I couldn’t help but feel down about it. Not that I regretted my choice one iota because I didn’t. I would have done it again in a heartbeat. But still, everything I’d worked so hard for in my dad’s business would be for nothing, and, yes, I’d gotten attached to a comfortable lifestyle. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like having all the luxuries I’d grown accustomed to. With money came a lot of privilege and paring down from that would be a huge adjustment. I was willing and able to give it up, but I still felt a measure of loss.
Dan walked out to greet us. “Good to see you, Lucas.” He extended his hand, and I shook it. He turned his attention to Aria. “And who do we have here?”
“This is my wife, Aria. We got married a month ago.” I loved being able to introduce her as my wife wherever we went. It was one of the highlights of being newly married.
“Hi,” she said, smiling. “Nice to meet you.”
A pleased smile crossed his face. “Nice to meet you as well. You’re not one of the women on the list.” He glanced at me. “I guess that means you decided to marry for love and defy your father’s wishes.”
I nodded. “That’s right.”
He gave me a strange look like he hadn’t expected that out of me and then gestured for us to follow him into his office. “Have a seat.”
We both sat down and waited for him to settle in the chair behind his desk. “So,” he said, sounding more upbeat than I felt at the moment. “You defied the odds.”
I frowned. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
He laughed and seemed in no particular hurry to explain. He shifted in his chair and straightened paperwork on his desk.
I tapped my foot impatiently. Come on, let’s get this over with. I was anxious to be done with this so I could move on with my life. There was no point in losing sleep over this mess, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt like a hard sock to the gut. I would especially feel terrible that I couldn’t employ Sam anymore. But I would give him a letter of reference and use my connections to find him another job.
Dan pulled out an envelope from his desk drawer and handed it to me. “Since you married for love instead of meeting your father’s terms, this is the letter I’m supposed to give you.”
“How many letters did he write?”
“Four in total. You’ve already read the first, and now you have this one. The other two don’t apply.”
“Okay.” I ripped the seal and pulled out the folded paper.
Dear Lucas,
If you are receiving this letter, it means that you did not take advantage of the extra three months I gave you to marry one of the women on my list. It also means you have married someone else in defiance of my terms. I must assume you really love this woman if you are willingly giving up everything for her.
That was a stupid move. Don’t ever give up everything for a woman. That’s my advice. Do whatever you want with it.
However, if you have defied me, I can only say I did my job well. You finally reached the point where you’re able to think for yourself, and you made a decision, knowing what the consequences would be. You always did what I asked, and while that was fine for a time, you needed to grow up.
If you have reached that point, then I would like to reward your efforts by granting you sixty-five percent of everything I owned. Calista will receive the other thirty percent, and Sharon will get the last five. Sharon won’t be happy about it, but see if I care. I won’t be around to hear her complain. Calista may be upset that it’s not an even split, but I don’t believe in equal rights for women and your sister knows that. As the new patriarch of this family, it’s your job to look out for her.
To be honest, I’m writing this mostly for my own amusement, and I seriously doubt you’ll ever read this particular letter because you love money too much. I’m sure you did whatever you had to do in order to marry one of those women.
But, if by chance, you are reading it, good for you.
I haven’t been the best father to you. I’m not offering any apologies because I’ve never apologized for who I am. Maybe you’ll follow in my footsteps, or perhaps, you’ll forge a different path for yourself. Either way, you just hit the jackpot.
Your father,
Howard Armstrong
I set the letter down on the desk and looked at Dan in disbelief. “I can’t believe . . . This is not what I expected.” I turned to Aria. “He gave me sixty-five percent of everything. More than what he originally said I’d get. Looks like we’re not going to be poor after all.”
Her eyes widened. “How can that be?”
I gave her the letter. “Read what it says.”
Dan chuckled. “Your old man had the last laugh. Everyone else thought they were benefiting off your poor choices, only it appears your choices weren’t poor after all.”
“What do the other two letters say?” I asked. “I’m just curious.”
He gave them to me to look over, and I scanned them both. Had I married one of the women on his list, I would have received forty percent of everything. If I hadn’t married at all, I would have received twenty percent. In both of those scenarios, Calista’s portion remained the same. Anger shot through me. She didn’t deserve to be treated that way.
I was just as angry that he didn’t think I’d ever break away from him, but then again, he’d never had much confidence in me. “He really didn’t believe I would do it, did he?”
Dan shook his head. “And I wasn’t allowed to say anything, though you may have caught my advice the last time you were here. I said, ‘Life is too short to worry about these things. Marry the woman you love and don’t look back.’”
“I remember that.”
“Now that everything has been settled. I can be more open about Calista’s terms.”
“All right.” I folded my hands on the edge of the desk.
“She is to receive thirty percent, but only if she marries a man from a list that was provided to her at our last meeting.”
Blood rushed through me in an instant. I clenched my fists and stood in a hurry. “Are you kidding me? How dare he?” I pounded the desk and then groaned, running a hand through my hair. “This just never ends, does it?”
