The Tycoon's Secret - Baby for the Billionaire - Book Four (Baby for the Billionare)

by Anne, Melody

  Sierra felt tears sting her eyes as she listened to the joy and pride in Joseph’s voice.

  “I’ll be back,” Damien whispered before he released her and moved toward the stage.

  Sierra decided not to stick around. She couldn’t bear any more that night and still have any of her heart left intact. Before she was able to make a retreat she was caged in. She looked up to find Damien’s best friend, Trinity on one side of her, and Bree on the other.

  “I need to use the restroom,” Sierra told them in a desperate attempt at escape.

  “It can wait,” the two women said in unison before they looked at each other and giggled.

  Damien approached the stage with confidence and gave Joseph a hug before he turned to the crowd. His eyes scanned the room before settling on Sierra.

  “I’ve made many mistakes in life. I don’t regret them, because they’ve shaped me into the man I am now, however, I wish I wouldn’t have been such a fool for so many years. My best friend gave me some beautiful advice, of which I took some, and ignored the rest,” he said as he sent a wink toward Trinity.

  “It gets better,” Trinity whispered to Sierra who looked at her with confusion. What was she talking about?

  “You see, I’ve done many foolish things in my life, held grudges that weren’t warranted, sought revenge that wasn’t called for, and the most ludicrous of all, let the woman I love escape.” Damien’s gaze connected with hers and she looked back with uncertainty and…hope.

  He wouldn’t be so cruel to say those things about another woman, so maybe…” she was afraid to even think the thoughts.

  The room started to stir as people shifted. Sierra was so focused on Damien she didn’t notice the men and women coming toward her. She was suddenly lifted into the air and placed in a chair which was then picked up, as the group of men carried her to Damien.

  “I’ve only loved one other person my entire life, and she saved me when I was a child. I’ve only ever been in love once, and you saved me as a man. Please forgive my foolishness, my faults, and my insensitivities. I can’t live in a world where you’re not by my side – I’m just a shell of a man without you in my life.”

  Sierra’s convoy placed her on the stage and she was quickly pulled into Damien’s arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked into his eyes, the truth of his words shining from him.

  “Damien –”

  “Wait, there’s more,” he said as he placed his finger over her mouth.

  There was a collective gasp as dozens of people stepped forward, each with a bucket filled with different colored rose petals. They filled the stage with the fragrant pieces, creating a romantic bed of color.

  “Take a seat,” he told her before he helped her sit, and then walked off the stage. The crowd parted and there was a stage in the center of the room with a microphone and guitar.

  Sierra looked at the men standing along the back of the stage, it was all the Anderson and Titan men, dressed to the nines, looking amazing as they gazed back at her and winked.

  Damien joined them, then picked up the guitar. She watched in awe as music started drifting through the room and he stepped up to the microphone and began singing, I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz.

  When he sang the lyrics speaking of sunrises and never giving up on their love, tears began streaming down her face. When the men behind him joined in on the chorus, some of their voices off-key, some singing beautifully, she was sobbing.

  At the end of the song, he set the guitar down and walked to her, pulling a small box from his pocket as he knelt on the bed of rose petals.

  “I won’t ever give up on our love again. You are my sun, moon, and stars. You’re everything to me. I don’t want to live a life without you beside me. Please, marry me, Sierra, take away my worst regret and let me show you what you mean to me every day for the rest of our lives and beyond.”

  There was no doubt what her answer would be. She’d never imagined loving someone so greatly, never thought a man would love her so much. His hands trembled in front of her as he held out the opened velvet box with a simple solitaire surrounded by beautiful diamonds on either side.

  “Yes, Damien, oh yes,” she whispered, and he slipped the ring on her finger, a perfect fit.

  Sierra didn’t notice the applause from the crowd, or the tears in her new family’s eyes. She noticed nothing but the love in Damien’s beautiful face…and it was all for her.

