The Most Beautiful Girl In The World

by Rachel Burns

  Their relationship was about to be put to the test when they arrived at his parents’ house. They’d rip Emily to pieces. He wasn’t going to let them do that. He’d stay by her side the entire time.

  “I don’t want to leave, Daddy. I’ve never been happier than here.”

  “I know what you mean, but we will be happy wherever we go.” He took hold of her hand and led her out of their room. The owner was holding the car door open for them when they arrived at the parking lot. “We enjoyed having you here with us, and we hope to see you two here again.”

  “Thank you. I hope we’ll be able to come back too.” Emily sighed, hoping that they could.

  “Why not for our anniversary next year?” Oliver suggested.

  “Really?” Emily’s face lighted up like a Christmas tree.

  “Sure, why not?” he said to Emily. To the owner he said, “My secretary will contact you.”

  “We’re looking forward to it Mr. Keaton.” The owner hoped that their marriage would last that long. Rich people divorced so easily.

  Oliver parked in front of his childhood home. Well, one of them. This had been the main one. “We aren’t going to stay here very long. Probably just over night. We don’t need to unpack.”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  “Remember that you aren’t allowed to call me daddy around them. They wouldn’t understand.”

  “Are you worried that I’m going to embarrass you?”

  “No. I’m worried that they’re going to embarrass me and hurt your feelings.”

  “I have tough skin, Daddy.”

  “You’ll need it. Remember that I’m there for you. You can hold my hand whenever you want.”

  “Thank you, Daddy.” She gave him a smile, already wanting to hold his hand.

  Oliver got out of his car and hurried around to help Emily out. She took hold of his hand and didn’t let go.

  Oliver took that in stride. He didn’t care what his parents thought about him. He’d played along with their threats and married. There were no grounds to disinherit him. In fact, he had a couple of ideas that he wanted to talk to his parents and uncle about.

  Married life had changed him. He’d turn into the person they’d always wanted him to become.

  He rang the bell and when the door opened he handed the butler the keys to his car. “Our luggage is in the trunk. See to it that our things are brought up to our room.”

  Emily squeezed his hand to show her disapproval.

  “Please,” Oliver added. He smiled at his wife hoping that he’d made a couple of brownie points.

  Emily smiled at the butler. “Thank you, sir.”

  “You’re welcome, Mrs. Keaton.”

  Oliver grinned from ear to ear. He loved it when people called her that. “Let’s go meet the family.”

  “Okay.” Emily’s hand tightened again. This time she did it to show her husband how much she needed him.

  A maid greeted them and told them where they could find his parents and uncle.

  The house was huge to begin with, but the rooms were all ballroom-sized. Emily’s jaw dropped, and she couldn’t shut her mouth as she gawped at everything, taking in the rich things that she was seeing.

  “I’ll be very careful so I don’t break anything,” she whispered into her husband’s ear.

  “Don’t worry. We won’t stay here long.”

  Oliver opened the door to the conservatory. “You’ll like this room.”

  Emily walked in and saw a room that had glass walls and part of the ceiling was also made out of glass. Her jaw was hanging open again because this room was filled with exotic plants and flowers not unlike the plants they’d seen in the Bahamas. There were three sitting areas that were larger than any normal living room. “It’s a greenhouse attached to the house,” she proclaimed astonished.

  “That’s right, baby. I knew you’d like it.” Oliver smiled at her. “Emily, I’d like to introduce you to my parents. This is my mother Elisabeth De Bakker Keaton.”

  Emily held her hand out to the fine looking thin woman. “I’m so pleased to meet you. This room is amazing. I’m sure you spend a lot of time in here in winter.”

  “As a matter of fact, I do.” She was shocked with the girl’s behavior. She expected that the little gold-digger would pretend that she belonged in a house like this one.

  “Emily is fascinated with plants and gardens,” Oliver told his mother, proudly.

  “I see. You should visit our house in Georgia. It has a very large garden.” This was a sentence she’d said automatically. It was part of her normal short talk.

