I made a muffled sound. There was no way I could tell her how often I’d had bad luck. The years with Joe were something I still kept to myself. I curled up and rested my cheek on her thigh. My face still throbbed from the bruising. As the misery washed over me, I let my sobs roll with it.
“It’s okay, Sash,” Renée said soothingly. “It’s okay.” Her fingertips were gently stroking my hair.
“I know,” I sniffled at last, trying to stop the tears. The stream seemed endless. “Someday my prince will come, right?” I tried to chuckle, but the sound bubbled out like a sob.
“Damn right, babe,” she whispered back. “Someday your prince will come.”
I lay in thought for a time, letting her warmth flow into me. Until the silence was broken by the jangling ringtone of my phone. Renée had it before I could reach for it.
“It’s Leo,” she said. “Don’t stress – I’ll speak to him.”
I felt myself go rigid as she picked up the call.
“She’s resting, Leo,” I heard her say. “Not great. No. A bit shook up.” The one-sided conversation was brief and curt. “Sure. I’ll tell her.” She ended off and put the phone down. I twisted my neck to look up at her. Her expression was clouded.
“What did he say?” I ask.
“He says he’ll give you a week.” She licked her lips. “And then he wants you back at work.”
I squeezed my eyes shut tight and put my hands over my face.
I can’t! I just can’t!
Book 2
Seduced by The Broken Prince
Chapter 1
Prince Walker
Istomped out of the conference room, letting the door swing shut behind me. I did not care if I had disrespected the board by walking out, I refused to sit there and let them reprimand me like I was some schoolboy. And my father! I know I fucked up the Chinese deal, but how dare he put me down in front of the board just because I’m not married! What century is he living in? I was only a few months away from 30. There was plenty of time for me to decide if I wanted to get married. Or not. If I hadn’t already invested so much in my AI technology under Cedar Inc., I’d be turning in a resignation letter and walking out on the lot of them. I wondered how the company would fare without me then.
I entered the lobby that led to my office, and before Jane could talked to me, I shut her off with my palm.
“Not now, Jane. Get Andy on the phone,” I said crossly.
“Alright, but your mother is on line one,” she said with a concerned look. My father, Drew Walker, a well-knownjackasshad arranged a meeting with the board members and had been the first to show. I scowled at the memory. Jane could see that I was angry in the meeting, my hands waving furiously in the air as I tried to defend myself from the multiple attacks from the board members, especially from my own father.
“Is my father still in the building?” I spat.
“I am not sure, Mr. Walker; I haven’t left my desk,” Jane answered slowly, trying to keep her voice polite. I was turning my anger on her, and I could tell she wished I would just go into my office instead of shouting at her in front of everyone.I am a jackass, like my old man.
“Well, you can find out, can’t you? Or you are too incompetent? Call him! I’ll take the call in my office. Check if he’s still here and call Andy afterward. In that order.” I stomped past her and went into my office. I picked up the receiver to talk to my mother, but she must have hung up. I decided I’d call her when I was less livid. Banging the table and cursing loudly, I had just yanked the telephone off the table when I saw my father let himself into my office. Jane was scurrying behind him, looking fearful.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Walker, he just walked straight past me. I tried to stop him.”
Drew Walker ignored both of us and sat himself on a chair, picking up a tabloid magazine that rested on my desk. On the front page was a picture of me and Angelique, bickering at a restaurant. The headline suggested we were breaking up. The usual bullshit story. I waved Jane away with a tired flick of my hand.
“What do you want, Dad? Have you come to gloat? I hope you enjoyed ridiculing me in the presence of the board.”
My father dropped the tabloid with a grunt of distaste and dusted a speck of lint off his immaculately pressed pants. Light flitted across his face, glinting across the silver strands that blended into the dark hair at his temples. He looked like an older version of me, and he had aged well. He let his green eyes meet mine in a steely gaze.
“You left before we could finish. So, I have asked to be given the honor to deliver this news to you. The board has come to the agreement that you are an irresponsible wastrel; you have not been careful with your name or image.” He raised the tabloid to emphasize his point. “You’re obviously not capable of running this business. I have tried to teach you that there is more to business than just developing new AI products. You must be calculative, always one step ahead of the next person!”
“I won’t sit here and let you talk to me like that. You can leave me the minutes from the meeting so I can read the rest of the expletives,” I cut in. “Says a lot about the board to let such a person sit as chairman, doesn’t it?” I said sardonically.
“Prince, contrary to whatever notions you must have of me, I am not dismissive of your successes. But I would not be a good father if I did not wish for you to constantly better yourself. You lack discipline and character, and you were cavalier about this deal.” My father paused to pull out a cigarette from a case made of pure gold. He lit one and took a slow drag.