  Epilogue

  One Year later

  “You realize this wedding killed my uncle a little bit, don’t you?” Bree said as she stood next to Sierra.

  “Yes, I know, but it’s what I wanted. I think it turned out perfectly. I did give him free reign on the reception, which I’m thinking wasn’t the wisest idea. I figured I’d be safe seeing as we’re on a secluded island. I should’ve known better.”

  “Yes, you should have. He has zero qualms about flying five-hundred people here. You’re lucky it was only a hundred. I have to say I’m very happy they’re all gone and it gets to just be family now. Has Damien told you where you’re going for your honeymoon, yet?”

  “Yes, he’s taking me back to where it all began. We fly out tomorrow for Australia.”

  “Yea, now that you know, I can tell you that Chad and I are joining you there in a week, along with my brothers, and cousins. Trinity and her family are coming, too,” Bree said with enthusiasm.

  “Bree, I don’t know how I ever got so lucky as to have met you, but thank you for being in my life. I will love you forever,” Sierra said, getting choked up for the hundredth time that day.

  “I love you, too.”

  “Girl time is over. I’ve got dibs on my wife,” Damien said as he wrapped his arms around her.

  “Mmm, claim away,” she told him as she reached up and kissed him. Neither of them noticed Bree slipping away.

  “Thank you for inviting Bree and the rest of the family to join us.”

  “I knew it would make you happy. I promised you I would bring you nothing but joy the rest of our lives, and I intend to keep that promise,” he said before bending to kiss her again.

  “How do you feel about children?”

  “I’ve already told you I’ll have a dozen if you’ll let me get away with it,” he said before nuzzling her neck.

  “Why don’t we start with just one for now,” she said with a laugh.

  “Sounds good to me. Let’s get started right now,” he said as he scooped her into his arms and started heading toward their secluded cabin which Katherine and Esther had stocked up for them.

  “I expect you to make love to me all night long, but there’s no need to create a child. I’m four weeks along,” she told him, waiting for it to sink in. When her words registered, Damien’s face grinned with pleasure as he looked into her eyes.

  “I love you, Sierra Whitfield, and I will the rest of my life. Thank you for giving me a second chance, and not giving up on me. Thank you for carrying my child. Let’s go start our lives together,” he said quietly.

  “Damien, my life started the day you walked into my father’s office.”

  Damien carried her inside and showed her many times over how much he loved her. He kept his promise to make her happy and continued expressing his love for many years to come.

  If you would like to be notified when Melody Anne releases a new book, sign up for her mailing list at http:/www.melodyanne.com

  If you liked “The Tycoon’s Secret” please see other titles by Melody Anne.

  Learn more about the Andersons in “The Billionaire Bachelors” Series. It all starts with

  “The Billionaire Wins the Game, available at all retail outlets.

  Learn more about the Titan Series, also available, the first book titled “The Tycoon’s Revenge”

  Visit Melody’s web site: www.melodyanne.com

  And her facebook: www.facebook.com/authormelodyanne

  You can follow her on twitter: authmelodyanne

  Thank you for read
ing “The Tycoon’s Secret”

  If you enjoy my billionaires, you might also enjoy:

  Maid for the Billionaire

  By New York Times bestselling author, Ruth Cardello

  Sexy, alpha billionaires and the strong women who tame them.

  (Sample chapters below.)

  Chapter One

  By dying now, his father had won again. That old bastard.

  Dominic Corisi slammed the door of his black Bugatti Veyron and stepped onto the sun baked Boston sidewalk without giving the million dollar vehicle a backwards glance. The joy of owning it was dead along with his desire to answer the incessant ring of the cell phone he’d ignored since yesterday. Rather than turning it off, he’d muffled the noise by burying the device deep within a coat pocket; maintaining the connection to his life like a distant beacon.