  “I’d like that very much.” Emily smiled at her mother-in-law wholeheartedly. This was going better than planned.

  “Emily, this gentleman is my father. Charles Keaton the fifth. Thankfully, my parents had the sense to stop that nonsense, or I’d be a sixth,” he joked.

  “How do you do, sir? You have a lovely home.”

  “Thank you, Emily.”

  Oliver was disappointed in his father. “Emily, this is my uncle, Harrison Keaton.”

  After the cold shoulder Oliver’s father had given her, Emily was being a little more careful. “How do you do, sir?” She held her hand out to him.

  “I’m well. But you are doing very well, aren’t you?” He wanted to let her know that he was on to her. She’d only married his nephew to get at his money.

  Emily smiled at him. “Yes, our honeymoon was brilliant. We had a lovely time at our hotel.”

  “We already made plans to go back next year for our first anniversary. Emily was very taken with the tropical garden they had there.” Oliver informed him.

  Emily smiled at Oliver. Everyone in the room saw the love in her eyes. If she were playing a game with Oliver, then she was a fantastic actress.

  “Let’s sit down and get to know each other,” Elisabeth suggested.

  “I have several things that I’d like to talk to you about. I’ve been following our stocks the past couple of weeks and I noticed something,” Oliver told them.

  All three of them looked at him surprised, thinking that he had to be joking.

  Oliver sat down on one of the sofas, and Emily sat right next to him. These people were scaring her. “I noticed that several precious metals were sinking. This would be the perfect time to buy more, especially because of the instability in the countries where the mines are. Besides that, I also noticed that zinc was all over the place. What’s going on with that? We need to get someone inside the mines to look at that before someone else does.” Oliver went on to show them different things that he’d been working on while Emily read books and magazines about gardening.

  Oliver’s family was flabbergasted as they listened to him.

  “Finally, you’re using that amazing IQ that you have. I never thought I’d see the day.” Oliver’s uncle slapped him on the back.

  Oliver blushed and looked at Emily. “I finally have a reason to take an interest in the family business. I’ll make sure that my wife has everything that she could ever want.” Oliver looked at his wife. He smiled at her.

  “Thank you, Oliver, but I don’t need anything. I just want to be with you.”

  “And that’s why I love you.” Oliver kissed her on her lips. “You’re the only person on Earth that I trust.”

  Oliver’s family traded worried looks.

  Emily was smiling so much that her cheeks hurt. She wanted his family to like her.

  Still, it was clear that they didn’t. She was trying to be everything that she was taught to be, but they looked at her like she was dirt.

  Charles threw his napkin on the table after he finished cleaning his plate. “I guess, I’d feel better about everything if you two had sign a prenuptial. What is going to ensure us that you aren’t going to divorce our Oliver and run off with his money?” he accused Emily.

  Emily’s smiled faded. “I wouldn’t do that.”

  “That’s what they all say.” He turned to Oliver. “When she leaves you, she�
��ll own half of what you own. She’ll sell her half off and that will weaken our side. The empire that our family has been building up for generations will fall to pieces, and it will be your fault.”

  “Emily isn’t going to leave me, ever. We actually love each other. I understand that’s a concept that isn’t commonplace in this family, but it’s what inspires me. I’ll give you an ultimatum. Either you treat my wife well, like a part of the family, which she is, or I’ll never take over the family business. I’ll personally sell all of my shares to our greatest competitors. The question is: do you want me working with you or against you?”

  “Oliver, you can’t talk to your family that way.” Emily scolded him.

  “I’m sorry, Emily, but they have to learn that they may not upset you.”

  “We aren’t trying to upset the girl. We’re trying to understand who she is and where she came from so suddenly.”

  “I adopted her from and orphanage. She lost her family when she was four. Because she was an especially beautiful child, she was sent to a special orphanage where girls are taught to please a certain kind of man. Emily is my little girl, and I’m her daddy.”

