Cara cleared her throat roughly to cover the thick tears clogging it. “She’s awful. Every time I thought things couldn’t get worse, they did.”
“What did she do?”
Cara started to pull back, but Wes brought his arm around her shoulder, holding her in place. “That’s the billion-dollar question. Whatdidshe do? Did she do anything at all, or was it what my father wanted?”
“I’m not following.” His chest rumbled under her cheek.
Cara sighed. She wanted to burrow in, his strong arms around her, and forget the ugly scene a year ago.
“We were all there for the reading of my dad’s will. I knew something was off the second we got to the house. Courtney had security there, and Andrew looked like he wanted to throw up.”
“Who’s Andrew?”
“Andrew Reinhart. Dad’s personal lawyer. Originally it was Andrew’s father, but when he retired, Andrew took over the practice. At first, I thought it was just because Dad had died, and he was upset. Andrew had known him all his life, but unfortunately for me and my brothers, it wasn’t that simple.” Cara’s hand came up to rest next to her cheek, smoothing his shirt in restless tiny movements. “Apparently, days before my dad died, he had redone his will. In the new will, Courtney got just about everything.”
“You thought he would leave you something?”
Cara’s lips twisted bitterly. “I knew he would. He wrote a new will when he and Courtney got married, and he told me not to worry. He was going to leave Courtney a small amount so she couldn’t contest the will, but our, his children’s, portions wouldn’t be affected. Instead, this new will completely reversed that. It also left out the bequests to staff and friends that were in the previous will.”
“Ouch.” Wes winced. “That must have hurt if you thought it was coming to you.”
Understatement of the year.
In regard to my known natural born children, Declan Bloom, Luke Bloom, James Bloom, and Cara Bloom, I bequeath to each the sum of $200,000.
To just about anyone else, it was a huge sum, but her father had owned a billion-dollar media empire and raised his children in that lifestyle. It was a slap in the face, and by the smirk on Matt’s face, everyone knew it.
She had a vague memory of Declan roaring at Andrew, and James letting out a full, deep belly laugh. Then, James clapped his twin, stunned by the news, on the shoulder and walked to his car in the front drive. Cara was told that Luke led her outside and drove her to a hotel, but her memory was hazy. Looking back, Cara thought she might have been in shock.
It wasn’t the loss of the money—though later when she realized what it meant for her life, it had been a blow. The pain that wracked her body, the rushing of blood in her ears that day sitting in her father’s study with Courtney beaming at them, came from the realization that her brothers had been right all along. Their father never truly loved them; they were accessories. As James used to joke, “The Bloom giveth and taketh away,” but he had been referencing his own struggles with his father’s approval. In the end, David Bloom had chosen Courtney and her sons over his own children.
Pulling herself back from the memory, Cara licked her dry lips. “The next day, Declan explained to me what was happening. Courtney had barred us access to our father’s house which wasn’t a big deal for the boys, but I still had stuff I kept there. Worse, we weren’t allowed any mementos of our childhood to take with us. A few days later, Courtney revealed what must have been her plan all along.” Agitated, Cara used her hand on Wes’s ribcage to push away. This time he let her, but his concerned eyes watched as she finished the last swallow in her glass.
“After the reading when Declan was ranting that he’d given hereverything, I thought he meant the house, the money, the plane… It never occurred to me he meant the majority shares in the company.”
An odd look crossed Wes’s face. She brought her feet down flat on the floor and placed the glass on the coffee table.
“I feel so stupid that I didn’t think to question him at the time! Because Declan knew! He must have known the second Andrew read the words. When he saideverything,he meant it. Declan dedicated his entire life to Bloom Communications, and she kicked him out, like it meant nothing. There was nothing Declan could do about it though. He ended up starting his own company, Bloom Capital using his connections.” She sighed, staring morosely at the empty glass. “Declan claims he prefers private equity, but he’d been essentially running Bloom Communications for the last seven years. He’s brilliant, so it didn’t take him long to build up his new business, but I know he was heart-broken to lose the family company.”
She was afraid to look at Wes and see what he thought of her family’s dirty laundry. Her frown deepened. “After Dad died, Courtney didn’t even bother to pretend she was a decent human anymore.
“I thought for sure she would see sense about Declan. How was she going to run the company without him? I thought if she knew how much it meant to Declan—” Cara huffed a bitter laugh. “But when I cornered her at an event, she laughed in my face. Courtney said it was time we all learned to stand on our own two feet instead of hanging on Daddy’s wallet. So now Bloom Communications is under the control of a non-Bloom, and the four of us had to move on.
“To make things worse, Declan told me recently that he thinks he has proof that our father suspected he was being poisoned. Our old housekeeper told him that our Dad would only eat food and drink prepared by her… But it’s all hearsay and theory. I can’t decide if it’s true or just Declan’s paranoia!”
Cara sighed. “Today, Courtney showed up on set and bought Peachtree Pictures. She was thrilled to see me, so my guess is I’m fired. Seeing her made me so angry I just needed to drive around and listen to music for a while! That’s why I was late.” Cara glanced down at her shirt. “I should get in the shower. I’m gross.” After a moment, she realized Wes was staring at her with giant eyes. He’d recognized the company name—her family’s name—she knew it would happen.
Which of the many stories written about my family has he read? Or is it the fact I just told him my step-mother might have murdered my father…
Her stomach knotted, and every muscle in her body drew taut. “I never lied to you. I told you I was starting over. Just because I grew up wealthy doesn’t make me a bad person. Not everything they say about us is true.”
Wes’s face had undergone a rapid color change, and now he was white and pasty.
“Are you going to be sick?”
CHAPTERTWENTY
“Bloom Capital,”he repeated dumbly, his tongue huge in his mouth.