Dan was a perfect picture of calm. Nothing seemed to rattle him. “Have a seat, Mr. Armstrong. Calista has a year to convince one of the men to marry her. If she doesn’t, that money will be donated to one of your father’s favorite causes, and there will be no pleasant surprises such as in your case.”
“He would do that to his own daughter?” I yelled. “I thought it was just me he hated.”
Dan shrugged. “I can’t speak to his motives. I’m only here to deliver the terms.”
Aria put a hand on my arm. “We’ll divide what we have with Calista. She doesn’t need to go through that.”
“Absolutely. I don’t want my sister to be forced to marry someone she doesn’t love.”
“What you do with your own money is up to you,” Dan said. “But Calista has reasons of her own to abide by your father’s wishes.”
“I don’t understand. What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll have to speak to Calista,” Dan said.
“She’s traveling in Europe,” I said, “and she hasn’t stayed in contact except for a postcard now and then to let me know she’s okay.”
“She received a travel fund from your father and one of the men . . .”
“Is in Europe,” I said, finishing his sentence.
“That’s correct.”
“Well, since she’s not responding back to my texts, will you tell her to call me?”
Dan smiled. “Of course.” He rose from his chair. “Meet with me again next week, and we’ll go over more of the specifics.”
We thanked him and left. On the way out to the car, I put my arm around Aria’s waist. “I just got used to the idea of living a simple life, and now I find nothing much has changed. I’m not sure if I should be happy or not.”
“It appears that Go
d, in His providence, has allowed you to keep everything. It seems He wants you to use it for His glory.”
I nodded. “I think you’re right about that.” I whipped her around, so she was flush against my chest. Her breath caught just as I leaned down to hover over her lips. “You know the best part of this?”
She shook her head, gaze locked on mine, but she didn’t say anything—just stared at me with adoration in her eyes.
“Now I get to spoil you the way I’ve always wanted to.” I kissed her softly, tenderly, letting her know how precious she was to me. When I pulled away, we were both a bit breathless.
“If you really want to spoil me,” she said, “just keep laying on the kisses.”
I smiled. “Now that, I can do.”
Epilogue
Aria
7 months later . . .
“That’s great,” Lucas said, holding the phone close to his ear. He glanced at me and winked. He mouthed that he was almost done and then took another bite of the barbecue chicken pizza I’d made him.
We were in Kauai on vacation, having lunch in the gazebo at the house. Not doing much. Just enjoying the view and relaxing. Exactly how I wanted it.
A light breeze carried the scent of plumeria and fresh mint. I loved being back at this place. It had a way of rejuvenating me every time we visited. Especially because of the memories. Lucas and I had fallen in love here, and the sweetness of those days would forever be etched into my memory.
There had been a lot of uncertainty as well, but it only made me appreciate what I had now even more.
I’d had a stomach bug since we’d gotten here, but I was doing better today, and I just needed more rest. My immune system was probably weakening after working so hard at the restaurant. Not that I was complaining. I loved working with my brother, and I was actually pretty good at managing the place. Chase helped, but he preferred to be in the kitchen, and that was fine with me.
Emilio had hung around for several months, but once he saw Chase and I had everything under control, he’d gone for a long trip to Italy. He planned on returning soon, and we’d told him he was welcome to work part-time if he wanted to, and we really, really wanted him to. Chase and I had come to adore Emilio. He was one of those few people who had your back no matter what.
He said he’d think about it, but I was pretty sure we weren’t getting rid of him anytime soon. Emilio reminded me a lot of my father—kind and down to earth, but mainly he just made himself available to us. He’d called almost every day to find out how we were doing and if we needed his advice on anything. I appreciated that because running a restaurant wasn’t always easy.
“Thanks, Liam,” Lucas said. He shifted the plate on the table like he was trying to wrap up the conversation so he could get back to lunch. “I’m really excited about working with you. By the way, how did you get my cell phone number?” His brows flew up. “Really? I didn’t know that.”
I heard a low voice on the other end of the receiver. Lucas smiled. “Wow. I had no idea you and my sister even knew each other.” He nodded even though Liam obviously couldn’t see that. “Well, I’d better get going. My lovely wife just made lunch and I don’t want it to get cold. I’ll give you a call later in the week, and we can discuss our plans further.” He said goodbye and let out a long breath.
I took a small bite of pizza and chewed. My appetite had been down, but I knew I needed to eat something since I’d barely been able to keep anything down all week.
“That was Liam,” Lucas said. “He’s going to help me with the Lakeshore property.”
I stared at him in confusion. “Do I know Liam?”
“Oh, sorry. No, you two haven’t met. He called me a few months ago at the office. He heard through the grapevine that I’d like to build a community center on that property.”
