Rediscovering Love - A Billionaire Romance Novel (Romance, Billionaire Romance, Life After Love Book 5)

by Nancy Adams

  “Until six months later when you need to evaluate her again. I read all your paperwork you sent the other day.”

  “Look, Mr. Lee, you have to understand that it is inevitable that your wife will end up in a care institute at some point in the future. Her mental state will deteriorate and her moods will suffer as a result. A common part of dementia is mood swings, and often patients can become violent toward themselves and others around them. With a child in the house, it becomes an issue.”

  “I would never hurt Danny,” Juliette burst out, standing up like a bolt.

  Jules took her gently by the arm and tried to get her back on the couch.

  “I thought the child was David. Who’s Danny?” Jill asked.

  “Yes, Danny, my boy,” Juliette put back, her eyes raging. “I gave birth to him. He came from me and you want to take him away. You don’t have the right.”

  Jill began going through the notes in her folder.

  “I thought the child was adopted,” she said as she went through her paperwork.

  Meanwhile, Jules tugged Juliette back down onto the couch and said softly, “It’s David she’s talking about, Juliette. Not Danny. Danny’s gone, remember?”

  Her face went pale and her eyes instantly melted into sadness. She placed her hand on her mouth and tears welled up in her dull green eyes.

  “I forgot,” she exclaimed softly.

  Jules turned back to the social worker and said, “It’s okay. She just forgot. Danny was our first son. He died.”

  “Oh! I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. It was a long time ago, but lately Juliette gets a little confused with everything.”

  Juliette was calm now, although her face had gone very dark as a grave sadness held it. Jules offered her a tissue, which she took, and she wiped her tears away.

  “Look,” Jules started, “I asked earlier about what type of place Juliette could end up at, but you never answered. So I’d like to know just where she would be taken.”

  “I’m afraid that as you don’t have any health insurance or savings that would pay for care, Juliette would be taken to a state facility.”

  “You mean a nuthouse?”

  “Well, that’s a little strong. But yes, it would be a state institution that specializes in the care of persons like your wife that have nowhere else to go.”

  “My God!” Jules let out, taking Juliette by the hand and gazing incredulously at the social worker. “Well, I’ll tell you now, that that’s not gonna happen. Not while there’s breath in my body will that ever happen.”

  “I’m afraid that if the state deems it necessary, you’ll have no choice.”

  “Ha! That’s what you think.”

  “Please, Mr. Lee, I’ve only come here to warn you of the possible outcomes of the three-month evaluation. I’m sure that it won’t come to that.”

  “You’re damn straight it won’t come to that. Because it won’t happen. Now, is there anything more you’ve come to say?”

  “Not much. Just to inform you that you will be visited once a week for the next three months so that we can get a more accurate assessment of the needs of both your wife and your son. Everything is on this form.”

  She took another letter from her folder and handed it to Jules. He took one look at it and saw that it was a schedule of repeated visits.

  “And that’s all?” he asked when he’d glanced at it.

  “Yes.”

  “Then I’d like to ask you to leave.”

  “Of course.”

  The social worker stood up, having not touched her coffee, and took her folder, and Jules saw her to the door. As she put her coat and shoes back on, she gave Jules a warm smile and assured him that it most probably wouldn’t come to incarceration and that it was often the reaction of family members to feel threatened by state intervention, but that it very rarely came to that.

  Once she had left, Jules watched her car pull away and then went back into the lounge, sitting himself down next to Juliette. He immediately took her trembling hand in his own and she threw herself despairingly into him, sobbing loudly into his shoulder.

  “It’s okay,” he reassured her. “It won’t come to that, and if it does, I’ll think of something. I promise.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Sam arrived back at the mansion in L.A. and was immediately met at the front of his house by his assistant Karl, Maud, and the head of Techsoft security, John Ryan. Ryan was a barrel-chested ex-Green Beret, who then spent ten years in the FBI, before being employed by Techsoft. He was an expert at risk prevention and investigation. Over and above, this man had proved to be vital to the company.

  “Okay, Sam,” John Ryan said, the moment Sam was standing in front of him, “I’ll get straight to things. I’ve had our guys go through all of your daughter’s online activity and we’ve found zilch that would suggest to us where she was going. She hasn’t been online since going missing and she left her phone here at the house, so we’ve been unable to track her. My guess is: she predicted that her devices would give us her position.”

  “What about her activity before she went missing?” Sam asked as the four of them began walking inside the house.

  “Before she disappeared none of her online posts or e-mails gave any clue as to her either planning to run away or where she might head. All her phone messages didn’t mention anything special either.”

  “What about her phone? You said she didn’t take it.”

  “That was what I was going to say next. We found it switched off in her room.”

  They made their ways into the lounge and sat themselves down on the couch.

  “Was there anything in her messages online or on her phone that mentioned me?” Sam asked once they were seated.

  “None. Just trivial stuff sent to friends about shopping in New York. The usual stuff ten-year-old girls send. In the last five hours we’ve visited the three friends that she’s most in contact with and each of them told us that they’d heard nothing from her since yesterday. They understood the gravity of the situation and gave us no reason to suspect that they were lying. Their parents also know the situation and will stay vigilant.”