  Emily looked at Oliver. He hadn’t wanted to share that with them. She didn’t want to be the reason that his family fought. “I’d be willing to sign anything you want me to, Daddy.”

  Oliver beamed at her and took hold of her hand to reassure her. “You don’t have to, baby. I know what kind of person you are. They’re the strangers to me.”

  Chapter 8

  Emily had been house hopping with Oliver. They’d spend a week or two at each of his houses. They were all nice, but they were also large, too large to feel like a home.

  At the moment, they were in his apartment in New York. This was where he’d lived before he adopted Emily.

  The reason for their stay in New York was to find a nanny for Emily.

  Oliver was starting to understand why one was necessary. The reason was simple: her pretty hair. It needed to be styled in some places and completely removed in others. Oliver was hopeless with it. He wanted Emily to have someone familiar around her. He didn’t want strangers touching his baby.

  While they were staying at his apartment in New York, Oliver called the agency that the director of the orphanage had recommended. He explained what he was looking for. He was very clear that she didn’t need someone who was cold. His Emily needed a loving and warm nanny.

  The next day, the interviews started. Five nannies were applying for the job. Oliver sat on the couch of their penthouse apartment and looked at the first nanny. She had a pointy nose. Her face spoke of strictness.

  Emily was sitting up perfectly straight. This woman and intimidated her. She was like the nurses at the orphanage.

  Oliver was interviewing and firing questions at the nanny. He was using his strict and powerful voice.

  Once Oliver had summarized that this woman wouldn’t do at all, he dismissed her and called for the next one.

  This one had the look of an elderly grandmother. He fired questions at her and liked what he heard. He looked at Emily, who was sitting next to him. She was smiling at the older woman.

  “How would you do Emily’s hair?” Oliver looked back at the nanny.

  “She’s an adorable child. She still has her baby fat so it would be precious if she had soft curls to match.”

  Oliver nodded at the woman, agreeing with her.

  He called for the butler and asked him to take this nanny into the kitchen for something to drink. He’d interview all of them before he’d make his decision. This was too important to make a snap decision.

  “You forgot to ask her about gardening,” Emily whispered into his ear after the nanny had left.

  “You’re allowed to ask questions too, baby. I need your help to decide. This is a very important decision.”

  “Yes, Daddy.” Emily was frowning because she felt scolded.

  Oliver kissed her, thinking that this sweet little lamb was the same person who became a tiger in the bedroom.

  He made sure that she always had a healthy appetite come meal times. She certainly wasn’t gaining weight. She got too much movement for that.

  He called in the next nanny and fired questions at her. She seemed to be very nice too, and she proclaimed that gardening was a good way for a little girl to get some fresh air.

  After the interview, she was also sent to the kitchen.

  The last two nannies he dismissed, mostly because he didn’t like the way they looked, or the way they looked at Emily. The last one had gone so far to say that she’d put Emily on a diet and do exercises with her.

  “She wasn’t what we’re looking for. I like the first one we sent to the kitchen the best. What do you think, Em?” Oliver had started calling his wife by that nickname.

  Emily looked at the door where the bad nannies had left. She felt that she didn’t look that fat anymore, but two of the nannies had mentioned it. One called it baby fat, and the last one was clear that she didn’t think Emily was good enough for her daddy.

  “They were all nice,” she commented.

  “No, they weren’t.” Oliver could see that her feelings had been hurt. “Emily, this is too important for me to decide alone. I need your help. This is the person I’ll have to leave you alone with when I’m not around. I need your women’s intuition to pick the right one.”

  “What if I don’t have women’s intuition?”

  “You’re going to decide. I think the two in the kitchen are both nice. You have the final say.”

  “Again? You already want me to pick which house we should live in,” Emily complained. She didn’t want any responsibility.

  “I have every confidence in you.” Oliver laid his hand on her knee and grinned at her.

  “Daddy, I’d rather not.”

