She swallows hard, as though the truth of it hurts.
“No,” she says in a soft voice.
I nod slightly.
Sloane eyes me, waiting for more. When nothing comes from my lips, she takes one step away. “So, is this goodnight?”
“Goodnight, Sloane. I’ll see you in my office come Monday.”
Her eyes blink rapidly as though getting back to business as usual is like a bucket of ice water being dumped on her. But she straightens up and nods, that by-the-book Sloane coming back to the forefront. “Goodnight, Magnus.”
I watch her walk the rest of the way down the hall. Mona’s words come back to taunt me. I’m never one to be hesitant to go after what I want.
And I want Sloane.
More importantly, she’s confirmed that she wants me.
This is hardly over.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Sloane
I thought coming to Magnus’s office Monday would be awkward, but he’s dropped me right back into work mode. It’s been enough for me to lower my defenses over the course of the morning and operate with the ease of being once again in the environment where I thrive.
It’s almost as though Saturday night didn’t even happen.
A part of me is slightly disappointed, yes, but at least Magnus seems to respect where I’m coming from.
“Tod Wheelhouse isn’t a good choice for CEO of Holt Cloth & Fabric. He was let go from his last company for showing a loss in the last three quarters, Magnus,” I protest.
“Because he spent that money revamping the retirement scheme to give more matching contributions to employees. It’s a plan that would have paid off in the long run in terms of retention and hiring talent.”
“Shareholders don’t care about the long term; all that matters is the next quarter. You of all people should know that.”
“Fortunately, Holt isn’t publicly traded.”
“But the employees you’ve been so generous with in terms of stock and profit-sharing may be more interested in…I don’t know, profit.”
Magnus smirks at me. “I wouldn’t have taken you for such a mercenary.”
“And I wouldn’t have taken you for Santa Claus.”
“I suppose people can surprise you.”
“Yes, I suppose they can,” I retort.
We stare at each other like two duelers whose guns are drawn, and we’re just waiting for the signal to fire. It could go either way, this sparring of ours. Will we fight? Kiss and make up? Storm off to cool down?
We end up laughing.
It erases the last bit of tension between us. This is how it should be. All that fantasizing and swooning from Saturday was…reckless. Something I shouldn’t let myself succumb to again, at least not until the coast is clear. It’s too bad we make such a good team, business-wise. It seems almost natural that it would carry over to other areas.
I rapidly snuff that thought out.
“What ever happened to the client being right?” Magnus asks, one eyebrow raised.
“What ever happened to listening to your counsel?” I retort, raising an eyebrow of my own.
“And if I play the boss card?”
“Are you my boss?”
Magnus stares at me, his expression suddenly unreadable. But those eyes! I knew that first day I’d have to pay attention to those above all else, and right now, they dance with an emerald gleam that has me feeling like Dorothy fainting in a field of poppies.
Dangerous.
“I think of you as my perfect match, Sloane.”
Now, it hits me. This entire morning has just been him playing shark, specifically the mako. Lowering my defenses with legal work, long enough to make the first strike as he catches me off guard.
And it worked.
My heart beats just as fast as it did at the gala on Saturday while we were dancing, even more so during the fireworks afterward. My words in the hallway after the event, and even the thoughts I’ve had all morning and, frankly, every waking hour yesterday were just a defense for how I really feel.
“Well, I…I don’t know what to say to that, Magnus,” I say slowly.
Stupidly!
Why am I still so reluctant to just open my damn heart up, expose my most vulnerable part even a little as Magnus has just done? Why am I reluctant to trust him completely?
Because I’m still too cautious.
Because I’m still too good.
Because I’m still a damn guppy at heart.
“I’ll work up an offer for Tod Wheelhouse,” I say briskly. “It’ll be ready for you tomorrow.”
I see it in his eyes as the light fades in them.
“Very well, then,” Magnus says, reverting to a more distant version of himself.
Suddenly, I want to take it back.
My own clichéd statement in the elevator the night of the gala comes back to bite me in the ass.
He’s letting me go.
And now, I want nothing more than to be with him.
My head spins with the realization of it. I want to rewind five minutes and force my lips to utter something different. Without even realizing it, I’ve met the only man I could imagine spending the rest of my life with. He’s terrifying in the most exciting way, but he has his soft side, the side that would protect his woman at all costs, even as he made sure she stood at his level.
I’m in love with him.
I open my mouth to blurt it all out, but before any words can form, Magnus has moved on.
“I need you to send a message to Gabriel Fouché.”
The name is enough to snap me out of my wild fit of passion and straighten up in my chair.
“What?”
Magnus stares at me, this time with an utter lack of emotion. “It’s time to give him what he wants. So that you can safely return to New York.”
I sense the disdain in his voice. It all but throws it in my face how disappointed he is in me. I’m still too stunned to challenge it.
“How is it you’re to get in touch with him?” He asks, looking at me with hard eyes that show no hint of that sincerity they just held.