  “Has anything else given you any ideas where she could be?”

  “None at the moment. It’s my reasoning that she’s out there somewhere on her own. That means she’s just waiting to be picked up by someone. It doesn’t take long before someone notices a ten-year-old girl all on her own.”

  “Yeah, but by who?” Sam exclaimed with a worried expression. “Who’s going to notice her?”

  “Hey, the most likely endgame to all of this is that she’s found somewhere nearby trying to get into a cab. She’ll be reported straight away and we’re monitoring all police frequencies and emergency service broadcasts. If she’s found, we’ll be the first to know.”

  “What about the police? Do you think we might involve them, get Jess’s photo out there?”

  “Give me twenty-four hours, Sam. If she isn’t here by then—which I think is highly unlikely—then we’ll inform LAPD and get her photo out to everyone. However, it’s my understanding that you want this kept in-house.”

  “It was when I thought that we’d find her before I even landed in L.A. But now that I’m here and she isn’t, I think that every minute we keep this out of the public eye, someone’s walking past her completely oblivious to who she is or that she’s even missing. That’s someone who could alert the police.”

  “Like I said, Sam, give me a little more time. She’s only been missing for seven hours. She’s a ten-year-old girl out in one of the most populous cities in America all on her own. Someone’s bound to grab her soon.”

  “What do I do until then, John?” Sam asked his head of security, looking at him with shimmering eyes.

  “It’s simple, Sam,” he replied in an assured tone that reeked of calm. “You just stay right here and let us do our job. There’s a ninety percent chance that your daughter will be back with you by tonight.”


  “What if she’s not?”

  “Then we increase our presence on all fronts. Trust me, Sam, she will turn up safely.”

  Sam sat there in silence for a moment. He had expected that Jess would be found before he even landed in LAX and that Maud would call him with the news while he was still in the air. But it hadn’t turned out that way and with each passing hour of her absence his heart sank even more. It was still light out and, with it, Sam still had hope that she was safe.

  But in an hour or so the sun would drop below the horizon and the young girl would be all alone upon the streets of L.A. in the dark, when the city’s nocturnal underworld would emerge from the shadows. All alone with the night crawlers, the prostitutes, the pimps and the freaks.

  Snapping out of his somber reflection, Sam looked John in the eyes and thanked him. The security man then told Sam that he would let him know the moment there were any developments. With that, John stood up, shook Sam’s hand and left.

  When he had, Sam turned to Maud and Karl and said, “I forgot to ask: has anyone contacted Jenna?”

  “I did,” Maud answered. “I called her very soon after I’d called Jess’s friends. She offered to come out and help us, but I told her you were coming back and that we already had everyone working on it. If she sees her, she’ll call.”

  “That’s good.”

  Sam remained silent for a moment. As he sat there gazing despondently at the empty space in front of him, Karl asked if he’d like a coffee or something stronger, to which he replied that he’d like the latter. Karl went off to the small, polished walnut Louise XVII drinks cabinet and soon returned with a large glass of whiskey, which Sam downed in one go.

  “You want another?” Karl asked.

  “No. Better bring the coffee.”

  Karl went off again leaving Maud and Sam alone.

  Maud watched him go and the moment she saw Karl’s back disappear through the door, she turned sharply to Sam and inquired in an extremely stern tone, “What exactly happened in New York?”

  “I told you: Jess and Jenna walked in while I was with someone else. There was a big argument and Jenna walked out. Jess was really upset.”

  “You should be ashamed of yourself, getting caught by your own daughter having some sordid affair.”

  Sam glanced at Maud and saw that her face was more angry than he had ever seen it before. It was also the first time that she had ever chastised him like this. She was also playing nervously with her hands on her lap and tapping the heel of her foot on the floor. He realized that the woman was extremely worried for Jess and angry at Sam for creating the situation.

  “I mean, what sort of a man does that? I thought you of all people would never do that.”

  “You live and learn, Maud. I’m sorry to have disappointed you. However, this isn’t just any other sordid affair, as you put it. I love this person.”

  “And how long has it been going on?”

  Sam groaned slightly. He’d known Maud for seven years, and in that time she’d looked after his daughter like a mother. In many ways she was more than simply the au pair; she was family.

  Without deliberating too long on whether he should divulge this next part, he opened his mouth.

  “I met her six years ago.”

  “Six years ago!? And it’s been going on since then!?”

  “No. I met her then and we were reunited a few weeks ago at the T7 I did in New York. She was attending and I met up with her.”

  “But six years ago was when Marya died.”

  “I met her at the hospice.”

  Maud began shaking her head, unable to comprehend what he was saying. She had always respected him, but this was all too much for her to take.

