A Fortune's Children's Wedding (23 page)

“You don't believe in marriage, but you're willing to marry me to please the almighty Fortunes. You're a hypocrite, Flynt!”

“No more than anybody else around here. There's your mother who had four children out of wedlock but now rivals the Puritans when it comes to the possibility of an illegitimate grandchild. And your father who—”

“Leave my parents out of this!
You
might be nonchalant about having a baby without being married but
I'm
not. I was illegitimate myself, and it's not something I want my own child to have to deal with.”

“Well, who said that I did?” He caught her hand and gave a tug. She neither pulled away nor allowed herself to be drawn closer. “Is that the real reason why you're letting yourself be bullied into this wedding, Angelica? Because you're worried you might be pregnant?”

“What other reason could there be?” she asked rawly.

“Angelica, if you really
are
pregnant, I—” He broke off, frustration roiling through him as he noticed the pretty young woman, holding an infant in her arms, enter the room. This discussion was far too personal to be conducted in front of a witness.

“Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry! I was told Mollie Shaw was in here. I'm so sorry to disturb you.” The young woman apologized profusely as she turned to leave.

“You aren't disturbing anything.” Angelica jerked her hand away from Flynt.

She noticed that he made no attempt to regain his hold on her. She wanted him to, even though she knew she would pull away again. Angelica fought a sudden urge to weep. She'd never felt so confused and off balance in her entire carefully controlled life. Of course, she had stopped being so careful and controlled the moment Flynt Corrigan had knocked on her mother's door in Birmingham that fateful day.

She looked at Flynt who was visibly displeased by the interruption and immediately decided to lengthen it. “Hello, I'm Angelica Carroll.” Angelica's eyes never left Flynt as she greeted the newcomer.

“Brandon's daughter?” The young mother stared at Angelica with interest. Her round-cheeked baby gave a gummy smile and cooed.

“It appears your reputation—and Brandon's—pre
cede you, Angelica.” Flynt walked toward Kelly, extending his hand to shake. “Hello, Kelly. I'm Flynt Corrigan. You may not remember, but we met here shortly before I left for Alabama.”

“Of course I remember. But you haven't met my daughter, Annie.” Kelly proudly showed off her baby. “I was looking for Mollie Shaw. Kate wanted me to give her several lists that I'd compiled.”

“Kelly used to be your grandmother's social secretary, Angelica,” Flynt explained. “Now she's married to Mac, one of your second cousins. Annie is their daughter.”

“Annie is an adorable child.” Angelica surveyed the infant with a professional baby nurse's interest. “How old is she?”

“Three and half months. She was born on Valentine's Day,” replied Kelly. “She is such a daddy's girl. He was right there when she was born, and it was love at first sight between them,” she added warmly.

“It's a bonding experience when a father witnesses his child's birth.” Angelica recited her trademark line by rote and then proceeded to ask Kelly all about the labor and delivery. Not only was she genuinely interested, she could think of no subject guaranteed to send Flynt Corrigan out of the room, and fast. Angelica had learned that unless the child was his own, a man quickly fled conversations centering on the gynecological aspects of childbirth.

Flynt proved to be no exception. “If you two will excuse me…I'll talk to you later, Angelica.”

He fled.

But they didn't talk later. Angelica was constantly sur
rounded by Fortunes, who streamed in and out of the mansion to meet Brandon's daughter. They all planned to attend the wedding, but their current interest was focused on Angelica as Brandon's child, not Flynt Corrigan's bride.

 

Flynt understood and made himself scarce. He went to his office and busied himself with company matters. He tried to tell himself that after they were married, he would somehow regain Angelica's affection. He would have to, because she couldn't stand him now.

And who could blame her? She'd made it quite clear all along what she thought of marriage. Very little, and certainly, never for herself. Now her family was forcing her into a marriage she didn't want because they believed there was a chance she might be pregnant. She was worried about it, too.

He was deeply sorry he'd put her at risk, though he felt it was unlikely she was pregnant from that one unprotected time…. Of course that was all it took to conceive a child; Romina was right about that. Anyway, he wouldn't mind if Angelica were pregnant. The thought of her carrying his child sent a thrill through him. The problem was it didn't thrill her.

