Chapter 18

She was still asleep when he woke up and showered and changed into some casual clothes—jeans and a shirt. He looked in the fridge and groaned. There wasn’t a crumb of food in the whole place.

He heard her entering the kitchen and turned to face her. “I’m sorry, I have nothing here to make you breakfast with. We’ll have to go out to eat.”

She went over to him and put her arms around his neck.

“I have nothing to wear, and I can’t really go out for breakfast in the dress I wore here. Besides, I’m really not that hungry. Do we have to go back home? Can’t we stay here?”

He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

“I would love it if we could, but it’s better to be there. What with the extra guards and cameras, it’s safer for you. I also need to talk to everyone inside the mansion.”

He couldn’t help chuckling when he saw her bottom lip sticking out in a pout. “Go get dressed, and when I get you home, we’ll have the cook make us something to eat.”

“All right,” she said, sulking.

“But if Joseph is still there, I’m going to kick him in the balls. I also want to tell my father how he threatened him. I’m hoping once he hears it he’ll change his mind about making him a partner.”

“If that doesn’t change his mind, I’m sure my friend will be able to dig up some dirt on him. Your father did say he would give us some time before he signs the papers.

“Roxie, has your father ever been in an accident? I mean one where someone died.” He didn’t want to ask, but if she did know something, it could help in some way.

“No, not that I know of. Why do you ask?”

“No reason. I was just curious.”

“I don’t believe you. You know something. If you do, I have a right to know, if it has anything to do with me or my father.”

He knew it wasn’t fair to always keep her in the dark. She did have a right to know.

“When you were asleep, I got a call from Chad. He was doing some background checks for me, and he came across some information about your father.

“The day your mother was killed in the boating accident, he was also involved in a car accident when he was on his way to find out what happened to your mother.

“He hit a woman as she was crossing the street. Instead of stopping, he left the scene. Now, he did later call the police and turned himself in. No charges were pressed.”

As she listened to his words, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “That was like ten years ago, and he never mentioned it to me.”

He left out the part where Thomas was in bed with Claudia.

“He had just found out that your mother was dead and was in a hurry to get to her.

“After what you both were going through, I’m sure the last thing he wanted was for you to go through any more pain than you already were.”

She looked at him all teary-eyed. “What are you trying to tell me?”

“I have a theory that maybe the woman that was killed had a friend, maybe family or a lover, that has decided to come back for revenge against your father.

“The police back then could not find any family of hers, but I have Chad going through it again, and maybe he can find someone.”

“But if they wanted revenge, why wait so long? And why come after me instead of my father?”

“I really don’t know how to answer that yet. I’m sure that Chad will find something out. Until then all we can do is wait.”

She walked away from him, her arms crossed. “I’ll get dressed. I won’t be too long.” She went back to the bedroom and picked up the dress and started putting it on.

Her thoughts kept going back to what Dexter had said. Could somebody possibly, after ten years, seek revenge for the death of a loved one?

She was only thirteen years old at the time it happened. She hadn’t even been with her father when the accident took place.

As much as she didn’t want to go back to the mansion, she had so many questions for her father that she wanted answers to.

When they got to the mansion and walked inside, they were greeted by Douglas.

“Douglas, where are the others?” she asked, removing Dexter’s jacket and handing it back to him.

“Your father is in his office. Mrs. Greene is in her suite. And Mr. Metcalf left for Paris this morning, but he said he’d be back next week sometime. Can I get anything for you and Mr. Sinclair?”

“Yes, please. Could you have the cook make us something for breakfast? We should be down in about an hour.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

They then headed upstairs to change their clothes before confronting her father. When they got to her room, he took hold of her hand.

“When we go to see your father, let me do the talking. But actually I think it would be better if I talked to him alone first.”

She looked at him, confused as to why he wanted to talk to him alone. Was there something he was hiding from her? “I don’t see why we can’t do it together.”

He cupped her face in his hands, looking lovingly into her eyes.

He did not want her to hear about the affair her father had had with Claudia while her mother was still alive. That was something Thomas would have to discuss with her alone.

“I really need to talk to him alone. Please, just trust me on this.”

“Do you really think that by looking at me this way you are going to get me to give in?

“Just because you have those gorgeous eyes and a smile that can melt my heart doesn’t mean you’re always going to get your own way.”

He already knew he’d won by the way she was looking back at him, the way her eyes fluttered as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

“I always get my way, so give me half an hour before you come down to your father’s office,” he said. Lowering his head, he gave her a kiss that got her moaning.

“You’re a devil,” she said when he finally broke the kiss and started walking away.

Before walking out, he looked back over at her. “And you are my angel.”

She couldn’t believe how easily she gave in to him, but he did have this way about him that she couldn’t resist.

Dexter reached the office and knocked and waited for Thomas to tell him to enter. When he heard the man shouting out to come in, he opened the door and closed it behind him.

“Sir, we need to have a talk.”

“How is Roxie? Is she still angry with me?”

“She’s calmed down some, but that’s not why I’m here. I’ve just received some information about an accident that you were involved in the day your wife died.”

He saw Thomas’s face turn pale, and his hand started to shake.

Thomas sat down behind his desk. “I don’t want to talk about that. It happened a long time ago, and it’s something I want to forget.”

Dexter was starting to get frustrated. Finding clues as to who was doing all of this was taking way too long, and he didn’t have much patience left.