  “Look,” Sam began earnestly, “you’ve been so good to myself and Jess these past years. You’re like a part of my family, so I’m going to be honest with you and tell you what happened.” He paused, took a deep breath, and continued. “I started an affair with a young girl working as a volunteer at the hospice shortly after Marya was admitted. At first it was just someone to speak to, but it blossomed into something more. However, we realized that it was all too much for us too soon. So we parted, supposedly forever. But things don’t always work so easily, and there hasn’t been a day gone by that I haven’t thought about that girl since. When I saw her again, I couldn’t help but seek her out. I was going to break things off with Jenna the very next day that she and Jess flew out to surprise me.”

  “And does Jess know all of this? That you were adulterous with her mother?”

  Sam sighed and answered, “Yes. I told her everything. I had to. It all came out when Jenna started asking questions in front of her. I had no choice but to tell her everything.”

  “My word, Sam. No wonder she’s run away. Why didn’t you tell me any of this when I came to fetch her from New York? I mean, I could have kept a closer eye on her.”

  “I didn’t think she’d run away.”

  “Didn’t think she’d run away!? She’s a ten-year-old girl who up until a week ago believed her father was a God. You’ve shattered her belief in you, and you’ve probably shattered her belief in the world. Oh, Sam!”

  “I know. I know. I feel terrible about it all. If we can just find her, I’ll make it all up to her.”

  “And this woman—this Claire—what about her? Do you intend to continue this affair?”

  Without any pause, he replied that he did.

  “And what about living arrangements?”

  “I was going to move to New York and work out of my Manhattan apartment.”

  “And where does Jess lie in all of this?”

  “When she’s finished this school year, I’ll move her out there too. I was hoping that you would agree to join us.”

  “Huh! I guess I’d have no choice! What about Jess, does she know this?”

  “Yes, I told her that too.”

  Maud closed her eyes and bit her lip. Sam could see that the woman had reacted to everything as a mother: she was mortified at the harm he had done to Jess. She blamed him for everything and had to control herself not to scream and shout at him for his completely irresponsible actions.

  “I’m sorry, Maud. I really am. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Honestly. You know that things haven’t been going right for me and Jenna for a long time. It was inevitable that it would end sooner or later.”

  “Then why didn’t you end it, Sam? Why did you have to cheat on her?”

  “I didn’t exactly cheat on her. I didn’t meet up with Claire until a week after I initially saw her. And before Jenna found out, we’d spent time together only three times.”

  “Had you been…well, you know—intimate?”

  “We’d kissed, but nothing more.”

  “Even meeting up secretly would be a breach of trust in my book. I think you’ve been terribly unfaithful in all of this.”

  “I know. But you have to believe me: I never set out to hurt anyone in all of it.”

  “But you have, Sam. You betrayed Jenna and you’ve badly let down your daughter. I don’t even know if I can continue in your house, Sam.”

  Sam opened his eyes wide.

  “Maud, what are you saying?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? As much as I cherish every moment with Jess, I don’t know if I can remain in your house if you’re going to be gallivanting around behind everyone’s back. I can’t stand by and watch you hurt your daughter—a girl I love like my own—over and over if you’re going to be doing duplicitous things like this.”

  “Look, I promise that from now on there’s no more deceit. I have loved this woman for six years. This isn’t some quick burst of lust. This is something that has been growing inside of me for years. I realize that I made a mistake staying so long with Jenna. I was a coward for not confronting things. I thought that I owed her something and was too weak to do the right thing and call it off. But please, Maud, don’t leave over this. I promise to make it up to everyone, including
you.”

  “You only need to make it up to one person to make me happy, and that’s Jess.”

  “I will.”

  Just then, Karl came in with their coffees and the two went silent.

  After that they said very little and merely drank their drinks in silence, a wave of trepidation permeating the room.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Jess was sitting on a bench on the promenade of Malibu beach, gazing out at the ocean. Over her small shoulders hung a rucksack stuffed with a few clothes. In her pocket she had about two hundred dollars that she’d pulled from her hidden savings that were situated in a small money box underneath her bed. She knew that the moment she used her bank card or any electronic device, her father’s men would find her. And Jess didn’t want to be found.

  When she had left the house in the morning, she had immediately made her way through the city toward Malibu. It had taken her over eight hours, and when she reached the beach, she had slunk onto the bench through exhaustion.

  While she sat there, her child’s mind was in such sad despair that she felt ready to burst into tears any moment. On the way, she had actually cried several times and had done her best to hide it from the people she passed in the street. She was furious with her father. In the two days that she had stayed in New York with him, she had remained almost completely silent while he’d taken her shopping and attempted to appease his guilt through indulging her. Even though she was only ten, Jess wasn’t naive. She saw it as a hollow gesture and hated every moment of him attempting to buy his way out of things. It was during this time that she had decided that she couldn’t face her father anymore and would run away at the next convenient opportunity. And for that, she hadn’t had to wait long, as only the day after she arrived back in L.A, Maud had offered to take them both horse riding, meaning that Jess would be able to escape while her au pair was seeing to the horses.

  While Jess sat watching the ocean, someone sat down next to her and she glanced over at them. It was an elderly woman with a cane holding the lead of a small King Charles puppy. The moment Jess’s eyes settled on the small dog that sat at the woman’s feet, she smiled. The little thing was wagging its tail and gazing up at Jess with its big, round, glimmering brown eyes.