Flynt rubbed his throbbing temples with his fingertips. He wanted to marry Angelica. He was in love with her, though he hadn't told her so. And he didn't dare say it now, not when she considered him a Fortune-hunting hypocrite who'd betrayed her by agreeing to marry her.

He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that his feelings about love and marriage had changed, Flynt mused. It had been a gradual process, a direct result of his re
lationship with Angelica. If only her own views had been similarly influenced by her feelings for him!

Perhaps that might've happened, given time and space. But things were occurring at breakneck speed: they'd made love for the first time, then done it again and again, they'd spent their first night together…

And been caught in flagrante delicto by her relatives. Now they were engaged. In two days they would wed!

To try to bolster his flagging spirits, he forced himself to concentrate on the successful aspects of the trip to Minneapolis. With Angelica secured in the Fortune mansion, the press was unable to get near her; even better, there had been no more threatening notes.

Flynt knew she was physically safe. At least that was good news. But the bad news invariably filtered through to sabotage his attempt at positive thinking. Angelica hated him now and would probably prefer to be the prey of a menacing madman instead of Mrs. Flynt Corrigan.

A menacing madman. Away from the stimulating, distracting, wholly engrossing presence of Angelica, Flynt began to review the facts of the case. Certain observations and insights he had initially brushed aside flowed through his mind, raising questions and alternatives that led him further. The conclusion he drew stunned him, then seemed obvious.

Could it be? Was it possible? How had he missed it before?

He reached for the telephone to place a call….

 

“I thought I should bring you up to speed on the complete story of Brandon and his daughter.” Kate addressed the small assembly of Fortunes gathered in the
large corner office of her grandson Michael at Fortune corporate headquarters.

Sterling was there, of course, but only a few selected family members. She had promised Brandon and Romina to keep the story contained.

Kate attempted to present the facts, remaining calm and nonjudgmental about the situation. Her family was not.

“Romina's youngest child has been the one sending the notes from the beginning?” Michael was aghast. “He threatened to kill his own sister and let Brandon take the fall?”

“I honestly don't believe the boy is a criminal, my dears,” said Kate. “A difficult child, it's true, but ultimately just a child.”

“This twelve-year-old kid, Casper, set everything in motion when he found out that Brandon Fortune was Angelica's father? He wanted cash and figured the Fortunes were a good mark?” Gabe Devereax shook his head, both disapproving and amazed.

“Casper was going through his mother's things one day and found her old diary with all the facts,” Kate said, continuing her narrative. “Angelica's birth certificate simply lists the father as John Doe. Casper swears he never would have hurt Angelica, he loves his sister dearly. He said he just wanted money for a computer and some video games.”

“I promised Romina we would do everything in our power to ensure that no charges will be filed against the child,” said Kate, “and I intend to keep my word.”

“The boy needs counseling, not jail,” Sterling agreed.
“As for punishment, well, his mother certainly won't let him go unpunished. I believe we can count on that.”

“It was Brandon who figured out Casper was behind the notes,” Kate proudly informed them all. “He divined it very early on, when the child delivered a threat to the hotel and offered the bellboy cookies for a tip. Brandon told Romina immediately and convinced her to agree to simply watch and wait.”

“If they'd confronted the boy right away, we would have been spared all the media hoopla
and
this bothersome civil lawsuit by Carson. But then this is Brandon we're talking about,” grumbled Michael. “Not exactly the poster boy for good judgment, you'll recall.”

“I think Romina has behaved quite responsibly.” Kate defended her youngest son yet again. “He's befriended Casper and emotionally supported Romina throughout. Oh, and this is quite important, both Brandon and Romina want to keep the knowledge of Casper's misdeeds from Angelica, at least until after the wedding. They know how hurt and upset the dear girl will be and don't want to spoil her wedding day.” Kate was not quite successful in suppressing the irony in her voice.

“
Brandon
figured it out first?” Gabe Devereax was still in a state of disbelief over that news. “What about Flynt Corrigan? He never even suspected the kid? He was fooled by a twelve-year-old? What the hell was he doing down there, anyway, wearing blinders?”

