She nods. “Whatever it is, it’s going to work out.”
I wish I had her confidence.
I need to face Mr. Abdon alone.
Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and make a silent wish that Graham will call me back before I step foot in the penthouse. I need him to help me find the right words to tell the most important man in his life why we’ve been lying to his face for weeks.
Lloyd is waiting in the foyer when the elevator doors slide open.
I can tell that he’s been crying.
His eyes are red, his cheeks ruddy, and his shirtsleeves are rolled up to his elbows. I’ve rarely seen him without a suit jacket on.
“Trina.” My name escapes him in a muted tone.
“Mr. Abdon,” I say quietly, sure that I’ve lost the privilege of calling him Lloyd.
He approaches me with uneven steps, so I instinctively reach out a hand to help steady him. Surprisingly, he takes it in his.
“You look the way I feel,” he says, studying me. “I take it you spoke with your mother?”
“She came to see me,” I admit.
“So it’s true?” he asks with sorrow edging his tone. “Your mom had no idea you were married? You’ve been hiding that from your family?”
I nod. “They didn’t know.”
“Why not?” he spits the question out. “Why on earth would you keep that from them?”
I wish I had an easy answer that would spare him pain, but I don’t. “It’s hard to explain, sir.”
“What about Graham?” he asks with a perked brow. “Can he offer me an explanation? He’s ignoring my calls.”
“He’s not,” I stress both words. “He’s in a meeting, sir. It’s an important meeting.”
“I should have realized what Graham was up to.” He drops his gaze to the floor. “A couple of weeks ago, Eugene mentioned what a breath of fresh air you are. He said he hadn’t known you very long, but I didn’t think to ask when he first met you.”
I don’t offer up those details, hoping he’ll skip past them.
“Had you been in this building before the day you and Graham picked me up from the airport?”
As guilt grips me, I look him in the eye. “That was my first time. I’d never been here before then.”
“I’m sorry that you got caught up in this.” He exhales sharply. “I thought Graham had changed. All of these years, and I thought he’d stopped with the lying and the games. I was wrong. I was so wrong.”
“Sir,” I whisper. “Let me try and explain.”
“You have nothing to explain,” he cuts in before I can get another word in. “I know that Graham put you up to this. He must think this marriage will secure his position as the future owner of Abdons. I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me. Why did I think he was a better man now than that kid I met so long ago?”
I want to ask about the day they met, but I can’t. This isn’t the time.
“It’s not what you think.” I stop to mentally form my next sentence. I want to word this correctly so that Mr. Abdon understands that we may have started out trying to make his wish a reality, but somewhere along the way, it became all too real.
I’m Graham’s wife. I feel it in my bones.
“It’s exactly as I think,” he snaps, then shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Trina. I worked so hard to help Bull. I dropped the charges. I spoke to his foster parents. They were thrilled when I told them I wanted to send him to The Buchanan School so he could clean up his act. Frankly, they were relieved that he’d be in a boarding school. I paid for college. I even gave him a job working for me. Ironically, I was very close to signing the company over to him, but not now. I will never hand my life’s work to him after this.”
“What charges?” I question. “I don’t understand.”
“He still hasn’t told you?” he asks before he chuckles sarcastically. “Of course, he hasn’t. He never had any intention of telling you. This wasn’t a real marriage at all, was it?”
That stings more than it should. He’s right about the fact that I know nothing about Graham’s past.
“Am I safe to assume that you don’t know how we met?” He lifts his chin. “He didn’t tell you about that either, did he?”
I shake my head.
“I kept pushing him to tell you, but why would he? You’re not really his wife.”
I fight back tears.
“Allow me to fill in the blanks for you.” His arms cross his chest. “He broke into our flagship store when he was fifteen. The security company called me before they called the police. I lived nearby at the time, so I got to the store before they did.”
I stare at him, stunned into silence.