Even the satisfaction I got from Gabriel Fouché’s “accidental death,” after his very public fall from grace—all so similar to that of my parents—doesn’t sate the part of my soul that is still empty now that Sloane is gone.
I’m done, at least I am if the Pirate does his job with his father.
Sloane’s question haunts me. What am I going to do now? I’ve sold off most of the assets I no longer have any use for. That leaves a lot of liquid cash to play with.
I put those thoughts aside to think about later.
It’s a gorgeous day in Monte Carlo, and I’m having lunch with Estelle and Giorgio. This little get together is all part of my mission to get to know them better since I have a strong feeling that the latter will eventually be part of my family.
Which is the only reason I can fathom as to how we ended up on the subject of Sloane Alexander.
“Do you love her?”
I stare at my sister and feel my brow lower with irritation.
She laughs and shakes her head at me. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“I didn’t say—”
“You don’t have to. I’ve never in my life seen you hesitate about anything, Magnus.”
“I didn’t hesitate, I just—” I stop when I see her giving me a bemused smile.
“What?” I ask in irritation.
“I wish I could just capture this moment so you could see yourself.” She rolls her eyes to Giorgio, and they both smile at each other.
“What?” I snap again with even more aggravation.
“Why do you not just admit it?” Giorgio suggests. “It is not that difficult to say I love you.”
He reaches out to take Estelle’s hand and brings it up to his lips to kiss. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”
“And I love you,” Estelle says, wriggling her nose at him.
For the love of…
Giorgio turns to me with a grin. “See? Is not so hard.”
“Excuse me if I refrain from professing my love in such an absurd manner.”
“It’s only because it’s such a foreign concept to you, Magnus.”
“I know what love is.”
“You loved our mother and father. You love me. You love Mona.” Estelle leans in with a taunting grin. “And face it, now you love Sloane.”
“I’m glad I have you to tell me that after I had only a month of knowing her.”
“This is how long it took your sister and me to know we were perfect for each other,” Giorgio says.
“Which only proves that it’s true.” Estelle scrutinizes me. “Why are you so reluctant to admit it?”
“Because…it’s not true.”
“There’s that hesitation again,” she says with a grin. “Now, I think I get it.”
“Is that so?” I ask sardonically, trying to regain some control of the situation.
This was supposed to be a casual lunch. How the hell did we get here?
“You’re resistant to it because you can’t control it. Love is unpredictable, and you’re worried that her affection for you may have waned since she’s been gone.”
I hate to admit that my own damn sister, the one whose love life always seemed to be in chaos, is the one to point this out to me.
“There is, of course, only one solution,” Giorgio says.
“Do tell,” I say in a deceptively droll tone.
They both look at each other, then smile at me.
The next day, I fly to New York City.
Chapter Sixty-One
Sloane
I’ve spent the past week committing at least a few mortal sins, from gluttony to sloth, with a wee bit of lust thrown in thanks to modern technology. The pizza boxes and Chinese food cartons are finally thrown out. The last episode of The Office has been binge-watched on Netflix. I’m finally wearing something other than pajama bottoms and an old t-shirt.
Jamie Reaves and some of the other senior partners have constantly been trying to get in touch with me, which is surprising. I guess they finally realize what an asset to the firm I am, after all. I have to laugh at the irony, considering what I told Magnus about letting go. The only difference is, I don’t want Douglas & Foster back.
Thankfully, I have enough savings not to have to worry for a while. I also have options. I know enough people to maybe be in-house counsel at some corporation, or hell, start my own damn firm! There’s something to be said for the steadfast reliability of the old Sloane Alexander.
But the new Sloane Alexander has some ‘splaining to do right now.
I’ve washed the funk of the past week of doing nothing off my body and my brain. It was nice, but it’s a firm reminder that I need to keep both of them continuously active.
Like a shark.
Tonight, I’m having dinner with my parents. I like to do this at least once a month, both to spoil them with a nice meal and to catch up with them.
“Mom! Dad!” I call out as I exit the taxi and skip over to meet them.
We hug and make our way inside, where I have a reservation.
“So, how was Monte Carlo? I definitely chose the wrong profession if that’s where they’re sending lawyers these days, and for a whole month?” Mom asks, looking impressed.
It was a convenient lie. Obviously, neither Theo nor I could tell them the truth.
“It was great. Beautiful. You two should visit when you finally retire,” I say, winking at mom.
“Don’t you go getting her started,” Dad says. “I don’t need no month in Monte Carlo, thank you very much. What am I gonna do there? Sail around on my yacht? Drive those crazy-ass streets in my Ferrari?”
Mom and I laugh.
When the hostess finally finds our reservation, she leads us to our table. It’s a high-end Italian restaurant near Central Park, so not too much of a trek for any of us. I know my parents took the subway down from the Bronx, frugal as ever. I’ll make sure to get them an Uber back home.
“I think we should order a bottle of champagne,” I suggest. Might as well get some lubrication in my system to help me ease out the bad news. I can already predict the disappointment in them when they realize I’ve quit.
