Denial_A Stone Billionaire Series Novel

by Kaya Woodward

  “See, everything is okay? Look at what dad wrote to you?” my voice wavers, and my eyes water as I speak.

  “He loved us both so much,” I add.

  “Did I turn him into a monster? Did I do that?” she pleads with me.

  “I blindly agreed to marry a man I didn't love because it was expected of me. Maybe if I'd... maybe if I'd fought it like I wanted to, this would all be different?” my mother asks.

  “Gianna you can't change the past,” Noah tries to comfort her.

  “All we can do now is try to move forward," he adds.

  “Yes mom, all we can do is move forward, knowing that we did love us,” I remind her.

  Then I glance back at my letter.

  I'm not ready, but I open it anyway.

  I get two sentences.

  He wrote my mother and Noah full letters.

  Tinsley,

  I shouldn’t have told you yes, your entire life when I intended to tell you no the one time it truly meant something to you.

  I no longer intend to force your hand, to gain for my selfish purposes.

  I could’ve given you the world, but you deserve the man you truly love if that is your wish.

  In doing that, I betrayed your trust, and for that, I am so deeply sorry, it will always be my biggest regret.

  You deserved a better father, and I hope that upon reading this, you’ll find it in your heart to forgive what I’ve done.

  There’s more, but all will reveal itself in time.

  Dad

  I don't even know what to think right now.

  I feel so manipulated and used, but there's no one to take my anger out on because Connor is dead.

  But Olivia isn't.

  Olivia isn't dead.

  She probably had a hand in all of this.

  “Noah,” I say.

  “Yes?” he responds.

  “We could've been together all this time,” My voice sounds far away.

  “I know," he nods.

  “Can I have a moment?” He asks.

  “Yes. Let's go into the hallway,” I nod.

  “I'll conference in your lawyer, and we'll go through specifics with you Mrs. Whittaker. Is that alright?” the lawyer asks my mother.

  “Yes,” My mother nods.

  “Tinsley you can go if you need to," she says.

  My mother is stronger than I suspected.

  I get up from my seat and follow Noah out into the hallway, where he embraces me for a long moment.

  “Noah you know what need to do now,” Are the first words out of my mouth.

  “Marry you and run to Fiji?” he asks.

  That's all we've ever wanted.

  But I can't get a hold of my anger.

  “We need to find Olivia,” I tell him.

  “We need to find her, and make her pay for what she's done to us. I don't care about Lauren; I don't care about Elizabeth. Olivia needs to be found,” I add, my anger only rises and bubbles up into my voice.

  I seethe, and my desire to make her pay suddenly trumps whatever I said before.

  Noah shakes his head.

  “That will come in time; you can't let this overshadow everything," he argues.

  “But... but look at what they did!” I protest.

  “Vendettas against the people that harm us, or are out to harm us have never done well for anyone in the past. They will find Olivia; she will be caught. I'm no more inclined to search for her than I am to go after Elizabeth at this precise moment," he confesses.

  “Really?” I don't believe him.

  “Let them find us if they want to. We'll be ready,” Noah adds.

  “But Noah!” I protest.

  “I know your rage, I know how you feel, and I know that you want to chase after her. But none of that will bring you closure. I thought after years of chasing Elizabeth that she in jail would bring closure to all the hurt and pain. It didn't. You know what brought me around?”

  “What?” I ask.

  I'm so enraged with anger I almost don't hear his words.

  “You," he admits.

  “You were the one I needed all along," he tells me.

  “Noah,” I cry.

  He pulls me into his arms.

  “It's alright. Everything is fine," he comforts me.

  52

  Noah

  December 22, 2017

  “You're not going to push me off the roof, are you?” Aidan quips.

  We are standing on the precinct roof.

  “How long did you chase Elizabeth for?” I ask darkly.

  “Years Noah. My marriage fell apart because I couldn't stop hunting this woman down," he admits.

  The obsession.

  I know that all too well.

  It almost cost me everything.

  “How do you feel about chasing her down again?” I ask.

  “That's no longer on my desk. I'm a detective. They've handed this over to another department," he growls.

  “Who?” I ask.

  He doesn't say anything for a moment.

  Then Aidan's words come slowly.

  “They handed the file over to the FBI; they figured it was time. If the woman has so much power that she can fake a brain tumor, this isn't our jurisdiction anymore. At least until the FBI completes their investigation into her doctors," he adds.

  I want to leave everything behind, and find that woman.

  How does she continuously win!

  “Work for me,” I command.

  “What?” Aidan stares at me.

  “As your bodyguard?” He laughs.

  “No,” I say.

  “You found Elizabeth and chased her down when I couldn't. You know her nuances; you'll be able to find her faster, especially with this,” I explain.

  Then I throw the canvass bag down at his feet.

  “What's in there?” he asks.

  “Money. Are you daft?” I ask.

  “No,” Aidan laughs.

  “I didn't think you'd come to me with a bag full of cash asking me to chase a woman I've been hunting down for years," he admits.

  “But you want to do it,” I tell him.