Walking over to the desk and standing in front of it, he looked down at Thomas.

“I don’t have time to pussyfoot around your feelings. Your daughter’s life is at stake. Now tell me everything about that day.”

Thomas swallowed hard. It didn’t even dawn on him how someone he hired was talking to him in such a manner. “Does Roxie know?”

“I told her about the accident, but I didn’t tell her the reason why you weren’t with your wife was that you were in bed with Claudia.”

“Oh my God. She can never know about that.”

“If she ever finds out from someone else, it will destroy her. It would be better coming from you. Right now I need to know about the accident. Did you know the woman?” Dexter asked.

Thomas sat back in his seat. Over the years, he had tried to forget about it, but it was always in the back of his mind and haunted his dreams at night.

“When I got worried about my wife, I wasn’t thinking clearly, so I was speeding recklessly. You may not believe me when I tell you that I was deeply in love with my first wife.

“The affair with Claudia just happened. I wanted to end things with her. I just couldn’t stop it.”

He took a deep breath before going on. “I hit that poor woman, and I just kept driving. I had to get to my wife in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, she was still alive.

“When I found out she was dead, I called the police and told them what I had done. I didn’t know her. I only learned her name afterwards and found out that she had no family whatsoever.

“Knowing that, I paid for her funeral and all the expenses.” He looked up at Dexter. “Why are you asking me about this? It happened so long ago.”

“Since I can’t figure out who’s doing this to your daughter, I’m thinking that perhaps the woman you ran over might have had someone close to her, and maybe they want to get their revenge.”

“After ten years, that doesn’t make any sense. Why would they wait?”

“I won’t know the answer to that until we find the person responsible for threatening her.”

Thomas banged his fist on the desk.

“It’s me they should be trying to kill, not Roxie. She’s innocent. I wish I could give you more information, but there’s no one else I can think of that wants to harm me or my daughter.”

Just then the door opened, and Roxie walked in. Her father got up and went over to her and tried to put his arms around her, but she backed away.

“Dad, how could you do that to me? How could you make Joseph a partner when you knew how much I wanted it?”

“Sweetheart, I never meant to hurt you. That wasn’t my intention. But when I told Joseph how you flatly refuse to marry him, he came up with a different solution.

“He said if I made him partner, he would get me into Paris and to any other place that I haven’t been able to get in yet. He has so many connections, it will be good for all of us. Please forgive me.”

“I’m not sure I can, Dad. I’ll tell you another thing, I will not work for that man, and will quit if I have to. I think there’s something else you need to know about him.

“Last night when I was leaving, he chased after me, and when we were outside getting into the car, he told me that the only reason he wanted to be your partner was so that he could destroy you financially.

“He doesn’t even want to be a partner. It’s me he wants. And he told me that if I change my mind and marry him, he will forget about being a partner and will leave you alone.”

Thomas rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the tension in it.

“Sweetheart, I know he still wants you to be his wife, but what he said to you about trying to destroy me, I’m sure he was just saying that to scare you.

“I promise you everything will be all right. I don’t want you quitting, so I will talk to him and make sure that you will be in charge of your own department and that he will have no say in it.”

Roxie shook her head in frustration. She couldn’t believe that her father wouldn’t listen to reason and see what kind of man Joseph was.

Her anger was at its peak, and she started blurting out something she wished she hadn’t.

“Open your eyes. He also told me he’s been sleeping with Claudia, so that should show you what kind of guy he is.”

As soon as she said that and saw the hurt on her father’s face, she felt so bad. “Dad, I’m sorry, but that’s what he told me. You had a right to know what they’ve been up to.”

“He was lying to you. No way Claudia would ever sleep with him. I won’t hear any more talk about my wife and Joseph.”

“Oh, Dad, I wish you would open up your eyes and see the truth about Claudia. Why have you never told me that the day my mother died you were in a car accident?”

“You had just lost your mother, and you were hurting so bad I didn’t have the heart to tell you what I had done.

“I didn’t want you thinking bad of me. I’d already lost one woman I loved, and I couldn’t bear to lose you too.

“That day I was in such a panic, and when I hit that woman and drove away, I know it was wrong, but all I could think about was getting to your mother.

“I did turn myself in, and I’ve had to live with what I had done all these years and until the day I die.

“I tried to find the woman’s family, and when I found out she had no one, I paid for all of the funeral expenses.

“My lawyer got me off, telling the judge about my losing my wife and that I was under emotional distress. I had to pay a fine and do community service for three years.

“I know that does not make up for taking a life, and I regret it with every fiber of my being. I just wish you never had to know about it.”

Roxie didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t sure whether to feel sorry for her father or hate him.

He refused to see Claudia for what she was, and as for the accident, she knew he was telling the truth about how bad he felt.

She looked over at Dexter. “I can’t deal with this any longer. Let’s go get something to eat.”

As they were walking out, she stopped and turned back to look at her father when he called out.

“I really am sorry for everything, and I hope that someday you will find it in your heart to forgive me,” Thomas said, lowering his eyes.

They left his office and headed toward the dining room, when Douglas stopped them.

“Mr. Sinclair, there’s a phone call for you from Chad Monroe. He says it’s very important and that he needs to speak to you right away.

“He said he tried to get you on your cell but couldn’t get a reply.”

“Thanks, Douglas. I had it turned off and forgot to turn it back on.” Turning to Roxie, he told her to go on in and eat and that he would be in shortly.