Hollywood Heir (Westerly Billionaire #4)(46)

When it was time to return to London, King Tadeas remained behind in Vandorra, saying that he would follow in a few days, and Eric flew back with Delinda. He settled into a seat beside her on the private jet, expecting to enjoy the flight.

He knew the mood of the trip was about to nosedive when, after takeoff, his grandmother laid her hand over his and said, “Eric, there is something I need to discuss with you.”

Here it comes. What is it that she doesn’t see as up to Westerly standards now? My career? My behavior? Something I said or just me in general? “It’s been a long day, Grandmother. I’m tired.”

She pursed her lips, a sign that she was not pleased with his answer. “I wouldn’t bring it up if it weren’t important.”

Eric rubbed his hands over his face. Boundaries. If she crossed one, he would just redraw them for her. “Okay.”

“I’m concerned about this woman you’ve been seeing—Sage Revere. I have heard nothing good about her or her family.”

Eric undid his seat belt roughly and stood. He needed to put physical distance between them while he processed the full implications of what she’d said. “How do you know about Sage? Are you having me watched?”

Delinda’s chin rose. “Of course I am. You gave us quite a scare. We were all hopeful when you went to the clinic, but then you began this second, secret life. Yes, I was concerned enough to have you followed.”

“But you didn’t stop there, did you? No, you wouldn’t. What else have you done? Let me guess, since you apparently don’t like her—have you threatened her yet? How about her parents? Would you even admit it to me if you had?”

Delinda rose to her feet, although she held on to the back of the seat to steady herself. “Eric, I do what I do because I love you. Do you remember when I warned you about Jasmine? You didn’t want to believe me, but she turned out to be exactly what I thought she was. I’m right about this woman, too. She supports herself by targeting wealthy people and milking them for their money. That’s why she’s with you. Do you honestly believe she doesn’t know who you are? That a press-on scar is really that good of a disguise? Of course she knows you’re Eric Westerly. She’s playing you just like she plays everyone. Only this time, she thinks she hit the jackpot.”

Her words cut through Eric’s defenses and made fresh Jasmine’s betrayal. It fed the fire of every insecurity he had about not being worthy of love on his own merit and every fear he had about people pretending to care about him. He bent over, sickened by both her assertions and his reaction to them.

Am I that much of a fool? Is Sage no different from Jasmine?

Eric walked away from his grandmother, heading to the back of the plane. Unfortunately, there was nowhere he could go that was beyond the reach of her voice. “I know you don’t want to hear this, Eric. I don’t want to say it. I just love you too much to sit back and watch you make another huge mistake.”

“Stop,” he said hoarsely. How was it possible that one woman could unravel the very essence of him? He could feel himself shutting down in response.

“Eric—”

“Just shut up.” Eric took a seat near the back of the plane. “This is why you’re not in my life, Delinda. Right here. This is it.”

Her face went white, and her eyes filled with tears. “I lost my husband because I didn’t intervene. I won’t lose you, too.”

“You already have,” Eric said, and turned his face to look out the window. “After we land, I don’t ever want to see you again. Don’t call me. Don’t have someone try to convince me to call you. You have a twisted version of how to love someone, and I don’t want you in my life at all. I’ll be civil for the sake of the others, but in my heart, you’re dead to me.”

Delinda gasped, and there was silence.

Blissful silence.

He glanced toward the front of the plane. She had retaken her seat and was facing away from him.

He wished he could silence the questions echoing inside himself as easily as he’d silenced her. Does Sage know who I am? Did she know all along?

He hated that Delinda’s take on Sage’s career fit what she did. Sage did seek out certain people, target them, although he hated that term, and manipulated her way into their lives. She said she did it to help them.

What was more likely to be true? That Sage was a Good Samaritan who was happiest when living month to month and had fallen for him the moment she saw him in the coffee shop? Or that she was a charlatan who recognized him instantly and had been playing him all along—because, to her, he was like coming across a winning lottery ticket?

Had he been so desperate to believe in something that he’d blinded himself to the real her, a money-hungry woman no different from Jasmine?

He hated Delinda for planting the doubt in him.

He hated himself for not knowing whether to trust his grandmother, who was often painfully correct—or his heart, which told him she was wrong this time.

He could grill Reggie about everything Sage had done while he was gone. Wealth made anything possible. He could have someone tap Sage’s phone and within days know everyone she knew as well as every move she made.

But how would that make him any different from his grandmother?

He tried to reverse his mood, yank his thoughts back to where they’d been before he’d boarded the jet. He wanted to head straight over to Sage’s apartment to confess everything.