“In a manner of speaking. Flynt is madly, deeply, blindly in love with our own Angelica.” Kate's eyes twinkled. “And she feels the same about him, I'm pleased to say. Only I don't think they've fully realized it yet.”

“They're wildly in love yet they're being forced into a quick marriage,” observed Rebecca dryly. “Looks like Angelica turned out to be a true Fortune, all right. Has anyone in this family ever had a nice, long, uneventful, convenient courtship before marrying?”

“Nah, too dull,” scoffed Gabe.

“Y
ou're right, Flynt,” Gabe said to him. “The kid is the one behind everything. Kate told us today that Brandon figured it out early on.”

“I didn't pull it all together till this morning.” Flynt uttered an expletive. “I messed up big-time.” He was deeply disappointed in himself.

As soon as he'd put his facts in order, he had gone directly to Gabe's office, to break the news and to brainstorm on the best way to tell the Fortunes about Angelica's little brother, Casper Carroll, the media-savvy, twelve-year-old extortionist. Only to be told by Gabe that Kate already knew. She had been informed by Brandon.

Flynt groaned.

“It really wasn't all that obvious, Flynt.” Gabe eyed him sympathetically. “Besides, you had Brandon and
Romina conspiring to keep the truth from you. Along with—uh—certain other distractions.”

Flynt guessed that Gabe considered him a lovesick idiot who had completely botched the assignment. It was what he himself would've thought of a colleague who had been misled by a twelve-year-old con artist and subsequently had allowed his clients to be deluged by a torrent of inconvenience and bad publicity.

“You're not the first man to be blindsided by a Fortune woman, you know,” Gabe said dryly. “Their appeal is way beyond potent.”

“No excuses,” Flynt gritted through his teeth. “I'll talk to Kate today about terminating the proposed contract for SMS and the Fortune Corporation.”

“I thought you'd want to do that.” Gabe gave his friend an approving pat on the shoulder. “Meanwhile, it looks like Brandon and Romina are in the midst of re-kindling their old flame. According to Kate, Brandon wants to move to Birmingham to be near Romina and her kids. Guess the Fortunes will have to buy a business or something down there to keep Brandon busy, not that a single member of the family will mind a bit. Keeping Brandon occupied and away in Alabama will please everybody.”

“Did Kate mention if Angelica had been told about her little brother's scheme?” Flynt flinched, imagining the scene. Angelica worried so about Casper; she was going to be crushed by the revelation. He wanted to go to her right away, to comfort her. She might be furious with him, she might think she hated him, but he knew she was going to need him.

“Kate said that Brandon and Romina don't want to
tell Angelica. But go with your instincts on that, Flynt. I bet
you
know her better than anyone else does.”

“Yeah.” Flynt actually smiled. “Yeah, I do. And I'll talk with Angelica right after I tell Kate that I'm tearing up our contract.”

“Don't be surprised if Kate has her own ideas about sticking to that contract. She is very loyal, and you are marrying Brandon's kid.”

“I can't let Kate reward me with something I haven't earned,” Flynt said firmly on his way out.

He was sorry to lose the potential account, but it was hardly a catastrophe, he reasoned as he walked to his car and drove to the Fortune estate. His company was doing well; they wouldn't miss a client they'd never had.

He told Kate and Sterling so, when they met in Kate's personal office on the first floor of the mansion. As Gabe had predicted, Kate insisted that SMS be given the Fortune Corporation contract as originally planned. Flynt was equally adamant that he could not accept.

“You are marrying my granddaughter, Flynt,” Kate exclaimed. “Furthermore, we had a prior agreement before you even left for Alabama. It is right and fitting that your company handle all security concerns for the Future Corporation.”

“I agree,” Sterling seconded. “Marrying Brandon's daughter connects you to the Fortune Corporation, and the Fortunes look out for their own. Nobody will dispute that.”

 

Standing outside the office door, listening to every word, Angelica felt a roaring in her ears as every word was seared into her brain. She had been told a little ear
lier that Flynt had arrived at the house, but it had taken her some time to locate where he was in this cavernous mansion.

She was desperate to talk to him, to tell him all about the shocking phone call she'd just had with Mara. What she'd told Angelica had sent her reeling. Casper was the culprit, the one who had done it all, from informing Brandon of her existence, to the extortion threats, to turning their lives into a media freak circus.
Casper!

