Blossom in Winter (Blossom in Winter #1)(115)

Damn, I can’t help but shiver at the thought of it. While looking at the ring nestled in the box, a tender smile alights on my lips. This ring is so perfect for Petra. I know she’ll look sublime wearing it—after all, I already saw her doing just that in my dream.

I hear knocking on my office door. I close the box, put it back inside my jacket hanging on the chair, and order the person at the door to come in.

A security guard from the gate steps inside. “Mr. Van Dieren, my apologies for interrupting, but we have an unexpected guest.”

“Who?”

The guard moves closer and shows me on his iPhone the live feed from the gates.

“Let her in,” I reply.

“Mr. Van Dieren, are you sure?”

I nod.

He takes his walkie-talkie and conveys my answer to the security at the gates.

“Kindly stay here,” I instruct. “I might need you to escort her out, in case she becomes violent or doesn’t want to leave.”

My heart starts pounding as I serve myself a glass of Macallan from the crystal decanter. I will definitely need more than one.

After a few minutes, I hear knocking.

I know she is here.

I take a long drink and sit slightly on the edge of my desk.

The door opens, and Stuart lets her in.

“What can I do for you, Ms. Hagen?” I dare to ask, despite knowing exactly why she’s here.

“Don’t get engaged to my daughter!” barks Tess furiously, swaggering toward me until my guard restrains her from getting any closer.

“I see news travels fast.” I take another sip. “I’m sorry, Ms. Hagen, but this will be up to Petra to decide, not you.”

“Don’t destroy her life, Van Dieren! You know she deserves better than you! She deserves to meet someone who doesn’t have your past, who hasn’t done the things you have. Someone good. Stop this relationship now. This is beyond evil!”

Damn, the high-pitched sound of her voice is deafening. “Ms. Hagen, I’m sorry you can’t see beyond my past and the mistakes I made then, but you should get used to this new reality. Petra and I will be engaged soon, and she’ll ultimately become my wife and the mother of my children—your grandchildren.” Her face flushes instantly, boiling with rage. Not a good sign. “I’ll ask you to leave now,” I order.

But she has no intention of doing so. She points her index finger at me in disgust. “You’re repugnant! You and my ex-husband might have the money and power to hide everything, but I have nothing to lose! I only have one daughter. ONE. And I’ll make sure to protect her from your evil grip! You can bet I will!”

“That’s enough,” I shout louder. “How dare you threaten and insult me in my own house.”

“I have people who are ready to testify in court and share their stories with the media, Mr. Van Dieren. People who know how dangerous and cruel you and your family are.”

I give a quick head signal to the security guard.

He grabs Tess by the arm and drags her to the door, but she violently resists. “I know where the exit is, thank you!” While walking backwards, she glares at me one last time. “Leave my daughter alone! Or I’ll destroy you, my ex-husband, and your precious family. You’ve been warned.”

The security guard escorts her out until she gets into her car, making sure she leaves the property without any further damage.

I’m still in shock. I can’t believe Tess came here, screamed and threatened me on my own family estate! It all seems like a terrible nightmare. Except it’s not. I take a deep breath, refill my glass, and call Roy to come urgently.

It doesn’t take long for him to knock on my door. After all, my tone over the phone was quite alarming.

“What happened, Alex? It looks like you just saw a ghost.”

“Worse than that…” I rub my eyelids. “Tess came here. She knows about my intention to marry Petra, and she’s not happy, to say the least.”

“What? Tess came here? She’s insane.” Roy shakes his head. “I spoke to her yesterday over the phone. She asked me to withdraw my blessing, but I refused. I won’t break the hearts of my daughter and my best friend.”

I smile briefly. “Thank you, Roy.” I give him a warm pat on his shoulder. “Did she threaten you if you didn’t?”

“Apart from saying I was a terrible father, a disgusting pig, and some other nasty comments, no… Why?”

“She did threaten me.” Roy swallows hard. “She intends to destroy us and my family.”

“Bullshit! She has nothing. Don’t worry about her.” I stare down, pondering his words. “Are you okay?”

“Bullshit or not, we need to find out what she has against us, and who these people are that she’s talking about.”

“We’ll find out, don’t worry. I know what’s at stake.”

“Roy, I promised I’d keep Petra out of this, but… Do you think we should talk to her?”

“Definitely not! She can’t be involved at all. I don’t want her to become an accomplice in any way. Otherwise she’d have to report us to the police in order to remain innocent.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m still in shock,” I reply.

“We should talk to Margaret. She’s the only person who can still carry on a civilized conversation with that insane bitch.”