  “You know the only thing you want to do is take that money, get in my private jet, and go to London on my payroll to find this woman,” I tell him.

  “How much are we talking?” He asks.

  “Your ex-wife? Your two boys?” I ask.

  “You knew about that,” Aidan isn't surprised.

  “Imagine being able to give them everything you couldn't on a detective's salary,” I say.

  Aidan doesn't need another moment to decide.

  “Noah, I'll do it. I'll do it just because Elizabeth took something from me too. And I want it back," he replies darkly.

  Then Aidan picks up the bag.

  “Where exactly am I supposed to go?” He asks.

  I point up.

  Up to where Evan is lowering his helicopter onto the roof.

  “What the!” Aidan exclaims, jumping away from me.

  Evan struggles to land, and for a moment I wonder if the helicopter is going to slam down on the precinct roof and alert everyone inside as to what's going on.

  But Evan manages to land smoothly, as always.

  “Get in!” Evan screams over the whir of the blades.

  “Lucius is waiting at Newark!” he yells.

  “Is that your bodyguard!” Aidan screams to me.

  “He'll tell you everything!” I scream back.

  Then I watch as Aidan Wilde gets into the helicopter with Evan and slams the door shut behind him.

  On the precinct roof, it's cold.

  I tore a lot of relationships apart on my hunt for Elizabeth in the first place.

  But I refuse to sacrifice my relationship with Tinsley for anything else.

  Aidan and Lucius can lead the hunt, report back to Evan, and leave me out of this.

  As far as I’m concerned, I am finished with Olivia, Elizabeth, and Lauren.

  That's when I realize,
in all that's happened, I still don't have a Christmas present for Tinsley.

  Fuck.

  53

  Tinsley

  December 23, 2017

  My mother gives me one last kiss at the gate.

  “Oh Tinsley, I don't want to leave you alone like this,” My mother protests again.

  “Mother, you need to be with family right now. I'll be fine; I'll be with Noah and the rest of the Stones,” I smile brightly at her.

  “Yes,” My mother pulls me in for another hug.

  “Noah will take good care of you Tinsley; it's what your father would've wanted," she admits.

  “All of this is yours now; you can do anything you want. I trust you now,” my mother says proudly.

  She trusts me.

  For the first time in my life, my mother trusts me to make my own decisions.

  “Good, now go,” I tell her with a smile.

  “I love you,” I say.

  “I love you, Tinsley,” My mother replies, kissing me on the cheek again.

  “Be careful," she requests.

  “I will,” I promise.

  I watch as she disappears through security before heading for her flight to Rome.

  It takes forever, but I have a few things I need to get done before I leave.

  That includes work.

  As I turn to leave, I see a familiar Stone face in the Crowd.

  It's Evan.

  “Evan!” I call his name, and he turns around, his hand attached to a familiar blonde woman.

  Victoire.

  This makes me smile as he lets go of her, walking over to me with his suitcase in hand.

  “Tinsley," he pulls me into a hug.

  “How are you? Escaping?” he quips.

  “No,” I smile.

  “Just dropping my mother off at the airport. What are you doing?” I ask.

  “Well I figured since my father's jet isn't available at the moment, we might as well fly first class to Hawaii," he smirks at me.

  Victoire rolls her eyes behind him.

  “Of course, you and Victoire have fun in Hawaii,” I tell him.

  “Oh, I'm not going with him. I'm going to London,” Victoire shakes her head.

  “Oh, I'm sorry. I assumed,” I apologize.

  “I've tried to convince her just to come with me, but she's stubborn,” Evan shakes his head.

  “Why would I go to Hawaii with you again?” Victoire asks.

  “Because you want to,” Evan and I reply in unison.

  Then we both laugh.

  “Victoire, it’s Christmas, you need a break. Go with Evan, let go for once,” I tell her.

  Victoire sighs then look at her watch.

  “I suppose I could switch my ticket," she looks up at Evan.

  “Or use the one I bought you on a whim. First class, no one to bother you, not even me. I promise I won't say a word the whole flight," he smirks at her.

  “You're a terrible liar,” Victoire's shakes her head.

  But she does laugh, and I watch as her eyes settle on Evan.

  “Fine. I'll come. But I'm not going to enjoy a single second of this vacation," she shakes her head at him.

  “That's fine,” Evan shrugs.

  Then he whispers something in her ear, and I watch Victoire blush for the first time.

  “Relax you two,” I say as I turn to leave.

  “And have fun. For both your sakes. You never know what the New Year is going to bring,” I add.

  “Have a good holiday Tinsley,” Evan nods to me.

  “And don't let my dad worry too much. You know how he gets,”

  “I won't,” I smile.

  I want to run straight to Noah, but I've got to attend to work first.

  I'm late by my standards, which means I'm still five minutes ahead.

  When I step into the boardroom, however, most of the Whittaker-Bradford board is waiting.

  “Shall we start Mrs. Whittaker?” one of the board members asks.

  “Call me Tinsley please,” I smile.

