by Suzanne Hart
None of this was making any sense to me. Twelve years ago…?
“I refused to give him the loan, just like every other bank did. But somehow, he decided that I was the villain in his damn story,” he continued.
I shook my head, still confused.
“What are you trying to say, Daddy?” I asked. He jerked his face up to glare at me.
“I’m saying that Julian Hunt will do anything, say anything, to bring me down. I bet that when he found out we’re close to bankruptcy, he threw a little party and celebrated!”
“But he wants to help us. He wants to buy a majority share,” I told him and Daddy shot me a look again.
“And what do you think he’s going to do when he gains majority control of our company? Of my damn company?”
My father was hissing now, speaking through gritted teeth with rage. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but I couldn’t deny that nagging feeling that he was right. Julian had hinted at it already… the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.
This was why he thought that Daddy was hiding from him. This was the reason why he assumed that Daddy didn’t want to sell to him. It wasn’t just a joke when he told me he might destroy Crowley Holdings once he gained control of it.
“You know I’m right, don’t you?” Daddy’s voice broke through my thoughts. He was glaring at me with a look of revulsion in his eyes. “You’ve met the guy, you’ve spoken to him… you know exactly what I’m talking about. He despises me. He blames his early struggles on me and now he wants revenge.”
I gulped.
So, this was what everything was about. Julian had wriggled his way into my bed… into my heart, because he had a bone to pick with my father. Was it all a lie? His undeniable attraction to me? Was he pretending when he held me to himself and consoled me? Did he make up the money laundering evidence he apparently found in our books?
“Sometimes I fear that the only reason he worked so hard at his own business, and became so rich and successful was to teach me a lesson. He’s been waiting for an opportunity to screw me over, Lisa, and you might have just given him one!”
My stomach flipped over. I couldn’t believe I had been foolish enough to fall for his act. Julian had done all this because he knew he could get to the company through me. He utilized Daddy’s accident and my vulnerability to take his revenge.
“He hasn’t signed anything yet. We’ve only spoken about a deal,” I said. My voice was weak… nearly a whisper. I felt like someone had just pulled my heart out of my chest. Not only had I disappointed my father all over again, my heart was broken too. I had fallen for the wrong man.
“Good. I’m going to speak to Rose to make sure he doesn’t get anywhere near the office or anybody else in the company, especially you!”
I could hear Daddy’s words, but none of them were truly seeping into my brain. I was in a daze. I felt weak in the knees.
“Yes, Daddy,” I squeaked.
“Come here, Lisa. Hold my hand,” he said.
I stepped up to him again and he reached for my hand. He was looking up at me with worried eyes.
“Don’t worry about this, we’ll fix it. You made an error in judgement, we all do. I’m glad I woke up in time to set it straight again,” he said, in a softer voice.
I nodded my head, gulping back my tears. Daddy could never find out that I slept with Julian. That I had feelings for him. Now that I knew they were arch enemies…
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I should have waited for you before making a major decision like this,” I told him, keeping my head hanging low. He patted my hand.
“You did what you thought was for the best. It’s okay, honey.”
26
Julian
Instead of going out for drinks, I invited Micky to my penthouse. I greeted him at the door, and he had a bottle of whisky in his hand and a paper bag with greasy cheeseburgers.
“What’s up?” He asked, gleefully.
He followed me to the living room, where he started pouring the whisky into two glasses for us.
“You look like you need to go to the hospital, man,” Micky commented. I ran a hand through my hair and shook my head.
“I don’t know what’s happening to me. I’ve been seeing Lisa Crowley more than I should be,” I told him.
Micky handed me my glass and I gulped the drink down in one quick flourish.
“What is that supposed to mean? You mean you’re fucking her?”
The word upset me. I wasn’t just fucking Lisa. It was more than that. It felt like love… like feelings, and it confused me. I didn’t want to admit it even to myself.
“Yeah, we slept together. Twice. It shouldn’t have happened,” I told him.
Micky positioned himself by the bar in the corner, leaning on the counter with the drink in his hand.
“So what? It’s another feather in your cap, right? Another way to stick it to Alan Crowley,” he continued.
I was pacing around the room, wolfing down a cheeseburger. I was stress eating.
“I don’t know, man. I’m not sure I want to do that to her,” I replied.
Micky was seriously confused now.
“Do what to her? This has always been about Alan. She’s his daughter. You slept with her twice, so what?” He barked.
I looked him in the eyes, ashamed to even say the words… waiting for him to say it instead.
“You have feelings for this chick?”
I clenched my jaws in anger. I was angry with myself. Developing feelings for anyone, especially Lisa Crowley, wasn’t a part of my plan. I knew I wanted something different… I was tired of dating and fucking girls like Lyra. But this was not what I had in mind!
“What the fuck, man! When did this happen?” Micky came up to me. I couldn’t look at him anymore. I thought I could see myself through his eyes, and it embarrassed me. Julian Hunt in love!
