chapter twenty
Lily
“LOOKS LIKE MAUI AGREED WITH YOU.” Violet greets me as I walk toward her, practically falling into her welcoming hug. I squeeze her back, closing my eyes for the briefest moment as I absorb her love and warmth, so incredibly thankful to be with her again.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you in person,” I tell her before I withdraw, though I don’t let her go—my hands still clasp her shoulders and she’s holding on to my arms.
“I know.” Violet’s smiling at me, looking gorgeous with all that dark hair falling down her back in luxurious waves, her dark eyes sparkling as bright as the giant diamond on her finger. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Violet look so genuinely happy.
I could almost get choked up, having her here in front of me. I didn’t realize I missed my sister so much until now. “Skype just doesn’t cut it, you know,” I say, my voice rough as I clear my throat past the emotional bubble clogging it.
Violet rolls her eyes and smiles. “I totally agree. But guess what? You’re stuck with me now. No more going back to London for us except to visit.”
I’m so grateful for her warm acceptance of me that I can feel the tight knot in my chest slowly unravel. I was scared to death this morning as I prepared to come into Fleur. Seeing Daddy, Grandma, Rose, and Violet … and worst of all, that evil witch Pilar … I wasn’t looking forward to it, and that’s the understatement of the year.
I was petrified really, afraid of what any of them might say. I’d rather pretend the fact that I ran away to Maui to escape my problems—especially a problem that neither I nor Pilar wants made public knowledge, I’m sure—was swept under the rug.
I don’t even want to talk about Maui and what happened there. The man I met. The man who somehow, some way, double-crossed me. Stole from me …
I have my suspicions about why Max did what he did. Nothing confirmed yet, but come on. I had jewelry in my suitcase—expensive jewelry. Cash in my wallet and stashed away in my travel bag. Yet he took my laptop and that’s it. The fucker stole from me.
Why?
Could he be working for Pilar?
No. It couldn’t be possible, just some weird coincidence. Maybe he didn’t steal from me. Maybe one of the hotel employees snagged my Mac. I hadn’t checked on it in days. For all I know, it could have been missing since the day I stashed it up on the shelf in my closet.
That’s the problem. I don’t know what happened, when it was stolen or why. I can suspect Max all I want. It makes sense in a way. He held me close until I fell asleep and when I woke up in the morning, groggy and hung over, he was gone. Disappeared like he’d never existed in the first place. He didn’t even leave a note. I searched for him everywhere. By the pool, in the lobby, down by the beach, in the hotel restaurants, but he wasn’t there.
I went to his hotel room only to find the door cracked open and the maids inside, cleaning. His stuff was gone. The maids let me know he’d checked out that morning.
He didn’t even bother saying goodbye.
It hurts that he didn’t believe me worthy of a goodbye. Worse, he lied to me. Said that we would see each other again and then ditched me. I don’t get it.
What did I do wrong? That last night, when we had sex, I gave him everything I thought he wanted. I wanted to please him, wanted to be the submissive woman, not only to make him happy, but because it made me feel … good. I liked handing over the control to Max so I could get lost in the pleasure. It aroused me, his controlling ways, the words he said, the demands he made on my body. I wanted more. I wanted all of him …
And he didn’t want me at all.
Coming home set me on edge. Just booking the return flight nearly sent me into a panic attack. I’d taken a Xanax on the flight home to help me relax and I ended up sleeping through practically the entire trip. Went home and crashed into bed only to wake up at three in the morning, wide-eyed and petrified. Deciding to give in to my alert state rather than fight it, I got up, picked out my outfit, took a long, hot shower, went over what I would say to everyone again and again in my head while I blew dry my hair, and hoped like hell I didn’t make a complete idiot of myself.
Violet is my first obstacle and so far, so good.
“I thought you were serious about staying in London indefinitely,” I tell her as she goes around her desk and settles into her chair as if she’s never been gone from the Manhattan headquarters of Fleur. They kept her office intact and for good reason. She’s such an integral part of the company and will most likely be running it one day. And I’m sure Daddy realized quickly that she couldn’t stay away for too long.
I settle in the chair opposite her desk, amused by the exaggerated grimace on her face. “We didn’t want to deal with Pilar—that’s why we stayed away for so long. Ryder and I both thought it was for the best. But then grumbling started happening around here. Lots of rumors of how people weren’t happy with the direction she was taking the company in. And then Father started finalizing the marketing and release plans with our perfumes, telling me constantly he needed me here. Even Grandma called me, asking me to come back.”
