Boxed Set: Dominated by a Billionaire - Part 10-12: Irresistible Billionaire (9 page)

"You envy me? Why?"

"Are you serious?" she bursts out laughing. "Hmmm, let’s see. You are engaged to the sexiest, brightest and wealthiest man on earth. You have a screwed-up family, for sure, but loving and omnipresent. You’re barely thirty and you have a job any fifty-year-old would dream of. Do you need me to keep going...?"

"I’m lucky, I know," I admit, embarrassed. "But that hasn’t always been the case. The wheel turns, Sophie. Your dreams will come true, you’ll see."

"Well, then tell them to get moving! Because I don’t know if I’m going to be able to hang on for much longer…"

"Surprise!" my sister and cousin scream in unison, showing up at our table… decked out in identical flashy dresses.

"We fell for it at the same time, we tossed a coin to see who was going to get it and then we wound up giving it to each other as a present!" Pippa tells us in her very British accent, collapsing next to me.

Lily gives me a glowing smile. She isn’t mad at me anymore, she seems to have digested the “Alec” episode and we’ve made a deal: never talk about him ever again. Act as if he had never existed, had never broken my sister’s heart to get a scoop about the mysterious and elusive Vadim King.

Damn deceitful reporter!

The two zany women greet my colleague warmly – at least their ridiculous outfits make her smile again – then order the first round. Raspberry
mojitos
for everyone, non-alcoholic for Sophie.

"All right, I wanted to wait until the end of the evening to make my announcement, but I’ll never make it," my flawlessly tie-and-dye British cousin confesses.

A detail worthy of note…

"I knew it…" Lily teases flippantly, sipping her drink.

My eyes go slightly wild, flitting from my sister to my cousin. I don’t want to come across as a party-pooper but I’m expecting the worst…

"I’m moving to Paris! I'm going to live with Lily!" my cousin blurts out, raising her arms in a V for victory. "I found an internship in an awesome gallery, near Beaubourg."

Oh, fu**…

"When do you start?" I say, barely able to swallow.

"Well... theoretically, two days ago!" Pippa giggles. "I told them I hadn’t found a flat yet, so they agreed to give me another week before working me to the bone. I asked for a raise too, but they didn’t go for that. They didn't go for the company car idea either – the answer was
nada
. They even told me I should come by bike. Because of the pollution or something… Since I’m going to be so underpaid, I should be able to pick the days I work and my hours, right?"

"I’m not so sure it works like that in the working world…" Sophie laughs, dumbstruck by my crazy cousin’s spontaneity.

"Are you sure this spur-of-the-moment roommate deal is a good idea?" I ask, nonchalantly.

"We won’t know until we’ve tried," Lily smiles at me, clearly understanding my concerns.

I don’t want Pippa to drag Lily into her downward spiral and she knows it. That happened a few years ago and Lily was unrecognizable, after going out every night, drinking, smoking illegal drugs, and hanging out with fairly disreputable guys in seedy places. I should trust her, I tell myself, that this time my little sister won’t fall into the trap.

My gut instinct remains the same: Pippa is more dangerous than she looks…

At the end of the evening, the two inseparable girls (for now, anyway...) jump into a cab and I drive Sophie home. My coworker thanks me again and again and when we say goodbye, there's still a smile on her face. Small victory.

Vadim is on the phone when I get back to the penthouse. I hear his deep, bewitching voice coming from the kitchen. Looking forward to being back in my fiancé’s arms, I drop my purse in the entryway, clumsily remove my Spartan sandals, throw my sweater on the couch and skip towards him. He hangs up when I appear in his field of vision. I stop and look at him. His eyes are preoccupied, his lips pinched, his brow frowning. He runs his hand nervously through his hair, without taking a single step towards me. None of his body language tells me anything…

"Did you have a nice evening?" I ask tentatively. "I missed you…"

"Nothing special. You, on the other hand, really let loose, huh? Did you drive in that condition?"

"What condition?"

"Alma, you’ve obviously had too much to drink," he sighs, in a very condescending tone. "I can hear it in your voice, your eyes are shiny and you're jumping all over the place."

Zen… Zen… Z…

"Vadim, mind telling me what’s wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, other than I don’t like it when you act that way."