“I have no idea when or how, all I know is that I like her. A lot. And I don’t want to screw her over, or her father. Because I know if I do, it’ll seriously affect her. It’ll mean the end of us,” I explained.
Micky was shaking his head in confusion and disapproval.
“You need to get a grip on yourself, man. You’ve wanted to stick it to Alan Crowley for years. This is your chance. You’re going to regret it later if you give it up for the sake of some pussy!”
“Shut the fuck up!” I growled at him.
Micky clamped his mouth shut in surprise.
“Just don’t… don’t talk about her like that,” I added, trying to calm down. What was she doing to me? What was happening to me? I felt like I was going down some giant hole, losing all control of my limbs.
“Fine, okay, I’ll treat her like a lady. What are you going to do now? You think she likes… she has feelings for you too?” Micky continued, a little unsure of himself now.
“I don’t know, I think so. Unless she’s been doing all this just to get me to invest in the company. I trust her though. She wouldn’t do something like that,” I replied, walking around the room in a rush again.
“So, what the hell are you going to do now?” Micky asked, pouring us some more whisky.
“I’m going to buy the shares like I said I would. She needs my help,” I said. I decided not to mention the bit about the money laundering. Micky didn’t need more proof of what a bastard Alan Crowley was.
“And then?” He asked.
“I won’t buy the majority shares. I’ll let Lisa keep the majority. Let her have control over her father’s company,” I replied.
Micky sighed, loudly.
“So, you’re going to give up on your plan?”
“I don’t want to hurt her!”
“All these years, you’ve been waiting for your chance to destroy Alan and now you’ll just forget about it? Because his daughter is good in bed?” Micky continued. He was shaking his head in disappointment.
“I’m going to let it go because Lisa doesn’t deserve the consequences of my wrath
,” I said.
“Well, all I can say, man, is that you should do what makes you happy. If this girl makes you happy, then do what you think is best.”
I nodded. It was a relief to hear Micky say that. I was glad that at least someone understood the situation.
“Alan has woken up from his coma,” I told him.
“Good for him,” Micky said.
“Lisa was so relieved and so glad to hear it. I was happy to see her happy. That has got to mean something, right?”
He nodded.
“Sure, man. It means that you’re seriously done for. She’s played some black magic on you and now you sound like a totally different guy,” he replied.
Then he raised his glass to me.
“Cheers, Julian. I hope she makes you happy. You deserve it, man,” he said.
We drank our whiskies and I smiled. Talking this through with Micky had helped. It made me feel less crazy. Now I knew that I was doing the right thing.
Lisa made me happy and I wanted to make her happy too. That would mean helping her and her father in every way that I could. It seemed like letting go of my grudge was a small price to pay for the way Lisa made me feel. I had finally found what I was looking for and I wasn’t about to let it go now.
27
Lisa
The following week was probably the hardest phase of my life. I thought coming close to losing my father was the most painful thing I had experienced, but losing Julian hurt even more than that. Especially since I couldn’t speak to him, and I knew that I might never see him again.
I had to trust Daddy. After he told me about their history, I realized that Julian had been fooling me all along and that hurt more.
All those ideas I had about us; were nothing more than just castles in the air. He had led me to believe that he actually cared about me, that he wanted to help me—when all along, he was trying to make Daddy pay for something that happened twelve years ago.
My first instinct about Julian was right. Even though I had found myself achingly attracted to him, I had also sensed that he was a dangerous man. That he was cold hearted and driven by ambition. I should have stuck to my gut instincts from the beginning and never trusted him.
The only relief for me was that Daddy was awake and according to Doctor Sharma, he was recovering quickly. We were all amazed to find that Daddy wasn’t paralyzed. The nurses insisted that it was a miracle—and I knew it was because he was a strong willed and brave man.
I shouldn’t have doubted my father, based on the misinformation that Julian fed me about him. This was a man whom I had known all my life, and I had always looked up to. How had I allowed a stranger’s gossip to affect my respect for him? Every time I looked at my father now, I felt guilty.
What would he think of me if he found out that I’d slept with his arch rival? That I’d almost fallen for a sham relationship? I was embarrassed and ashamed of myself.
Over the week, I visited Daddy at the hospital twice a day. He was keeping track of what was going on in the office through Rose and me. He insisted that we should start looking for other investors. I, like my father, was now determined to find someone else. Anyone but Julian Hunt.
When I visited him, Daddy and I talked. This was the first time, in all my life, that I had the chance to really connect with him. The hospital and his accident had made him more open. He was laughing more, he was more affectionate towards me and I was glad that I could make him proud. It was all I’d ever wanted and now I had that.
For some time, I thought Julian was all I could ever want, but I was wrong. He was nothing more than an illusion. I should have known that men like him don’t exist in the real world. He was just a figment of my imagination.
Julian tried to get in touch with me over and over again. He called the office everyday, and because he didn’t have my phone number, he emailed everyday too. I ignored all his calls and messages. I didn’t even read them before deleting them. I didn’t want to give him a single opportunity to ensnare me again.
