‘Understood.’
The call over, she blew out a long breath. The buzz that had taken her through that phone call—she’d channelled one of her favourite on-screen kick-ass female characters to get through it—was already plummeting, and she fought valiantly to recapture it.
Paul was interested, of that she was certain.
The first step towards Xavi’s destruction had been taken.
Four days later, Beth read Xavi’s message that had just pinged into her phone:
No budget. I’m in Paris and extremely busy. Please direct all messages during working hours that concern the wedding to Fenella. I will call you this evening when I’ve finished working to catch up. X
Her mouth tightened at his brush-off. The working day was done already. All she’d asked was the budget for her wedding dress.
She looked at all the boxes piled in her living room. Xavi had sent a team over to assist in packing up her life. If she wanted, she could fly back to Madrid right now. Her boss had taken her resignation well—too well, really. Beth had half expected pleas for her to change her mind, butnada. As soon as she’d told him the date for the wedding, he’d told her not to worry about working her full contracted notice. She had the feeling he’d have let her leave without working any of it, which was odd considering they didn’t have an obvious candidate to take her role. He probably didn’t want to miss out on his wedding invitation. She’d invited everyone she worked with. Let them enjoy the wedding of the century. After all, Xavi was paying for it all.
Oh yes, Xavi was paying foreverything, and he was not holding back in the lavishing of his money. It was only his time he refused to lavish. He’d got her agreement to marry him, and now he was laying his marker and making sure to emphasise that their marriage would be nothing like their relationship of old. The kiss at the end of his message had been a sop, a marker of intent that quelled much of the guilt that kept nibbling at her.
She was reading the message a third time when her phone rang in her hand.
‘Hey, Beth, Paul Haldron. I have good news for you.’
His next few words were lost in the sensation of white light flickering behind her eyes.
Forcing a long breath from her lungs, she casually said, ‘And the price you require?’
It was as outrageous and greedy as she’d anticipated, but she was in no mood to barter. She wanted this done. ‘Deal.’
‘I did wonder if the news about your marriage would mean a change of heart.’
So news of their marriage had reached America. Xavi had put out a press release the day before. Any moment and the press would discover her location and descend on her. Anticipating this, Xavi had already sent a team of ex-special forces to keep watch over her and keep her safe.
Her answer was a clipped, ‘Not at all.’
He gave a low chuckle. ‘Lady, you mustreallyhate him to be playing him for such a sucker.’
‘My reasons are none of your business,’ she informed him coldly. ‘I’ll be in England for another week or so, and I want an agreement in principle before I return to Madrid for my wedding. I imagine I’ll be in a position to complete the purchase within three months, and I want things arranged so the moment I give the go-ahead, the transfer is made immediately.’
His laughter had a touch of patronising indulgence to it. ‘Do you know how the transfer of shares works, lady?’
‘I’m learning, but I do know how the power of money works, and if you want any of mine, you’ll keep your mouth shut about this conversation—if Xavi hears even a whisper of our plans before the transfer takes place, the deal will be off and your march to bankruptcy will carry on at the pace it’s currently travelling.’
She ended the conversation without saying goodbye.
Her heart was racing manically.
The ball was now well and truly rolling. Very soon, she would roll it some more to hoover up enough of the smaller shares to make her the majority shareholder of the Rosbel Group.
She had another read of Xavi’s message and willed her heart to harden. Any feelings he held for her were secondary to his devotion to the business. He would dump her again in a heartbeat if he felt their relationship threatened his control of it in any way. She must never forget that.
Two weeks after she’d returned to England to pack up her life, Beth stepped out of Xavi’s private plane and strode through late-afternoon air so thick with heat it shimmered.
The driver and passenger of the familiar black SUV waiting for her both got out before she reached them. The former started loading all her suitcases into the boot. The latter, in faded jeans, brown boots and a snug white T-shirt that emphasised the muscularity of his impossibly tall, wiry physique, simply gazed at her from behind his shades.
Making no attempt to kiss or embrace her, his firm lips curved into a lazy smile. ‘Hola, mi vida.Good flight?’
Just to hear his voice was to make her heart, racing with anticipation at seeing him again from the moment she’d woken, thump harder.
The longer she’d spent away from him, the more fully he’d invaded her mind. The wonderful memories of their six months together had fought with the awful memories of their sudden break-up and its aftermath, her resolve at what she was planning for him wrestling with guilt and doubt. So exhausted had the constant thoughts and heightened emotions left her that she’d kept falling asleep hours earlier than she normally would, only for vivid dreams to keep springing her awake.