  “Alright, we're going to change a few things around here. In light of everything that's happened, I believe we can all agree to strike Bradford from the company name. Do we all agree that's appropriate?” I ask.

  I only get nods in appreciation.

  “So, Whittaker Energy it is,” I nod.

  “Second of all, I brought you here today to announce that we will be searching for a new CEO. In light of Connor's sudden death,” I pause for a moment.

  Yes, where I stomped on his foot and then he fell through a window.

  “In light of Connor's sudden death, I think it would be appropriate to scrap anyone that would've been on his recommendation. We also have an open seat thanks to Olivia Winthrop,” I tell them.

  Everyone remains somber.

  “We will find a new, capable CEO, and we will never have a situation like this happen to Whittaker Energy again. We've had enough bad luck for one year. Starting with the Christmas bonuses and extended Christmas vacation for all non-essential employees, we're going to put a few more things into place that Connor decided to get rid of,” I announce with authority.

  Everyone seems to agree with me.

  “So that means a better benefits package, the retirement options, and so forth?” Someone asks.

  “Yes,” I tell them.

  “I will remain in control of the company, but as for my current duties, in light of our new situation, I will be taking a step back from the company, one the new CEO is in place. I feel that it's only appropriate as my presence may do more harm than good, remind people of what happened,” I add.

  No one seems to agree with this.

  “But Tinsley...,” Someone starts.

  “It's only for a little while,” I explain.

  I think of this as prudent.

  “Consider this my last board meeting for a while,” I tell them all as I sit down.

  Then I suffer through yet another board meeting, where I have to pay attention because my vote is usually the deciding one.

  As I shake everyone's hands to leave, I realize there's one more thing.

  “As you all know, tomorrow is Connor Bradford's funeral. I don't expect that any of you will attend in light of the circumstances, you may be nervous about it even, don't be. I won't be there, and neither should you,” I smile softly at my board members.

  They all sigh in relief.

  I hear a couple of 'thank gods' come from around the room.

  Yes, I think.

  Thank god Connor is gone.

  My life will work out the way that I intend it to.

  Noah appears in the doorway, once everyone has left.

  54

  Noah

  December 23, 2017

  Tinsley runs a hand through her hair, her hazel eyes focused on mine.

  “Have you come to get me?” Tinsley begins.

  “I don't want them to hurt you any more than they already have,” I confess.

  “I sent Lucius to London, to go after Elizabeth, I won’t lie to you about that,” I tell her.

  Tinsley laughs.

  “Well, at least you knew better than that,”

  She plants a kiss on my nose.

  “Whatever are we going to do?” She asks me.

  “I haven't the slightest,” I tell her.

  “But it’s out of my hands now,” I add.

  Though there are many things that I want to do to her and a lot more I want to do with her.

  Right now, I want to enjoy our holidays together.

  “I figured something was up when Evan wasn’t using the jet. He and Victoire left for Hawaii,” Tinsley smirks.

  “Oh, they did?” I raise an eyebrow at this.

  “She cares about him,” Tinsley declares.

  “I think she cares about him; she's too afraid to admit to herself,” Tinsley says wisely.

  “Why do you think that is?” I ask her.

  “Well,” Tinsley smirks.

  “W
hen I first fell in love with a Stone, I didn't want to admit anything to myself, because I knew that man was quite capable of breaking my heart," she says.

  “And did he?” I ask her.

  “Yes. But he always made sure to put it back together again,” Tinsley grins at me.

  For the first time, it sets in that there's nothing to stop us from being together now.

  We can do whatever we want.

  “What are you thinking?” Tinsley asks.

  She runs her hands through my hair, and her hazel eyes meet mine.

  “My only thought, at the moment, is that I want to take you back to my bed, make your toes curl and ensure that the only name you ever scream again, is mine,” My voice is hoarse with desire.

  Tinsley's lips press against mine with urgency, and I kiss her back, returning the fever that comes with finally knowing someone you love is yours.

  “Let's go back to your place,” Tinsley purrs.

  “I have a better idea,” I smirk.

  The Hamptons estate is empty as Tinsley, and I drop our bags in the front door.

  Immediately I turn the heat up and start a fire in the grand fireplace that dominates the brick wall of the living room.

  Tinsley lounges in front of the fire, glances at her unpacked bags and shrugs.

  “I should be doing things, probably," she laughs.

  “All I want to do is just... disappear," she whispers.

  “Let's go to Fiji after Christmas,” I whisper back.

  “I like that idea,” Tinsley purrs back before she crawls across the couch and snuggles against me.

  I wrap her warm body in my arms. My lips rest against her sweater before I tug it down with my teeth to gain access to her fragrant skin.

  “We should move to your bedroom,” Tinsley's voice is far off.

  “Probably,” My voice is a low growl as I pull the sweater down further to kiss more of her skin.

  I bite her shoulder gently.

  “Remember the prospect of toes curling? Screaming my name? Do you want to move?” I ask.

  Tinsley only shakes her head, and she pushes me down against the soft suede of the couch before she pulls the sweater over her head.

  “You win Stone,” Tinsley grins down at me.