Rose and the security guards at the office had their instructions from Daddy. Under no circumstances was Julian Hunt to be allowed to enter the building or get in touch with me or anyone else in the office.
Towards the end of the week, in the middle of the day, I was working in Daddy’s office, making phone calls to potential investors.
I heard a commotion outside the door and I rushed over and opened it just an inch.
Julian was standing there, at the end of the hallway and when I saw him, I felt my breath being knocked out of me again. Just because I wanted to hate him didn’t mean that I actually could. Or stop the physical attraction I still felt for him.
He had two security men around him, and he seemed to be in the middle of a quarrel with Rose. She was trying to get him to leave and he was determined to stay.
I felt my throat close up with anxiety. There was an itching urge in me to just go up and talk to him. To slap him across the face… anything! I couldn’t help but want to be near him again.
Instead, I just kept standing there, peeking out from my door till he looked up. I met Julian’s eyes and felt panic set in.
“Lisa! What is going on?” He growled, but I banged the door shut.
With heaving breasts and a heavy heart, I returned to the desk and sat down. Eventually, the raised voices outside the door died down and I knew he had left.
I wanted to look out of the window and watch him leave the building, but I stopped myself from doing that. I didn’t want to tempt myself anymore. Seeing him again had been temptation enough.
I knew what I had to do now.
I needed to follow my father’s advice and his instructions. He’d been managing the company for this long—it was obvious that he would know what was best for all of us.
For the time being, I just needed to keep my distance from Julian till these feelings passed. They were just temporary, right? In a few days… maybe a few weeks, I would stop feeling like that. Daddy’s physiotherapy was going well and he would soon be able to start walking on crutches.
Then, things could return to normal. Maybe then I wouldn’t be thinking about Julian all the time.
I just wanted this feeling to go away. This painful feeling of wishing I had never met him, that I hadn’t allowed myself to be charmed by his blue steely eyes and that sexy muscular body. Because that was all he was—eye candy, and nothing else.
28
Julian
It was eight days since I last saw Lisa, and I had no idea what was going on. She refused to see me, the people at her office refused to let me talk to her and she wasn’t replying to any of the emails I sent her. I knew something was up, but I needed an explanation.
What had I done for her to cut me off like this?
Realizing it was time I got some answers, I decided to pay Alan a visit at the hospital. Lisa had told me which hospital he was admitted to and I went there.
A nurse guided me to his room and I knocked on his door before entering.
Alan Crowley was sitting up in his bed, reading a newspaper. From what I could gather, he had made significant recovery since the crash but he still had a long way to go. He looked up from over the newspaper, and initially there was surprise in his eyes and then he smiled.
I hadn’t come face to face with him in twelve years, and my first feeling towards him was that of rage.
“I was wondering when you’d show up here. Hello, Julian. Are you here to murder me?”
I clenched my jaws in anger, and remained standing by the door. It was a stupid joke. I wasn’t the one with criminal tendencies in this room.
“Hello, Alan. Looks like you’ve taken a tumble,” I told him.
He smiled at that and put his newspaper and glasses away.
“What are you doing here? I thought you would have gotten the hint by now; that we don’t want to have anything to do with you,” he said.
I felt an urge to tell him that I’d slept with his daughter. It would have
given me a lot of pleasure to anger him. He’d be helpless, and I would love it. But I didn’t tell him because of Lisa. I didn’t want to put her on the spot.
“Yeah, I got the message. I just want to know why,” I said.
Alan sighed and then shook his head.
“You had a good run, Julian. While I was lying unconscious in a hospital bed, presumably in a coma for life—you thought you could fool my daughter into giving away my company to you. Your plan was working, but you didn’t think I would actually wake up, did you?”
Things became clearer to me now. I figured out in an instant why Lisa didn’t want to see me anymore. Why she’d suddenly changed her mind about me.
“What did you tell her?” I barked.
Alan narrowed his eyes at me, watching me curiously.
“What do you care what I told Lisa? Unless you’re more interested in her than I thought you were,” he commented.
“Did you tell her that you destroyed my grandmother’s home?” I hissed.
“I didn’t do anything to you, Julian. I refused you a loan, just like everyone else did,” he snapped angrily.
“You kept me hanging for six months. You told me to go ahead and spend all my savings on the repairs and led me to believe that you were going to approve the loan. Then, at the last minute, you changed your mind. After I didn’t have a penny left to my name,” I growled.
Alan shook his head.
“You should have known better than to spend your own money. It wasn’t my fault that you were a blazing idiot!” Alan shouted.
I wanted to rush up to him and punch him in the gut, but I held back. And not because he was in a hospital bed, but because I still had feelings for his daughter.
“You were a greedy bastard. You were supposed to be helping small businesses, but you thought I was nothing. That I wasn’t going anywhere,” I hissed.