  Despite the oppressive heat, he paused at the bottom stair of his old brownstone. There was nothing spectacular about it, outside of its location near the upbeat Newbury Street. If he remembered correctly, its rooms were small and the main staircase had a creak that he never did get around to fixing. It was nothing like the sprawling mansions he now owned in various countries around the world.

  But it was the closest thing he had to a home.

  His phone rang with a tone he couldn’t ignore. Jake. His second in command would simply call again, killing whatever chance Dominic had of finding a moment of peace inside those brick walls. “Corisi,” he barked into the phone.

  “Dominic, glad I caught you,” Jake Walton said smoothly, as if he hadn't unsuccessfully rung twenty times in the last two days. That was Jake, calm and professional, even in the storm of hostile takeovers. Nothing fazed the man.

  Normally, Dominic appreciated his even temper, but today it grated. Maybe the forty or so hours without sleep were beginning to catch up with him. He fought an impulse to toss his phone over the metal railing. The world wasn't the orderly, rational place Jake liked to organize it into. It was messy. It was ugly. And, most recently, it lacked justice.

  “How is Boston?”

  The inane question almost sent Dominic over the edge. “How do you think?”

  It was probably too much to hope that Jake’s uncharacteristic silence signaled an end to a conversation Dominic wished he had avoided.

  “We need to discuss the China contract. The Minister of Commerce is expecting to meet with you tomorrow to cement the details. This is your dream, Dominic. By next week, Corisi Enterprises will be a major global player. What do you want me to tell the Minister?”

  “I don't know,” Dominic said wearily.

  Jake made a sound somewhere between a choke and a cough, then was speechless – a revealing response for a man who handled irate international diplomats without missing a step. He was the fixer and navigated the unexpected with ease. Until now.

  Poor Jake. Nothing in their shared history had prepared either of them for Dominic's sudden desire to withdraw from the world. The creators of financial empires didn't take sudden vacations and they most certainly didn't hide, especially not after having laid the groundwork for the single greatest business venture of the century. Bill Gates himself had called last week to discuss the ramifications of the negotiations.

  “Jake, I need to drop off the radar for about a week. Why don't you take over the China contract?”

  “O-o-o-k.” Jake said awkwardly. In another situation, Jake's loss of composure would have been amusing.

  “Can you handle it or not?” Dominic challenged. He could barely think past the throbbing of his headache.

  Maybe coming to Boston was a mistake. It had been here, at seventeen, that he’d walked away from his inheritance and waited tables to fund the search for his mother. Here, in this very brownstone, that he’d cultivated a hatred for a father who had denied both involvement and interest in the disappearance of his wife.

  Jake’s voice slammed Dominic back into the present. “No problem. I've followed the progress you've made with the Chinese Investment Promotion Agency. They’re eager. I'll clear my schedule and cover yours. Duhamel will forward all of your calls to me until further notice.”

  “Good.”

  “Dom-” Jake hesitated. “It's normal to need time to grieve. You just lost your father.”

  A harsh laugh escaped Dominic. “Trust me; I'm not grieving his loss.” He leaned a hip on the metal railing and looked up at the building he had instinctively returned to, searching for the man he’d once been and hoping to find something there that would shake off the immobilizing apathy he felt for all he had done since; high expectations for brick and antique wallpaper.

  Jake said, “That's what worries me. No matter what your plans were or what he once did to you, he's gone now. You've got to let it go.”

  Jake was asking the impossible. Of course the past mattered. Sometimes it was the only thing that did. “Just do your job, Jake. If you can't handle it, tell me and I'll promote Priestly to help you.”

  For the second time since they had met at Harvard, Jake lost his temper. “That's bullshit, Dom. You want to send Priestly to China? Send him. You're absolutely right -- you've made me a very rich man. I don't need this. But heed my warning; you won't be a billionaire for long if we both step away from the helm. A lot is riding on this contract. The lawsuits alone will freeze your assets if you screw this up. You invested too much of your own and you're playing with the big boys now. Governments are not very forgiving when it comes to last minute walk outs.”