“He…” I shake my head to collect myself, then focus on Magnus. “He gave me an email address to send any information, using a specific email account he gave to me.”
Magnus nods, as though that makes sense. “I’ll need you to give me both as well as any passwords.”
“What are you going to do?” I ask, feeling my heartbeat accelerate.
“Something to make sure you’re safe.”
“Is it illegal?”
He gives me a cynical smile. “That’s a rather ironic question, isn’t it. The whole reason you’re here is to obtain insider information.”
“I just want to know what I’m setting myself up for. It is still my life on the line,” I retort.
“Trust me, neither Jan nor Gabriel will have reason to be suspicious about what you tell him. Even if they are, nothing will happen to you. Gabriel doesn’t like getting his hands dirty. His attack dog will be preoccupied elsewhere, and by the time he isn’t, Gabriel will have been dealt with.”
“Are you going to…?” I leave the question open, staring at him with wide eyes.
“Do what?” He asks with a level gaze.
I just stare back at him, waiting for him to answer the obvious.
Instead, he continues on. “Tell him that I plan on buying Conniver Media. It’s a billion-dollar conglomerate, and Ruben Bakker has been hinting at selling his majority interest in it for some time. It’s a perfect opportunity. I’ll be heading down to South Africa to visit the satellite offices there just to do my due diligence.”
“Are you really planning on buying it?” I ask, truly curious now. Either way, I know he plans on setting Gabriel up for insider trading, and rightfully so.
But is that it? It seems almost…uneventful. Especially for someone like Magnus Reinhardt.
He gives me an impassive look.
“So, your claim that you were done,
that you weren’t buying anything was just…another bluff?”
“Perhaps I just changed my mind,” he says, his green eyes as sharp as points, directed my way with an accusatory edge to them.
Point taken.
“I’ll send a message later on today. I want you to type it exactly as written,” he continues.
“Wait a second, are you trying to frame me for something?” I say, back to focusing on my precarious circumstances.
Magnus’s brow lowers and anger blazes in his eyes. “I would never put you in harm’s way, Sloane, physically or professionally. When the dust settles, your slate will be clean—free even of me.”
The last part is like a dagger through my heart, twisting it so that the pain is even more acute. Now, Magnus isn’t just setting me free, he’s tossing me away.
I stare at him just as angrily now. Any notion I had of exposing how I feel about him—even now, as much as it kills me to tell myself—has evaporated.
“Very well, boss,” I say, just before standing up to leave.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Magnus
I watch Sloane leave, still feeling the anger and disappointment poisoning my veins.
I threw down the gauntlet, certain she would claim it, even with what happened after the gala. There was a moment there in my office where I was almost certain….
Instead, she simply walked right over my offering, content to continue her life as it is.
I guess she isn’t the woman I thought she was.
I work to harden my heart, creating a steel shield around it, lest I succumb to such sentimental notions again. I tell myself it will be easy. After all, I’ve lived most of my life with the cold, dead heart of a shark.
But Sloane has managed to tap into that part of me that’s still human. I can still see the excitement and passion in her gaze as she stared up at me while we danced at the gala. And then that kiss….
I push those memories back into the same vault where the happier memories with my parents are secured. Now, more than ever, I need to focus.
The final two names on my list are this close to being crossed off for good.
But first, I have one more loose end to deal with.
* * *
I’m sitting in the same restaurant, at the same table that I’ve been conducting all my business lately. I’m early, and I’ve been nursing a glass of expensive brandy as I wait.
When I see them arrive, I set the glass down and watch as they approach.
Giorgio leads an obviously reluctant Estelle by the hand. His smile is encouraging, as though he wants this to happen more than anything.
He’s quickly winning me over.
Tonight will tell.
“Bonsoir,” Giorgio says, greeting me. “Thank you so much for inviting us.”
“Magnus,” Estelle says with a guarded look as he pulls out a chair for her, and she settles into it.
“Would you like anything to drink?”
“Actually—” Estelle says, her claws already out.
“Yes, I think that would be a nice idea,” Giorgio says, giving her an encouraging look that seems to draw in those claws a little.
After looking at the drink menu, a waiter immediately appears to take their orders. It takes less than a minute for them to appear at our table.
“How about a toast,—” Giorgio suggests, already lifting his glass in the air. “To family.”
Estelle rolls her eyes in an exaggerated way but lifts her glass all the same.
I smile inwardly. I have to give it to him for trying. I lift my glass to tap theirs.
“In that spirit,” I say, setting my glass back down. “I would like to apologize to both of you.”
Estelle blinks in surprise, then narrows her eyes. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch,” I say. “I mean it. I apologize, no strings attached.”
Instead of relaxing, Estelle just crosses her arms and gives me a hard look. “What is it exactly you’re apologizing for?”
I cede a smile. “That’s a fair question.”
She just nods with satisfaction.
I settle back in my chair to consider her. “Someone recently told me that I had to set you free. That trying to…control you the way I have been will only drive you away.”