I go tense at first mention of Pilar’s name. I always forget that Pilar and Ryder used to be a thing, which I shouldn’t because hello, that’s huge. And weird. Though I don’t fault Ryder, since Violet told me about his background and what a shitty life he had growing up.
“There’s grumbling about the direction Pilar is taking the company? What are you talking about? What sort of control does she have, anyway?” I ask, curious. If Pilar had her way, she’d bump all of us and take over completely. Not that I’m a threat per se since I don’t even work at Fleur, but I still own a percentage of the company and I know that drives her crazy.
I know all three of us make her crazy. That’s why she’s plotting and scheming, coming up with ways to take us out—and Violet’s her biggest target.
I should tell my sister my suspicions, that I believe Pilar is trying to sell trade secrets to Fleur’s competition, but how? How can I break it to her without completely freaking her out and sending Ryder on a murderous rampage? I can’t risk it.
So I keep my mouth shut. I have my own plans. Now that I’m back, it’s time for me to set a few things in motion.
“There’s lots of talk about expansion in the works and no one is pleased, least of all me and Ryder.” Violet smiles every time she mentions her fiancé’s name. I wonder if she’s even aware of it. “She wants to grow too fast and that could harm the infrastructure of the company. Her grandiose plans were getting out of control and I couldn’t stand hearing about it another minute. Neither could Ryder. That’s the real reason we’re back, to put a stop to her before she ruins Fleur for good.”
I raise a brow. “So you’re back to undermine Pilar’s plans?” Pilar has to know this. And that’s why she’s being such a bitch, pulling out all her weapons and lining them up in a nice, neat row.
Violet smirks. “As best we can. We can’t have her ruining our legacy, can we?” She pauses, her eyes dancing with mischief. “I’ve heard, too, that there’s trouble in paradise.”
“Do tell.” I lean forward, eager for gossip about Daddy and Pilar. Any information I can glean I’ll store for later purposes. As in using said information against Pilar.
Violet glances at the closed door with a little nod of approval. Heaven forbid she get caught gossiping about the company, even if it is with just me. “She’s pushing for marriage soon and he’s not agreeable. Yes, he gave her an engagement ring, but it was more to shut her up than to do anything else. She’s getting restless,” she says, her voice low, as if there are microphones in the room catching our every word. “Grandma told me he came to her complaining. He’s not ready to get married.”
“Really?” I’m surprised he would confess something like that to his mother, our grandmother. Our father loves nothing more than putting on airs about how perfect everything in his life is. He gave Pilar that ring not only to please her, but because it looked good, the two of them working together, a beautiful, younger woman on his arm. A partner in crime who’s savvy and headstrong, and who’s more than ready to take Fleur to the next level. Forget his daughters who are willing to do the same thing.
Well, daughter. I have no interest in running Fleur and I’m starting to think Rose has lost interest as well.
Of course, heaven forbid we girls cause him any trouble—hello, I was born to give him trouble—or a scandal. Rose’s new husband with the slightly shady past and her out-of-the-blue pregnancy didn’t make him happy. Violet’s quick dumping of her ex Zachary and rushing into a relationship with Ryder McKay didn’t please him at first, either.
We won’t even get into how often I displease him. Almost on a daily basis.
“Yes. Really. I don’t know how much longer they’ll be together, but it’s not looking so good. And I think Pilar’s aware of it,” she admits. “I’m not protesting, though. You know how I feel about her.”
I put on an innocent look. “You think she’s awesome?”
“Ha.” Violet makes a face. “I hate her.” And Violet hates no one.
“I think we all do,” I say.
Violet waves a hand. “Enough about Pilar. Tell me about your vacation. How was Maui? Did you have a good time?”
Vacation. That’s what I finally told her when I texted her the morning I left Maui. What else could I say to Violet?
I’m on the run from Pilar because she’s about to get her revenge on you and possibly destroy our family legacy?
Yeah, that wouldn’t work. I keep my mouth shut because I don’t have 100 percent confirmation. It’s one thing to accuse Pilar of having relationships with other men besides my father—I have proof of that via emails. But my suspicions of her selling company secrets to one of Fleur’s competitors? That’s all I have.
Suspicions. No proof.
