When I was fifteen years old, he had a heart attack. I remember being so scared that he would die and leave me with her. My father was the only affection and nurture I knew. I went into the room where his nurse cared for him on the far wing of the house one night, just to sit with him and be near him. I will never forget he woke up, grabbed my hand, looked me in the eye and said, Dunbar, be the Master of your home, but find a woman who will be the Queen of your heart. Find someone who will make you happy. Not someone who will make you rich. Do you understand, my son?” at the time I thought I understood but wasn’t one hundred percent sure. I nodded my head and laid my head on his chest. It was that night that he told me the clause in the prenup and collaboration that she overlooked and he made sure she did. Should the firstborn child be a son, he would be sole proprietor and heir to company and money. My head began to spin. I had no idea at the time what my father was worth, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt, my mother would be furious and my life would be hell.
That night, after our talk, he told me he loved me, I told him back. After finishing my homework, it was barely three hours later when I was informed that he had passed. I had never cried in my life learning from an early age not to show weakness in front of my mother. However, on that night, in the privacy of my room, out of the eye of everyone, I wept for the life I knew I would never have again until I became a man.
Now here I am, a grown man and my mother still managed to ruin something I wanted...no fuck that...needed...just for me. I just need a chance to fix it.Chapter TwoDunOne Month LaterFUCK!! I yell, throwing everything off the desk in my office. I am losing my fucking mind. As evident by the fact that my hair looks like I have been running a rake through it upside down. Where the hell is she? My P.I. has been looking everywhere. Every time we think we have a trail, it goes cold. The longer it takes for me to find her, the faster my heart begins to break. Other than when I am looking for her, I am a walking zombie. All I do is go to work, come home, sleep, look for her. Repeat the next day. Nothing in my life means anything right now, without her. It doesn’t help that I just left my best friend Cord’s office, initially going because he was thinking of ending his marriage and selling their home. If you met Cord and Phillipa, you would know immediately that they are meant to be. A love like theirs is what all couples hope to find. I know I wished for it. Hell, I found it. Then lost it.
After telling Cord my situation and talking him down from the ledge as he tried to fix his, walking out, he turns to me and asks me her name. When I tell him Lailani Moore, he looks at me and basically stuns me by telling me she and Phillipa are best friends. The fuck! I have texted him about a hundred times asking him for information from his wife on her whereabouts and he hasn’t returned my call. Do you see why I am losing my shit? Falling back into my chair, I turn around, looking out at the city below me, watching as people move, going on with their lives, everything in me raging to be able to finally hold her in my arms so we can move on with ours. Together.
Turning when I hear my office door open, I am more than a little annoyed to see Laurie walk in. “Laurie.” I say walking toward her, intending to move her to the elevator. She is the last person I want to see.
“Dunbar. How are you? I was coming to see if you want…” I have no clue what she said. All I know is her hand is about to touch my arm and I find myself jerking it out of her way as the thought of any part of her touching me, makes my stomach lurch. Her nose turns up, obviously insulted like I give a fuck.
“I am sorry you came all the way here Laurie and wasted your time, but we have nothing to discuss.”
“We have to get started planning the wedding hun.” Jesus. Does my mom have some sort of voodoo in her Manolos? Now she has this brainless heiress believing shit that never was.