His face is serious. Mine is red – with anger. I feel like I'm about to explode. I try to find the right words, wanting at all costs to avoid looking ridiculous. This conversation has humiliated me enough; I don’t plan on making it worse. But after a few long seconds of hesitation, drowning in his cold gaze, I finally blow up:

"What’s your problem, anyway? I only drank one cocktail and two soft drinks!"

"Alma, listen…"

"I’m not listening to anything. I’m going to bed! And next time you play Prince Charming by taking me to the castle of my dreams, try not to act like an asshole five hours later! Roller coasters are something I’ve never liked."

I climb the stairs that lead to the top floor, slip into the huge bedroom and slam the door behind me. It’s stupid but I have tears in my eyes. I suddenly feel worried in a way that chills my blood.

What if he is regretting it? The engagement, the future wedding, the château…

He has exactly 28 days to make my wildest dream come true. Or blow it up in smoke…

“The Vaux-le-Vicomte Chateau? You’re going all out!” my brother whistles, handing the crystal carafe to Vadim.

“My daughter is a princess; she deserves it,” my mother smiles sweetly from the other side of the table.

The Sunday lunch ritual survived my father’s departure. My mother continues making beautiful meals for a whole regiment, with all the love and generosity she is known for. Basile always shows up a half hour early, Lily a half hour late. I’m right on time.

Alma, the good little soldier…

Vadim – who will soon officially be part of the Lancaster clan – is more withdrawn than usual. He just smiles politely, answers questions, but I get the feeling he’s elsewhere. His irresistible grin has disappeared, he doesn’t try to catch my eye, doesn’t run his hand over my back as he often as he sips his glass of
Clos des Papes
. I don’t know if he realizes it, but his aloofness hurts. For several days now, he hasn’t been exactly cold, just… different. Preoccupied. Absent, at times. Yet our last argument is a closed case. My King spent practically all night humbly apologizing, then he took me on a romantic outing the very next day. A stroll through Montmartre, hand in hand, in the nice sunny weather.

My Vadim was definitely there, that day…

“Less than four weeks to get everything ready… Good luck! If you two lovebirds need a hand, please ask, okay? Lily says, pulling me out of my thoughts. “I can even get Pippa on board!”

“Pippa – help? Now that’s a joke! Didn’t she choose sleeping in over seeing us?” Basile sneers.

“You can settle your differences with her, smart alec, not with me. I’m just her messenger,” my sister mutters.

“Thanks for the offer, Lil’, but we should be alright. Daphné is going to take care of everything,” my fiancé answers.

“Who?”

“Daphné Legrand, our wedding planner,” I explain. “She’s already sent out all the invitations, hired a famous chef and his team, a symphony orchestra, ten photographers, a fleet of florists, and decorators to mention just a few…”

Around the table, faces light up and everyone starts gabbing. Everyone has a little something to say – you can feel the excitement and it warms my heart. My eyes meet Vadim’s and I’m relieved to see him smiling tenderly. Right then, I’ve got him back. My Vadim. The man who loves me and is about to take the leap with me. To merge You + Me to make one Us.

“One day it’ll be our turn, huh? I mean, on a slightly lower budget,” Niels sniggers, putting his hand on Basile’s.

“It’s not about the money,” Vadim says hoarsely. “I want to give Alma the best, but if it were up to me, I’d go for simplicity.”

“I didn’t ask for any of this,” I grumble, feeling hurt.

“Sweetie, I’m sure that’s not what he meant,” my mother says, defending him.

“I want to marry you, that’s all that counts,” he goes on, plunging his gorgeous gray eyes in mine. “I want us to say ‘I do’ in front of witnesses and to belong to each other for forever. The rest, the frills, the fuss and the sequins – that’s all extra.”

“Extras I could have done without.” I smile, a little lost.

Who are you Mr. Dark and Handsome?

“By the way, did Daddy congratulate you?” my little sister suddenly asks, picking at her vegetables.

“No, no news whatsoever since I told him on the phone. I mean, via voicemail, since he didn’t bother picking up… I guess he has other fish to fry,” I say, making a face, thinking about his future baby.

“Yep, he’s getting ready for his new heir. He must be under pressure to get it right, this time,” Lily scoffs.

“Alma, I wanted to talk to you about that, by the way,” Marie slips in, obviously uncomfortable. “Your father called me yesterday.”