“It was nice. Relaxing.” Lies. I feel more stressed out than ever. And I definitely don’t want to divulge any information about my entanglement with Max. A man whose last name I don’t even know. I don’t really know what he does for a living beyond that it’s a secret and he’s ex-military, or whether he lied to me about being single—nothing. For all I know he’s married with kids and is living this crazy, double life.
What I do know is that he kissed like a dream, I fell apart every time he so much as looked at me and when he fucked me, he took complete command of my body.
And I liked it.
Memories of that last night with him assail me, one after the other. Letting him take such total control over me, I’d slipped over an edge I’d never experienced before. I felt lost, deliciously, wonderfully lost in the absolute best way. My mind had emptied completely when he touched me, shoved my skirt up to my waist, and then proceeded to give me not just one but two orgasms in a matter of minutes. All while we stood on the balcony of his hotel room where anyone could see us.
The hottest experience of my life, hands down.
All of it ruined by his leaving me. Stealing from me.
God, how could I be so gullible?
“Nice? That’s all you’re going to give me?” She props her elbow on the edge of her desk, resting her chin on her curled fist as she studies me. “I suggested we go to Hawaii for our honeymoon, but Ryder would rather go to the Caribbean. You’ll have to fill me in on the resort so I can report back to him and convince him to change his mind.”
“But the Caribbean is nice, too,” I tell her, grateful for the minor change of subject. And no way am I going to suggest she go to the resort I was at. That Vice club would shock the hell out of her.
“I’d rather do Hawaii. I’m sure I can convince him it’s the better place to honeymoon.” She grins. “So what did you do while you were in Maui? Check out the sights? Go to the beach? Did you meet anyone? I’ve never gone on a vacation by myself before. I’m not sure I’d know what to do with myself.”
“Um …” I scramble for what to say. Fucked around with a strange man? That wouldn’t go over too well. “It was super relaxing. I laid out by the pool a lot.” I don’t bother mentioning my injury from the first day. My palm is healed and there’s no reason to bring it up. Then I’d have to mention Max and the story would spiral out of control.
“I can tell from your tan.” She lifts her head, her gaze darting toward the windowed walls of her office. “Oh, there’s Rose.” She waves to her, the door opening moments later, and in walks our pregnant baby sister.
I leap up from my chair as Violet shoots from behind her desk, and we’re both fighting over who gets to hug Rose first. She laughs and wraps her arms around our shoulders, bringing us in so we’re all hugging each other, and I’m so overwhelmed with love for them I almost choke up. Again.
But then Rose shoves us away with a laugh, and my overwhelming emotions fade when I catch sight of her growing belly.
“Rosie!” I drop a hand to her tummy and give it a gentle rub. “Look at you. You’re so …”
“I know, I’m so fat,” she moans, though she’s smiling. Glowing, really. I’ve never seen her look prettier, and Rose is already flat-out gorgeous.
“You’re not fat,” Violet reassures her as she rests her hand on the other side of Rose’s belly. “You’re full of child.”
The smile on Rose’s face is nothing short of dreamy. “Trust me. I feel fat. Like I don’t know how to move with this belly. I’ve become awkward and clumsy, which is totally embarrassing. Though Caden says I look sexy with his baby growing inside me. And my sex drive has been off the charts lately—my God. He comes home from work and all I want to do is attack him the minute he walks through the door.”
“Ugh, gross. Don’t take us there,” Violet says, sounding like she’s thirteen, and making all three of us crack up.
“You look good, Lily,” Rose says, turning her attention to me as we all sit around Violet’s desk. “Maui definitely suited you, hmm?”
I brush my hair back from my face, thankful I wore a dress like my sisters. I look like I might actually work here, though no way would I ever want to. Rose is here because she’s sitting in on an afternoon meeting.
I’m here because I knew they would both be here and we’re all going out to lunch.
“She’s being terribly vague,” Violet tells Rose, the two of them settling their skeptical gazes right on me. I feel pinned in place by the way they examine me. How could I forget that my sisters are so nosy? “Makes me wonder if something else happened while she was on Maui.”
“I stayed out of trouble, just like I promised,” I say, throwing up my hand in a Girl Scout pledge. “Didn’t really drink much. No partying, either.” That was sort of true, so I don’t feel like a complete liar.
“Well, the media certainly quieted down once you disappeared. I think they’ve moved on to the next troublemaker,” Rose reassures me, her expression solemn. “That’s a good thing, I suppose.”
