“She’s a good person.”
“If you say so.”
As we leave, I wonder why he is wearing a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
CHAPTER 17
SIMEON
As I bundle Alice into the car, I congratulate myself on my quick thinking. If she saw what happened to her assistant friend, my life wouldn’t be worth living.
Her friend, for what of a better word, was duly restrained by one of my men, preventing her from doing anything, and only when my car has left the city is he under instruction to release her and join the rest of us.
I always knew Alice would try something. Her easy acceptance of her position was the red flag I needed. I watched her select armfuls of clothes without even a cursory glance, making sure the simple outfit of jeans and a sweater was firmly disguised at the bottom of the pile.
My men were already in place and were instructed to do so before we even left the hotel. I am always three steps ahead, and I read Alice like an open book.
I play to my advantage all the time and rather than be pissed with her constant fighting of the situation; I understand and adore it.
We race out of the city, and Alice appears a little calmer.
“Will you really help me?”
“Of course.”
“Do you believe my mom is alive, or am I chasing a ghost?”
“I wouldn’t rule anything out. Your father spun a web not many could break free from, and he was the kind of man to take his time in devouring anyone caught up in that.”
“Did you know him?”
She sounds surprised, and I shake my head. “No, only men like him. It’s how they become so successful, plus my father has done his homework and your father was so corrupt it was admirable.”
“Corrupt?” She sounds shocked, and I measure my tone.
“He didn’t get to be the richest man in the world by hard work alone. Opportunity, making his own breaks and exploiting others, played a huge part in that.”
“How do you know?”
She doesn’t even sound angry, merely curious, and I shrug.
“He was married three times. Your mom was the first, and she brought a huge amount of money into the marriage courtesy of her father.”
“The Goldsworthy’s?”
“Yes. That enabled Enrico to form his company, and to many it would have been enough. He bought a diamond mine and could have retired on the proceeds of that, but it wasn’t enough for a man with ambition. When your mom passed, he already had her replacement lined up and married Edwina De Vere, who brought with her a huge legacy. The hotel chain is worth billions and as the only daughter of a doting father, she wanted for nothing.”
“Then why did she kill herself?”
She references Edwina’s suicide, and I choose my words carefully.
“You only have your father’s word on that.”
Her shocked gasp echoes around the confined space, and her voice shakes as she whispers, “Are you saying she was—murdered?”
“It’s possible.”
I shift to face her and note the frightened eyes staring back at me and I’m shocked when I reach for her, pulling her against me in an act of comfort I’m unused to.