“That sounds auspicious,” Mom says, giving me an excited smile. “Does this have anything to do with that firm sending you to Monte Carlo?”
I stare at her, then give a tight smile. “Let’s get the bottle first.”
“It’s about dang time that firm took notice of you. After all those hours you been puttin’ in,” Dad says, giving me a pointed look.
I catch our waiter’s eye, and he makes his way over. I decide to splurge on the second most expensive. The first has an absurd four-figure price tag. It’s suddenly occurring to me that maybe I should think about saving my pennies.
“No answers until the bottle comes back,” I say, giving them both warning looks.
“Fine then,” Mom says with a pert smile, then she straightens up, her eyes going wide. “One of Theo’s friends was killed while you were gone! Did he tell you?”
“No. Really?” I remark, thankful I don’t have any champagne in my mouth to go down the wrong tube.
“Yes, I don’t know if you ever met him. Linus…”
“Caldwell,” Dad confirms, both sides of his mouth turned down. “I only met him once, didn’t like the look of him.”
It makes sense they wouldn’t be as familiar with him. Theo always came to me when he was worried or got into trouble. Neither of us likes disappointing our parents.
“Still, he didn’t deserve to die,” Dad continues, tilting his head to the side to concede the point.
“That’s terrible. How did he die?” I ask to maintain the front.
“Shot, during a mugging or something. Theo was completely distraught. Came to see us the same day he found out. Even wanted to spend the night. It’s a tragic thing when someone you know is killed so violently.”
“Yes,” I agree, feeling my throat go dry. I can only imagine what it must have been like for him duri
ng that period, knowing he couldn’t tell them anything.
Thankfully, the champagne comes back. Suddenly, telling them about my unemployed status seems like a nice change in topic.
The cork is popped, and a glass is poured for all of us.
“So, what are we celebrating?” Mom says with a broad smile on her lips, already holding her glass in the air.
“Actually—”
That’s when I see him.
Magnus Reinhardt.
He’s sitting at the bar of the restaurant staring right at me.
I don’t know how long I sit there, my mouth open, eyes wide as I stare back at him.
“Actually, what, Sloane?” Dad asks, trying to get my attention.
I distractedly turn to him and blink as though in a daze.
“I...” It’s all I manage before I drag my eyes back to Magnus, like a damn magnet. They widen in surprise as he rises and walks through the restaurant toward our table.
By now, both my parents notice him. Hell, the entire damn restaurant notices him. Someone that large and imposing and handsome would draw anyone’s eyes.
But Magnus only has eyes for me.
“Who’s this now?” Dad asks.
“Um…” I swallow, unable to say more as Magnus finally reaches the table.
“Sloane.” His voice is direct, and determined.
“Magnus.” Mine is weak and uncertain.
We stare at each other until both my parents begin shifting in their seats.
Magnus tears his hard gaze away from me, softening it as he turns to my mother with a gracious smile. “I’m sorry to intrude on your meal. I’m Magnus Reinhardt. I…worked with your daughter in Monte Carlo.”
I slowly release the breath I sucked in when he turned to her.
“Is that so?” Mom says, a smile finally coming to her face.
“Yes,” he says with a nod, then turns to my father. “You must be her mother and father. I can definitely see the resemblance.”
When his gaze comes back to me, those green eyes are like dark gemstones, glimmering with intensity. “I just thought I would stop by to tell you both what a pleasure it was to work with your daughter this past month. I was sorry to see her leave.”
“Oh, do you work with Douglas & Foster?” Mom asks, turning back to me, beaming. “Sloane was just about to tell us the good news.”
A wrinkle of confusion creases Magnus’s brow. “Good news?”
That tells me he obviously knows about me leaving Douglas & Foster. I wonder if he terminated his standing contract with the firm yet. No wonder they kept calling all week long. It only proves they don’t value me for myself, and leaving was the right thing.
“How did you know I was here?”
Magnus just raises one eyebrow, as though I should already know the answer to that. After all, he is a man who can get what he wants. It wouldn’t take too much to figure out where I was. I wonder if he literally stepped off the plane and headed right here.
“Why don’t you join us?” Dad says. “No sense, just standing there.”
My eyes dart to my father in panic, but I erase it by the time he turns back to me.
“I’m sure Magnus has other things to do,” I hint, giving him a pointed look.
“I landed here in New York tonight for one thing and one thing only,” Magnus says, staring hard at me as he pulls out the fourth chair at our table.
“We need another champagne glass,” Mom remarks, looking around for our waiter.
“Actually, no we don’t,” I say, finally giving up the pretense.
Who the hell does he think he is, coming here to New York and—
“I love you.”
I gasp, losing every bit of breath my lungs hold in the process.
“You what now?” Dad asks, leaning in as though he didn’t quite hear correctly.
“Sloane?” Mom asks, giving me a curious look as though to ask what’s going on.