“What did he want? To tell me his chick is expecting quadruplets?” my brother grunts.

“So..?” I ask, staring at my mother.

“He said he wouldn’t attend your wedding,” she mumbles, barely audible. “You and Vadim… He refuses to approve of your relationship. Since your accident and the hospital, he is still convinced that Vadim is bad for you. I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t listen.”

The news hits me and a thousand blades rip through me. I knew my father was selfish, but I wasn’t ready for this. Getting married without him. No father to walk me down the aisle. No first dance with the man who brought me into this world and who is supposed to love me unconditionally and stand behind my choices, whatever they are. Vadim is a fine man, a good man, who only wants one thing: to make me happy. Edward has no excuse. Not a chance, either. He can’t hold a candle to my Russian. That car accident is just an excuse; my father never gave Vadim the slightest chance. His heart is not big enough for that. It is made of stone. I finally realize it.

“He doesn’t approve?” I whisper, oppressed by the unease that has settled around the table. “He doesn’t approve?”

“Alma, maybe he’ll change his mind,” my lover tries to console me, stroking my cheek. “You have to talk to him…”

“Why should I beg him?” I scream, jumping up from my chair. “Be good, Alma. Be kind, ambitious, respectable, correct, polite, loving! Be perfect, roll with the punches and shut up! That’s all he ever taught me, in thirty-one years! Now I’m living my life, making my own choices and if he doesn’t like it, he can go to hell!”

My mother and sister get up at the same time, but Vadim motions to them to give me some space, a few minutes to get hold of myself. I lock myself up in my parents’ bedroom and pull my phone out of my jeans pocket. I open my text messages, tears rolling down my cheeks.

I am blown away. The anger is starting to dissipate, and soon all I feel is sadness. My own father refuses to attend my wedding. His cruelty, his stupidity, his biases hurt me so atrociously. But I guess that’s the goal. Edward may be trying to get revenge. His children have taken sides: they chose to stand behind Marie, not him. Not to forgive him for his unfaithfulness, his cowardice. And I guess I’m going to pay for that.

I don’t regret it a single second. If it were to do over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. My mother is a saint, my father is a piece of shit.

My touchscreen had switched to standby so I switch it on again, then hit the keyboard without thinking:

[You took Vadim away from me once, you won’t do it again. If you think he doesn’t deserve to be my husband, you don’t deserve to be my father. The choice is yours. Choose fast. A.]

Sent!

Lunch ends in almost total silence; Niels’ jokes don’t cheer us up, Vadim’s affectionate whispers leave me like stone. Judging from their gloomy faces, Basile and Lily are also taking the news badly. Like me, they’ve just realized that Edward Lancaster is not who he claims to be. And that from now on, we have to stop counting on him.

My mother gives me something like twenty kisses on the cheek, before letting me leave. Basile drives Lily home and I jump in the car as Vadim gets behind the wheel. Go home. No more forced smiles. Bury my head under a pillow and scream. That’s my plan for the rest of the day.

King puts his hand on my leg and strokes it gently, driving in silence. I feel him looking at me on the sly. My speechlessness probably worries him but I can’t even manage a word or two. Turned towards the car window, I watch the pavement whiz by and try to drown out how upset I am. Total failure. The valves open up again and my tears let loose. Vadim pulls over to the shoulder, turns on the emergency lights and I suddenly feel his hands around my face, forcing me to face him.

“Who cares if he understands or not. Who cares if he’s there or not. Alma, we know. We’ve known for twelve years. We’ll never betray each other,” he whispers, breaking my heart.

I lean against his chest and let my sobs loose. Everything is confused in my head: my father’s indifference – my father who didn’t even bother to call me back, my mother’s suffering – my mother who no longer recognizes the man she once loved so much, Vadim’s strange behavior over the past few days. And the anger resurfaces in me. I can’t control it.

“Who cares if my father is there? Who cares?” I blurt out, straightening up in my seat, glaring at my lover. “Can you hear yourself, Vadim?”

“I just want you to keep things in perspective,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair. “To put that aside for–”

“The truth is you don’t give a damn about this wedding,” I shout coldly, staring at the windshield.

“What? Is this what we do now – fight in the car?! Alma, what game are you playing?”