Shaken to the core, Angelica went in search of Flynt, who supposedly was here somewhere.

She found him just in time to hear Sterling Foster and her grandmother offering him a valuable contract because he was going to marry her. Had this prior agreement they'd mentioned hinged on a marriage between her and Flynt?

It all fit together in a fractured sort of way, Angelica decided grimly. Flynt's methods had been superb. He had pretended to be reluctant to get involved—which dovetailed neatly with her own reservations, making her feel safe, trusting him—all the while he had been actively pursuing her.

And there were the rest of his actions…making love to her on the plane where that steward could find incriminating evidence…taking the risk of impregnating her…falling asleep in her bed so they could be “discovered” together….

The pieces fell into place, and the picture was disturbing and disheartening. Was it a conspiracy between Flynt and the unlikely team of her mother and father, with her grandmother's cooperation thrown in for good measure? She really had been hoodwinked!

Angelica walked slowly down the hall, her legs so shaky she felt as if her knees were jelly. Learning about Flynt's conniving hurt even more than the disclosure of Casper's misdeeds. Casper was a child, but Flynt was the man she loved and trusted and now…

What was she going to do? She was in love with Flynt, but how did he really feel about her? Waking up in his arms this morning, she'd thought she had known, she had been sure. Now the only things she was sure of was that she loved Flynt, and her little brother was in desperate need of therapy.

Impulsively, she ran out the front door, eager to be outside. At least out here, she was safe from the parade of secrets that seemed to emanate from the Fortune mansion. She was also safely removed from the people who knew those secrets, because she was alone. There was nobody in sight, and unless people were lurking behind the trees or in the shrubbery, there could be no more conversations for her to overhear.

Which was definitely a good thing. She needed time to think, to regain control of her thought processes that all of a sudden seemed to have short-circuited.

Angelica walked around to the back of the house, the tension slowly beginning to drain from her body as she absorbed the beauty of her surroundings. Strange, but it was more helpful not to think at all. So she simply enjoyed the scenery. The flowering trees and spring flowers were breathtaking, and the rippling deep blue waters of the lake provided its own calming effect.

“Mind if I join you?”

The sound of Flynt's voice made her jump. Angelica
whirled around to face him. She had been so preoccupied she hadn't heard anyone approach.

“Do—do I have a choice?” She'd intended to sound snappish and cold and was dismayed that her voice quavered. She definitely hadn't been going for teary and tremulous. But there she was.

“I guess you don't.” Flynt fell into step beside her on the pretty gravel path. “I'm here and I'm staying.”

Angelica intended to remain silent and stoic, counting on him to grow bored or irritated and finally leave her alone. But her tongue seemed to have its own agenda because she heard herself speaking at the very moment she'd determined not to say a word.

“Did you know that it was Casper who set everything in motion?” she blurted out.

“Not until today.” Flynt grimaced wryly. “Apparently Brandon had it figured out almost from the start. My opinion of my own deductive skills has slipped quite a few notches.”

“I didn't know anything, either. Mara called and told me.” For some reason Angelica was relieved that Flynt had been as unaware as she. She would've hated to think he'd been keeping such vital information from her. “I—I never would've guessed Casper would do such things. My own baby brother! I'm sure the Fortunes must hate him, and who can blame them?”

“I know you've been worried about Casper, Angelica.”

She should have known she could count on Flynt not to judge or condemn a child, Angelica acknowledged achingly. He'd once been a troubled boy himself and hadn't forgotten it. Her self-protective walls began to
crumble. She needed to talk things out, and who better than with Flynt? Almost from the time they'd met, she had been able to talk more openly with him than with anybody else in her life—even Mara, her best friend.

“I never dreamed Casper would go to such lengths to get the things he wanted and I—I have this feeling that money and expensive games aren't what really drove him,” Angelica said softly, “but were kind of a reaction to—things.”

“Like adolescence and middle school and all that stuff none of us would ever want to repeat?” Flynt took her hand, and they walked to a small wrought-iron bench under a shady tree. He drew her down next to him.