“Definitely,” I say. Relief floods me. Arriving at JFK yesterday, I’d disguised myself as best I could. Hair up in a sloppy topknot, giant sunglasses on, boring, everyday clothes, as in matching black sweats and a hoodie I picked up from Victoria’s Secret’s PINK line. I wanted to fit in and look like every other woman my age on that plane and I succeeded. There were no paparazzi waiting, no cameras flashing in my face.
“I don’t think they realize I’m back,” I say.
“And you should keep it that way,” Violet says firmly. “You don’t want to make Daddy angry or give us any bad publicity. He was mad that you just disappeared, you know. He was worried, too. Though I think he’s over it, now that he knows you’re safe.”
“In my dreams he’s over it,” I mutter, making them both laugh. But I can certainly hope that’s the case. “Are you guys ready to go to lunch? I’m starved.”
Both Violet and Rose frown at my abrupt change of subject. “You are coming back with us to the meeting after we have lunch though, right?” Rose asks with a puzzled frown.
“No way. I don’t belong there.” I shake my head. I don’t want any sort of confrontation with Pilar, especially on her turf. I may own a piece of this company, but she’s worked here for years and feels like Fleur is hers. She’d tear me apart.
“We’re talking about the perfumes and testing the sample scents, and you’re an integral part of that, Lily,” Violet explains. “Ryder is sitting in on the meeting since this was his idea from the get-go. Pilar’s not involved, so she won’t be there. This is our project. Ryder and I were both upfront from the beginning that Pilar plays no part in this project ever. Father understands how important it is to us and no one else.” Violet smiles softly. “So don’t worry about her.”
“Ugh. So glad that bitch isn’t involved. I wouldn’t go to the meeting either if she were there.” Leave it to plainspoken Rose to lay it all out. “God, I hate her so much.”
She’s insidious, Pilar. Like a bad disease that lies in wait inside your body, poised to attack. Or a weed that grows in a lush garden, taking over and choking the beautiful flowers out until all that remains is the nasty, ugly weed that no one wants.
The phone on Violet’s desk rings and she goes to answer it, giving a few noncommittal replies until she ends the conversation with a clipped, “We’ll discuss it during the meeting,” before she hangs up and turns toward us. “Father asked if you were attending, Lily. He wants you there. I think it’s in your best interest that you show up. Though I must warn you, everything we discuss this afternoon is top secret. No one knows about the project and Father doesn’t want anything to leak.”
Dread consumes me and I stand, smoothing the skirt of my dress with trembling hands. “I don’t want to go to the meeting,” I blurt out, wanting them to know. Needing their support.
Rose turns to me, surprise written all over her face. “Why? It’s no big deal, Lily. We’re just offering our opinion on the scents. How hard can it be?”
“But Daddy will be there. Having to face him … makes me nervous.” Tears prick the corners of my eyes and I will them away. I refuse to fall apart. Not now, not before I see him and he can pick at my weaknesses.
I’m vulnerable enough, after what happened with Max. I’ve never felt so unloved, so unwanted, as I do at this very moment.
Which is so incredibly stupid, because I’m surrounded by love and support in the form of the two most important people in my world.
My sisters.
“He’ll get over it.” Violet grabs hold of my hand and squeezes it. “Just go in there and be yourself. The real you, Lily. Not the party girl who doesn’t care what anyone thinks as long as she’s having a good time.”
Her words make the air stall in my throat. Leave it to my sister to see right through me.
“You’ve got it in you,” Violet continues. “You’re smart. You know fashion and cosmetics and you’re always on trend. You’ll know exactly how to pick out the perfect scent that’ll represent your name. I believe in you. We all believe in you. You just need to learn how to believe in yourself.” She gives my hand a little shake before she lets go.
“Yeah. Don’t worry.” Rose comes to stand on the other side of me. “If Daddy gives you any trouble I’ll just tell him to fuck off.”
We all start to laugh. “Definitely don’t do that,” Violet says, pointing a stern finger at Rose.
“Thanks, you two,” I say, grabbing their hands and pulling them close to me. “I needed the pep talk. I’m not as comfortable here at Fleur as you are.”
“Fleur is as much a part of you as it is me,” Violet says. “And Rose. We’re all equals here. Don’t ever forget, Lily.”
I’ll try my best to take her advice.