I can’t tear my eyes away from Magnus, who holds them in the emerald cage of his gaze.
“I’m saying it without strings, without expectations, without demands. But now you know how I feel. Those words are yours to do with what you will. My heart is in your hands now, Sloane.”
I can see my mother and father staring at each other in my periphery. I know they must be going wild with confusion, but I can’t pull myself away to deal with them right now.
“I think maybe your mother and I deserve some answers here, Sloane. Does this young man work with you or not? What’s this business about Monte Carlo? Is he one of the attorneys at Douglas & Foster?”
“No,” I say, blinking hard and turning to address him. “He’s—”
“Just a man who fell in love with your daughter while she was in my country,” Magnus finishes for me.
“I see,” Mom says slowly.
“Well, I don’t,” Dad says, giving Magnus a speculative look, then turning to me. “What exactly were you two up to in this Monte Carlo?”
“We were—” My gaze drops, unable to look any of them in the eye.
As I stare down at my lap, my insides revolt in protest: my toes, which flex in my shoes, ready to shoot me out of the seat to shout it to the heavens; my brain, which berates me like a drill sergeant for cowering in this manner. They all remind me.
I’m no guppy.
My head rises, and I turn to my mother. “It just happened. I didn’t mean for it to, but here we are.”
“So…does this mean you feel the same way about him, Sloane?” Dad asks.
I turn to him with just as defiant a look.
Then, I turn to Magnus, who already sees the shark that I’ve become.
“Yes. I love him.”
Chapter Sixty-Two
Magnus
ONE YEAR LATER
“This offer is far too generous,” Sloane protests, looking at the sheet in front of her. She lifts her eyes and gives me an incredulous look. “You might as well just wrap the money in Christmas paper and stick it under the tree.”
We’re in the office we now share looking over the latest prospects who might just be the beneficiaries of the revamped Magnus Venture Capital. Having spent the first half of my career destroying people and companies, it feels good to provide funding to start-up businesses and charities instead.
As I watch Sloane get worked up over this, I think about the other thing that is different—I now have someone by my side.
It took less than a month for her to pack up her life in New York and move here to be with me in Monte Carlo, surprisingly, with her parents’ blessing. That night at the restaurant brought them to the starting line. The way I properly courted their daughter after the fact was enough to finally convince them.
We’ve managed to get them to visit a few times. This last time, her father rode the winding streets of Monte Carlo on my Harley Davidson. Sloane nearly killed me for that one, but it did get him to consider part-time retirement as an option if only to discover what other excitement there is in the world.
Theo works for us in the New York office, mostly handling computer security. I’ve made sure he has a long leash to work on his own projects, several of which I was more than happy to fund financially. The man truly is a damn genius.
“It’s a solid company with amazing growth potential,” I counter, getting back into the debate.
“They’ve only been in business a year and show no profit.”
“Perhaps you’ve misunderstood the “Venture” portion of the name of Magnus Venture Capital.”
She tilts her head and glares at me. God, she’s gorgeous when she’s fired up. “Are you seriously trying to school me?”
“Maybe you need a little schooling,” I say with a grin. “Should I get the ruler out to spank you?”
She coughs out a laugh. “Just for that, I’m taking an extra-long lunch.”
“You know I can still fire you.”
“Do it,” she says with a grin, she leans back in her chair and seductively releases
the top button of her blouse. “Because I know exactly how to get my job back.”
That gets a laugh out of me. “I beginning to suspect the only reason you don’t have your own desk in here is so you can tease me by sitting across from me.”
“Why Magnus, whatever do you mean?” she purrs, slowly and sensually crossing one leg over the other like something straight out of that movie Basic Instinct. Too bad Sloane is actually wearing underwear.
I laugh again and slowly shake my head. She never ceases to surprise me, even now.
“But really,” I say, getting serious. “This is just as much your office as it is mine.”
She considers me for a long moment. “I do like sitting here. We work better this way.”
“You could position yours across from me.”
“Then, I’d be too far away from you.”
It’s the almost tender look on her face as she stares at me that does it. A look that assures me she never wants me to let her go again.
I’d been waiting for the right time, knowing it would eventually come. Even though Sloane and I are more inseparable than ever, I want something more.
I surreptitiously open my desk drawer where the box has been stored since she moved to Monte Carlo almost a year ago. I knew doing this too soon would never work. Sloane is like me, not so easily tamed.
Now, I’m more confident than ever that this is the right time.
“Well, we can’t have that,” I say, rising up from my chair.
A crooked smile forms on her lips as she watches me round the desk, wondering what the hell I’m up to.
She’s not the only one full of surprises.
When I fall to one knee before her, her eyes go wide. The look on her face is quickly replaced by pure joy when she realizes what I’m about to do.
“Sloane, will you do me the honor of staying by my side forever?” I say, opening the small box.
I can read her answer before she even says the words…
Chapter Sixty-Three
Sloane
“I do.”
The Monte Carlo Shark: An International Legacies Romance Page 29