  The speech should have shaken Dominic, but it barely breached the numbness that had settled in since he'd received the phone call from his father's lawyer. What did all the money matter anyway? He'd wasted fifteen years amassing an empire that would allow him to throw down a forced buyout contract on his father’s enormous mahogany desk. Dominic should have taken action years ago, but no level of prior success had felt like enough. He’d choreographed the day from both sides, building his company while undermining his father’s; always working toward that one absolute win. Dominic had counted on his father’s desperation finally forcing him to confess what had actually happened to his mother.

  It was that loss that he mourned today.

  In its place was a carefully orchestrated set of instructions from his father’s lawyer. No, it wasn’t enough to simply disinherit his only son; Antonio Corisi had also included provisions in his will to ensure that Dominic had to attend the reading. He’d used Dominic’s one weakness, his one regret, to reaffirm his control, even from the grave.

  Jake coughed, reminding Dominic that a response was required. What could he say? As usual, Jake was correct in his assessment of the situation. Dominic had used his own wealth as well as that of investors to back this venture. The risk had seemed worth it. The government contract would crack China's software market wide open for them and their global influence would double exponentially. It was a daring move that if carefully implemented could put Corisi Enterprises on a stratosphere of power few companies ever acquired; a goal that a week ago had seemed imperative.

  Jake could handle the negotiations. Dominic had always been the one to charge forward, shaking the situation up and clearing the way. This time would be no different. Jake could merely take over a few documents earlier this time. Priestly was good at the local level, but he was no Jake.

  “One week, Jake.” It was the closest to an apology Dominic was able to get out. He hoped it was enough.

  Sounding more like an older brother, than a business associate, Jake said, “Take two weeks if you need it. Just get your head together. I can wrap up the China contract, but it'll need your final signature and your presence. I’ll do a press release today and ask the media to respect your need to mourn in private; that should give you at least a few days before they descend.”

  “Call Murdock.” The man owes me a few favors.

  “Do you mean the Murdock? I thought he’d retired.”

  Ah, there is the real difference between us. By not fighting in the trenches of
financial warfare, Jake’s business associations had remained above reproach, but he lacked the back door connections to those seemingly innocuous individuals who wielded real international influence. Dominic casually gave Jake a number that many would have paid a small fortune to dial just once. “Men like Murdock don’t retire, they delegate from warmer climates. Tell him that I don’t even want a good spin on this. It’s non-news. He’ll understand.”

  Jake whistled softly in appreciation. “Is there anyone you don’t know?”

  “Yes, you if you call me again today.”

  Jake laughed, but they both knew it hadn’t been a joke. “Do yourself a favor, Dom...” Jake continued in an unusually authoritative tone.

  What now? Dominic sighed.

  “...put down the Jack Daniels for a night and pick up one of those models you like to date. You'll sleep better.”

  Dominic gave a non-committal grunt and hung up. If only it were that easy.

  Chapter Two

  Arms full of bed linens, Abby Dartley froze at the click of the front door opening. Darn it. She couldn't get caught here, especially in an oversized shirt and jeans instead of her sister's maid uniform. Lil needs this job. Cleaning the brownstone of a man who never actually occupied it had sounded like a relatively simple, albeit annoying, way to help her sister remain employed.

  “Do not let anyone see you,” Lil had pleaded between the fits of sneezes that had accompanied her low, but persistent fever. “They’ll fire me in a second if they find out that you went in my place.”

  “Can’t you just call in?” Abby remembered suggesting hopefully.

  “I already used my two allowed sick days for Colby,” and then the tears had come.

  A year ago, Abby would have let her sister add this lost job to the long string of employment she’d already tried and failed at and would have covered her expenses until she found a new job. They’d been through this cycle countless times, resulting only in Lil resenting Abby more with each passing year. The closeness they’d shared before the death of their parents was a distant, surreal memory.