“Smart woman. I assume it was Mona.”
“No, actually. Well, not only her.”
Her brow rises with curiosity. “Was it the woman you were with at the White Party?”
I give one slow, thoughtful nod.
A hint of a smile touches Estelle’s lips, and she tilts her head to assess me. “She’s right, though. I know why you do what you do. You’ve always been my big brother, looking out for me. And heaven knows I haven’t always made the wisest choices when it comes to men.” She smiles and turns to face Giorgio. “Until now.”
I turn to find him looking at her with just as much adoration.
“Not that either of you needs it, but…you have my blessings.”
She laughs and turns to give me a sardonic smirk. “Thank you, Magnus.”
I chuckle and sip my brandy. “As for school, can I at least get a reason why you quit?”
Estelle’s bright green eyes glow with pleasure, but it’s Giorgio who answers.
“She’s started working with our designers. As I said before, she definitely has an eye, and my family agrees.”
“I’m getting paid,” Estelle blurts out, as though now seeking my approval.
I turn to study her, the glow of pleasure on her face and sparkle in her eyes. A smile creeps to my face.
“In which case, I’m very proud of you.”
Her eyelashes flutter as though that’s the last thing on earth she expected to come out of my mouth.
“Thank you, Magnus,” she says, actually blushing and lowering her eyes. It reminds me so much of the girl who once clung to me that a stab of pain slices through me.
“I have an idea,” I say if only to help ease the moment. “Why don’t you and Giorgio and your friends join me on my yacht to watch the Art en Ciel fireworks show this weekend? We’ll make it into a party.”
“Really?” She asks, now also looking like a kid, but in a different way. “That would be amazing!”
“Yes,” I say, feeling sentimental as I smile at her. “I’ll be going away soon for some…business. I want to see you one last time before I leave.”
If only because there’s a chance I may not come back.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Sloane
I stare at the message I’ve written. This is the fifth time I’ve read it now, even though there’s no reason why. These are the exact words Magnus told me to write. It isn’t like I can change them. But my finger trembles every time it hovers over the key to send it.
Magnus Reinhardt is planning on making an offer for Ruben Bakker’s interest in Conniver Media. It hasn’t been made public yet, but he’s just instructed me to draft a preliminary offer letter for the amount of 1.2 billion euros.
Hopefully, Gabriel won’t find any reason to be suspicious. Hell, if I didn’t know any better, even I wouldn’t be suspicious. Buying out Rueben’s shares would put Magnus in a suitable position to dictate how the corporation is run—and thus control a good chunk of the news in the financial world.
It’s obvious that Magnus is setting Gabriel up. He either expects Gabriel to either underbid him on the offer, or buy shares in the company, which will go up in value upon the news that Magnus Reinhardt has made an offer.
Definitely a deal worth more than ten million dollars.
Magnus wants to set Gabriel up for insider trading, which makes sense. It is what Gabriel had me sent here for in the first place.
But I’m dealing directly with Jan on this. I doubt he’d be stupid enough to forward this message directly to Gabriel’s personal email, leaving a nice little electric trail for the hawks at the SEC to pluck up.
So then, what is the endgame?
Now, I understand
Magnus’s need for control. As an attorney, I’m especially averse to unknowns. One of the first things you learn in law school is, don’t ask a question you don’t know the answer to. I’m pretty sure the same applies to questions you don’t want to know the answer to.
But Magnus assured me that both Theo and I would be safe after this. It’s remembering the look on his face in his office when he told me, the look that left no room for argument, that gets me to hit Send.
My heart seizes as the message goes to the anonymous email Jan gave me. For some reason, I shut the laptop closed, so I don’t have to look at it. I don’t know if Jan will send any response. I doubt he’d be considerate enough to tell Theo and me we’re officially off the hook. My guess is, we’ll just be left floundering until we eventually stop looking over our shoulders, assuming the coast is clear.
I quickly reach out to pick up the phone. I don’t care what time it is in New York; I want to hear my brother’s voice.
“Sloane,” he sounds surprisingly alert, maybe after seeing my name show up on his phone and panicking.
“Everything is fine, Theo,” I assure him. “I just…I wanted to tell you that I sent Jan a message. It’s exactly what he’s looking for.”
“What is it?”
“It’s better you don’t know.” No need to get him wrapped up in this securities violation scheme. “Magnus says he has people watching you to make sure you’re safe.”
“Really?” He’s understandably confused. Theo has no idea what I’ve been up to here in Monte Carlo.
“Yes, but…make sure to stay safe all the same, okay?”
“Are you okay over there?” He asks with sudden alarm in his voice.
Good question.
“I think of you as my perfect match, Sloane.”
Even now, the confession has my entire body, from my brain to my stomach, going into overdrive. It’s my heart, which still beats to a rhythm composed by Magnus, that’s in danger. But I doubt it’s the kind of danger Theo is worried about.
The Monte Carlo Shark: An International Legacies Romance Page 26
