The Bride Goes Rogue (The Fifth Avenue Rebels #3)(20)

The young secretary’s eyes went wide. She rose and hurried into Delafield’s office, closing the door behind her. Preston examined the anteroom, noting the fine art and expensive furniture. Trappings of wealth that hadn’t been used to help Henry Clarke when he’d so desperately needed it.

Bitterness scratched in the back of his throat.

The door opened and the secretary waved him in. “Mr. Delafield will see you now.”

“Thank you,” Preston said and entered Lloyd’s office.

“Preston.” Lloyd rose from behind his desk, his gold watch fob glinting in the afternoon sun. “This is unexpected.”

Preston waited for the door to close before asking, “Is it?”

“Yes, of course.” The other man drew closer, his hand extended. “It’s good to see you again.”

Preston ignored Lloyd’s hand. “I wish I could say the same, Lloyd.”

Lloyd’s arm dropped and he frowned. “Shall we sit?”

“I’d rather stand, actually, and this isn’t a friendly visit. You see, there seems to be a discrepancy with my land on Twenty-Third Street. I’m set to demolish that small office building Henry built in ’75, but the buildings department has rejected my permit. They say the land doesn’t belong to me.”

“That’s correct. It belongs to me.”

The assertion was made with no hint of malice whatsoever, but Preston sneered all the same. “That is a lie. It’s always been Clarke land.”

“No, it was part of the joint business, then it became mine.”

“I have paperwork that states otherwise.”

“Then it’s outdated.”

“And how is that possible? When my father died I inventoried every asset, every piece of property, every piece of lint that belonged to the Clarkes.” He remembered it well, seeing as how he had to decide what to sell in order to keep the bank from taking the house. “I’m not wrong about who holds the deed.”

“He sold me that land outright before he died.”

“Horseshit.”

If the foul language bothered him, Lloyd gave no sign of it. Instead, he looked almost smug, like he was enjoying the interaction. “There’s no reason for me to lie. I have the signed revised deed and it’s been filed.”

“Then how much did you give him for it? And where did the money go?”

Lloyd lifted his shoulders in a small helpless shrug. “I’m afraid the details of that transaction must remain confidential. Rest assured I gave him fair market value.”

“I want to see the paperwork. I want to verify that it’s my father’s signature.”

“You think I forged a deed?”

Preston would absolutely forge a deed or any other paperwork, if necessary. Weren’t they all playing by the same rules? “Convenient this happened right after your daughter came to see me about the supposed betrothal.”

Lloyd’s expression remained unchanged, as if he were unsurprised by the accusation. “You think this is in retaliation for your rejection of my daughter.”

“Rejection?” Preston narrowed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. He towered over Lloyd and he wasn’t above using his size to intimidate the other man. “You telling her about that betrothal as if it were real was beyond cruel—even for you, Lloyd.”

“I suspected you held a grudge over my dealings with your father, but that was no reason to hurt Katherine. She did not deserve your cruelty.”

Cruelty? Preston had explained it carefully and calmly to her. “I went as gently as possible. It wasn’t my fault her father filled her head with lies.”

“Hardly lies when Henry and I had the betrothal paperwork drawn up and signed.”

Preston had seen the contract. He was aware that it was perfectly legal, if one cared about the law. Which he didn’t.

He said, “I don’t care who signed it. All I know is that I didn’t agree, and I wouldn’t marry your daughter for all the money and land in Manhattan.”

Lloyd’s face remained inscrutable. “You’re off the hook, then, because my daughter wants nothing to do with you. Why would I force her into a marriage with a man she despises?”

That was not an answer, not really. “At least I told her the truth. You should try it sometime.”

“Do not presume to know how I have raised my daughter.”

“I know she sees the world through rose-tinted glasses, thinking people are fair and kind when we both know they aren’t. Don’t we, Lloyd?”

“Again, you presume to know what happened with your father, but you do not.”

“What I know is that I was left to pick up the pieces afterward. Alone. I suppose I have you to thank for that.” This meeting was a waste of time. Why had he even bothered? He should’ve gone straight to his lawyers instead of coming here to reason with a man who was beyond reason.

As he started for the door, Preston said, “I want to verify the deed.”

Lloyd said, “If you like. I’ll have it sent to your office.”

“Do that. I haven’t any idea how you managed it, but I will task my people with finding out.”

“It’s not forged, Preston, but do what you must.”

Preston put his hand on the knob, pausing to glare over his shoulder. If he could have incinerated Lloyd with his gaze, only a pile of ash would remain on the carpet. “Tread lightly, Delafield. You may have found my father easy to manipulate and ignore, but I promise you, I am not.”