“Worse.” Angelica's dark eyes were troubled. “I can't help wondering that since Casper learned Brandon was my father maybe he also learned about his own father, Jurgen Heintz. He was an iceman, Flynt. He never wanted a child and made his aversion to his own son very clear. What if Casper learned about
that
during his snooping? That kind of pain could lead to some pretty serious acting-out behavior.”

“Poor Casper.” Flynt put his arm around Angelica. Her head seemed to naturally find a place to rest in the hollow of his shoulder.

“Do you know what else is weird?” she rambled on. “That Mama chose Brandon to confide in instead of me.”

“I think Casper's actions were the result of his desperate need for a father—or a father figure—and that your mother realized it,” said Flynt. “My guess is that Romina didn't confide in you because her relationship with Brandon was turning into something she could
count on. I think Romina trusts Brandon, that she believes at long last she's found a good man in him.”

Angelica listened, wide-eyed.

“Your grandmother has always hoped that if Brandon found somebody truly meaningful to him, he could get past his own troubled history. Maybe he's finally found it in your mother,” Flynt said, continuing to expound his theory. “Romina was his first love, after all. Maybe even his one and only love.”

“Funny, but that doesn't make me want to run screaming like it would've a short while ago,” Angelica murmured drolly.

“You've had far more screamworthy things to deal with lately.” Flynt lifted her chin and looked into her dark eyes. “Would marrying me be one of them, sweetheart?”

Angelica gulped and averted her gaze. “That brings me to something I overheard today. Have I been hoodwinked, Flynt?”

“Hoodwinked?” Flynt repeated dryly. “Maybe you'd like to elaborate a little on that?”

She nodded her head. “I'm talking about that special contract for your company with the Fortune Corporation that you were supposed to get when you married me. I wasn't aware of that until today—”

“Angelica, whatever you think you know about the contract—”

“Don't pretend it doesn't exist, Flynt.” It was Angelica's turn to interrupt. “I overheard you talking about it to my grandmother and Sterling.” She felt strangely calm. Somehow her initial bitterness and sense of be
trayal was gone. “To be fair, who could blame you for going for it? In fact, you'd be crazy not to.”

“Then I guess that means I'm a certifiable lunatic because I refused to accept the contract, Angelica. If you'd lurked a little longer, you would've overheard that part of the conversation. But since you didn't, I'll assure you that I don't expect to be rewarded for marrying you when—”

“You might've made me pregnant?” She laid her hand on his arm. It was time for complete honesty between them. “You didn't, Flynt. The timing isn't right. You're off the hook, Flynt. You don't have to marry me.”

“Suppose I want to marry you, Angelica?”

A thrill of elation, of pure excitement shot through her. Being Angelica, she sought to restrain herself with a quelling dose of caution. “You never mentioned marriage before my family tried to pressure you into it.”

“Well, neither did you. Does that mean you don't want to marry me, Angelica?”

She frowned. He certainly had her there! She was going to have to admit to him what she'd so recently realized herself.

“I…never said that,” she hedged.

“Which means if I asked you to marry me, you would say yes?” Flynt was not unfamiliar with defensive maneuvers himself. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. “Angelica, I love you. I'm sure it was only a matter of time until I got around to telling you, but since the timetable has been—advanced—I want you to know now. I love you and I'd like to marry you, and you are the only woman in the world I've ever said those
words to. I'll never say them to anyone else, either,” he added, eyeing her assessingly.

She stared at him, wanting to believe him. Aching to. “Flynt, I love you,” she said softly. “I've come to recognize how much.”

“I sense a ‘but.'” Flynt frowned.

“You were so adamant that love ends when the bad times come.” Her words, her fears came out in a rush. “I'm not naive enough to believe that the rest of our lives will be trouble-free. What if—”

“I'm not that naive either, Angelica. And I can't pinpoint one blinding moment when I suddenly knew we would stay together forever. It's been a gradual process, but it's a certainty that's grown stronger.”

“It has?” she whispered.

He nodded. “I found myself thinking about my aunts and uncles and my cousins who've stayed married, about friends who haven't split up despite some hard times. They didn't fit into my theory of ‘there are only two kinds of relationships, those that've failed and those that soon will.' We don't fit that description, Angelica,” he added, determination burning in his eyes. “And we never will.”