“Oh, okay. I know which property you’re referring to now.” Lucas had previously shared with me that he had planned on constructing an office building on the land, but, at the time, he hadn’t been upfront about his plans with the man he’d purchased it from. He’d given his word that he would use the space for altruistic purposes, but that had never been his real intention. He’d since changed his mind on that and wanted to honor his promise.
“Yeah, Liam wants to start a second teen center for disadvantaged kids on the property,” he said. “There’s a lot more space, so we can expand the program. He said Alexa is currently developing a tutoring program that we can incorporate as well.”
“That’s awesome.” I got out of my seat to stand next to him, brushing his hair off his forehead. “Have I told you recently how proud of you I am?”
He smiled. “All the time.”
“Well, I really mean it. You’ve come a long way, Lucas. You’re starting to build a completely new reputation for yourself. And that was especially generous of you to give your stepmother the L.A. house after the way she treated you.” I leaned down and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
“It wasn’t that generous. The house has too many unhappy memories. I wouldn’t have wanted it, anyway.”
“But you could have sold it.”
“I know, but I’m making a conscious effort not to be like my father. Enough about that. Let’s get to the good stuff.” He drew me onto his lap and kissed me with the force of a man who didn’t do anything halfway. When he pulled away, he smiled. “I know you haven’t been feeling well, but I hope you’re still having a nice time.”
“I am. It comes and goes. Thankfully, right now I feel pretty good. I can never get enough of this place—you know that.”
He nodded. “In a few days we’re off to Idaho, and then after that, it’s back home. I know it was short this time, but we’ll come back soon.”
“It doesn’t matter where we are,” I said. “As long as I’m with you.” I rested my head on his shoulder, and he put his arms around me.
He grinned. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”
Lucas
The wind whipped through my hair as I stood with Aria on the Perrine Bridge, overlooking the Snake River in Twin Falls, Idaho. Anticipation swept through me as I looked down at the drop, four hundred and eighty-six feet below.
I made a noise in my throat and climbed over the railing. It had been a while since I’d done this jump. In fact, the last time had been right before I’d met Aria at the Coastal Heritage Museum. Glancing over my shoulder at her, I winked. “Make sure to take pictures.”
“Oh, I will.” She smiled, but it seemed half-hearted. And then she sobered. “Be careful. Please.” She nibbled on the corner of her lip, doing her best not to show her anxiety, but I knew it was there. I could see it in her eyes and the way she gripped her hands together in front of her.
“Always am, sweetheart. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. See you in a few.”
I turned back, my heart thundering and crashing in my chest. For half a second, I considered climbing back over the railing and joining Aria, but that was fear speaking, and I wouldn’t let it rule me. So, instead, I jumped head first and did a flip. I pulled my parachute and enjoyed the slow descent down, taking in the wide expanse before me. There was a strong sense that God had me in His hands, that He loved me, and everything that had happened in my life up to this point was a part of His divine providence. The past would always hold a bit of sadness, especially as I still grappled with my abuse and the difficult relationship with my father. But I had an overwhelming amount of joy as I thought about the future.
When my feet touched the ground, my body didn’t tingle from the adrenaline rush like it normally did. I only felt an enormous peace.
Funny thing, that had almost been . . . anti-climactic.
Like the rush didn’t have the same thrill anymore.
I frowned, wondering what that was about.
After the ferry shuttled me back, I met Aria at the entrance to the bridge. She flew at me and hugged me like she’d nearly lost me. There were tears streaming down her face, and for several moments she didn
’t speak. She just clung to me like I was her lifeline.
I ran my hand over her hair and tilted her chin back. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“Don’t ever do that again. I thought I could handle it, but when you jumped . . .” A fresh stream of tears moistened her cheeks.
“I’ve done it dozens of times, and I know what I’m doing. Nothing would have happened.”
She pounded her fist on my chest, anger flashing in her eyes. “There’s always a risk. You can’t tell me there’s not. I’m not sure I can handle seeing you risk your life like that again. You mean too much to me. That was . . . that was . . .” She put a hand over her stomach. “I thought I was going to throw up.”
She loved me.
It was there in her eyes, in the angry expression on her face right now. She didn’t want to lose me. The thought made her ill.
Warmth flooded from my head all the way down to my toes. She really loved me. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know that already, but it was so evident, there was no way I could miss it.
And then I felt a whole new rush, more powerful than when I’d jumped.
Someone in this world cared about what happened to me. I was no longer alone.
Something else occurred to me. The jump had seemed anti-climactic because I hadn’t once thought about not pulling my parachute like I had all those other times. I’d lacked hope back then.
But I had it now.
I ran a hand up and down Aria’s back. “That’s the last time I’ll do it. I don’t want you to feel that way. Ever.”
We walked back to the car, my arm around her waist, neither of us saying a word. Finally, she sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to hold you back. If it’s something you want to do, I won’t be the one that gets in the way.”
The Ruthless Billionaire: A Clean Billionaire Romance (California Elite) Page 22
