn’t tell me about it!”
He didn’t mention she wouldn’t have come to the ceremony anyway since she didn’t like to travel, and a small town in Ohio was probably not a suitable venue for an overpriced high society wedding. “I didn’t invite Barron either,” he said lamely.
“He’s your great-uncle. I’m your mother!”
“I know, I know. Look, I’m s
orry. But don’t worry. I married a very nice, very smart girl. Vanessa Pryce. You remember her, right?” His mother might not get out much, but she didn’t live in a bunker either.
There was a pause. “Yes. The lawyer girl?”
“Right.”
“I thought you were dating London.”
“Well…I was. It didn’t work out.”
“And that was only a few weeks ago. How is it that you suddenly changed your mind and fell in love with Vanessa?”
Justin smiled at how outraged his mother sounded.
“Please don’t tell me you married her because of her looks. Vanessa’s a nice girl, but I’m afraid you might have gone for the looks. I’ve yet to see a girl that gorgeous, except possibly for the Fairchild girl.” Catherine Fairchild was so good-looking, she didn’t even seem human at times.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I didn’t marry her for looks. We’ve been dating on and off since college. You remember how I went to Stanford, even though Barron wanted me to go to Harvard?”
“Yes. You argued quite a bit over that, as I recall.”
“Vanessa was attending Stanford Law.”
“Oh.”
“As much as I love a pretty face, I also enjoy good conversation.”
She sighed. “I suppose I ought to have more faith, but it’s so difficult. Barron gave you too much of everything too soon. It’s just not normal for a young man to grow up the way you did and not lose some sense of proportion. I never like how he kept pushing you to be as horrible and entitled as possible.”
He chuckled. It was no secret she disapproved of Barron’s Machiavellian ways. “Don’t worry, Mom. I haven’t forgotten anything you taught me.”
“Good. But you’re going to bring her home soon? I want to see her.”
“We’ll have to see our schedule. She’s pretty busy. Besides, she’s pregnant.”
“Already?” There was a pause. “Did she get pregnant before or after you married her?”
“I…don’t know. It happened so fast.”
“I suppose it doesn’t really matter.” She let out something that sounded suspiciously like a squeal. “Oh my stars, I’m going to be a grandmother!”
“Looks like it.”
“All right then. You bring her home soon. And let me know if she’s allergic to anything. I’m going to cook.”