  Oliver called for the butler and told him to call the two nannies into the living room. “This is your chance, Emily. You can ask them some questions and then decide for yourself.”

  “Daddy, I really think this is something that you should decide. What if I choose wrong?”

  “You won’t. And if you do, I’d fire her and get you a new nanny.” This wasn’t a big deal to Oliver. He didn’t plan on sharing her very often. He only wanted a nanny for grooming and companionship for Emily.

  The nannies entered the room and smiled at the couple. They both wanted the job.

  Oliver knew which one he’d choose and why, but he wanted to see what Emily would do.

  “Nanny McKinney, I forgot to ask you … about gardening?” Emily looked over at Oliver, hoping he’d take over.

  “What about it, my dear?” she asked, kindly.

  “I was wondering if …” Emily looked at her husband again.

  Oliver grinned at his wife.

  “How do you feel about gardening?”

  “At my age and with my knees, I couldn’t do much in a garden. But I do enjoy reading in a fine garden.”

  “I like to garden. Would you be willing to sit by me while I work?”

  “Naturally, my dear. I’d make sure that you didn’t get too much sun. You have such fine skin.”

  “Excuse me for butting in,” Nanny Meyer said, “but I think Mrs. Keaton could use a little color. I also think that she should be taking long walks through a garden. A little of everything would be best for her.”

  Oliver shifted on the sofa. He wanted to know what she was getting at. It sounded like she wanted to put Emily on an exercise program. In his opinion, she already was on one with him in bed.

  “My husband and I like to travel would that be a problem for either of you?” Emily asked them. Oliver had houses out of the country that he wanted to share with her.

  Nanny Meyer pinched her nose. “That’s a lot of excitement for a little girl. I’d see to it that you got the rest you needed, and that your daddy also had time to himself.”

  Nanny McKinney shook her head. “I think Mrs. Keaton and her husband can decide what’s good for her th
emselves. I’d make sure that you prettied up so your daddy could take you out and show you the world. Of course, I’d see to it that you got enough rest and also got enough to eat. I’d make sure your wardrobe was perfect, and that your pretty dark hair framed your face the way your daddy likes it.”

  “I’d see to it that she didn’t eat too much.” Nanny Meyer gave Nanny McKinney a mean look. The child needs to learn self-discipline.”

  “She can learn that later, when she’s older. But for now it’s good for her to have a little baby fat. Children get sick so easily. They need some meat on their bones so they don’t lose too much weight. I always say: a pudgy baby makes a healthy adult. I’d worry more about having her brush her teeth after she ate then how much she ate.”

  Nanny Meyer looked at Mr. Keaton. She knew that he’d prefer a thin wife.

  Oliver sat up straight. He’d been leaning into the sofa watching the show. To him the choice was obvious. Nanny McKinney was the clear choice. He loved the way she jumped to Emily’s rescue. “Emily, it’s your choice. Which nanny do you pick?” If she picked wrong, he’d veto.

  “I think that they’d both be great nannies, but I think Nanny McKinney would be best.” Emily looked at Oliver to see if he approved.

  “Sir, you can’t let a child pick out her nanny. She obviously picked the one she felt she could manipulate,” Nanny Meyer interjected.

  Oliver gave her a snug look. “She picked the same nanny I would have. I’m proud of you, Emily. I’m glad that you picked the nanny who doesn’t want to change you. You’re perfect just the way you are. That’s why I chose you.” Oliver pinched her smiling cheek.

  Oliver stood up. “Thank you for applying, Nanny Meyer, but the position has been filled.” He motioned with his head for the butler. “Nanny McKinney needs to be assigned a room.”

  “Of course, sir.” He bowed and then left the room to discuss the arrangements with the maids. James had been working with Master Keaton since he was a small boy. He saw that he’d changed. As a child, Oliver had a look on his face like he was tasting a bad lemon. Now Master Oliver was suddenly a smiling and happy person who cared about the company he’d inherited. His choice of wife was strange. However, it was clear that they loved each other very much.