Brave Enough (Tall, Dark, and Dangerous #3)(4)
“I don’t suppose I’ve seen you since you went to college. Are you working?”
The embarrassing truth—God, how I hate sharing it. “No, I’m . . . still looking for the right job.”
And I am. I have been since the day I graduated. Part of the problem is that I majored in business, which wasn’t at all where my passion was. It was simply what was expected of me so that I would be better able to support my billionaire mogul husband when I landed him. Support as in keep his domestic affairs in order. Because in my family’s circles, that requires a college degree. But since that hasn’t happened, much to my father’s dismay, no job that I’ve showed interest in has met with my father’s approval.
“What is it that you want to do?”
I sigh wistfully. “I’d love to expand Safe Passage, but my father doesn’t think that’s a good use of money.”
“Is that your children’s charity?”
“Yes.” I nod and smile. It makes me happy that she’s heard of it. It’s such an important cause to me, one I wish I could further. “I plan to invest more when I get my trust.” My funds are limited until I turn twenty-five. I’ve been holding out until then, until I can get out from under my father’s thumb, but he threw the ultimate kink in my plan by announcing that I’ll be marrying Michael Stromberg or my trust will be forfeited.
My father is a land developer and he ran into some financial trouble when one of his backers reneged on a deal. Stock prices for his company fell and their financial distress drew the eye of a larger company, Randolph Consolidated, that has tried to buy out the stockholders. However, rather than trying to work out a deal with Randolph, whom my father hates, he came up with a diabolical plan to merge with another developing company, Stromberg Holdings, through marriage. Marriage to me. Dad had no problem pimping me out to sweeten the deal. It’s not even that I’m his only option; I’m just the easiest one. The one that’s the least distasteful to him. It doesn’t matter what I find distasteful. It’s just about the money. Always the money. He’s even using money to manipulate me, threatening to take my trust if I don’t cooperate. He knows that I plan to use my trust to help the kids at Safe Passage, so I can’t stand for my trust to be forfeited.
So far, his plan seems to be working. But I’m not ready to give up yet, which is why I came to Chiara. I just need time to come up with my own plan.
“I’m glad to see you doing something meaningful with your life.” A gentle knock to the rest of my family? Possibly. The sad thing is, it’s warranted.
As if on cue, my cell rings from the hidden pocket of my skirt. I’d almost forgotten I’d brought it down with me. I take it out and see my mother’s face displayed on the caller ID.
It’s like she can read my mind.
“Excuse me, Stella.”
She nods and returns her attention to the sauce while I make my way toward the study.
“Hello?”
“Weatherly, why must you be so willful?” Aurora O’Neal is usually much more circumspect. Her blunt disregard of pleasantries tells me just exactly how upset she really is.
“Hi, Mom. I’m great. How are you?”
“Don’t be obtuse, Weatherly. You know I’m concerned about you. Always. That’s why I’m positively baffled by your reaction to this merger.”
“That’s the problem, Mother. I don’t want a merger. I want a marriage. To someone I at least like.”
“Michael is a kind, intelligent, very handsome man. How could you not like him?”
“He’s fine, Mom, but I . . . I . . .” Michael is fine. For a friend. Or a business associate. Or one of my father’s cronies. But I want more from a marriage.
“You can learn to love him, Weatherly. Just like I learned to love your father. Now I can’t imagine my life without him.”
“I’m glad it worked out so well for you, Mom, but this is not the way I want my life to go. I want to fall in love the natural way.”
“And risk meeting the wrong kind of man? The kind who might break your heart?”
“Who’s to say Michael won’t break my heart?”
“This merger is a large part business. He would never.”
I can’t help sighing. “Maybe I want someone who will be good to me because he loves me and wants to keep me happy, and not because it might mess up some big financial deal that a bunch of rich men have cooked up at the country club over sixty-year-old scotch.”
“Weatherly,” my mother begins again, her voice laden with all the patience she can muster, like she’s trying to reason with a difficult child. “Take time if you need it. Just don’t take too long. Your father loves you, but he is convinced this is the best thing for you and the family. Don’t push him on the trust fund. He will take it. And seeing that would break my heart. But this business with Randolph Consolidated is—”
“Why is everyone’s happiness and financial stability my responsibility? How did that happen?”
“You’re an only child. If I could’ve given your father another heir, this wouldn’t be so important. You’d be free. There would be another option. But it didn’t work out that way, sweetheart. Can’t you just trust me that this is for the best? Because I promise you that it is.”