Page 12 of Chasing a Highland Dream

He snickered. ‘You believe people too easily; always giving them the benefit of the doubt, even after you’ve unceremoniously dumped them for no reason.’

Before he could continue, Olivia cleared her throat, making her presence known from the doorway. Bella glanced over with a gasp to find her surrounded by the only guests to have arrived. Among them, the ground staff, Granny Isla, Uncle Innes and Bella’s parents.

Olivia’s face was ashen and her eyes glassy. She stared at Bella. ‘You and Kerr? He was your secret relationship?’ Her lower lip trembled. ‘That’s why you wouldn’t tell me?’

Realising how this must now look, Bella lurched forward, pleading with her best friend, ‘Oh god, Olivia, please let me explain!’

Olivia took a step back and held up her hand. ‘No! Were you in on this together? Did you both plan this?’ Olivia asked in a small, quivering voice. ‘Did you both want to see me fail so badly?’

Kerr grimaced. ‘This is not your castle! It’s mine. Mum can’t have been in her right mind leaving it all to you! It should be me deciding the future, not you!’ he bellowed at Olivia. ‘And she was just collateral damage. She shouldn’t have messed me around,’ he said with a derisory nod towards Bella; his callous manner caused her to flinch. He turned his attention on Bella again. ‘I warned you I didn’t like being told no.’

Bella slowly shook her head as tears spilled over from her eyes. ‘How could you do this to your own sister? You could’ve left her out of this.’

He glanced around at the silent group of spectators, his chest puffed up with pride at his own apparent cleverness and he shrugged as his focus landed once again on Bella. ‘I could’ve left her out of this? She stole my inheritance! And you dumped me. No one dumps me. Especially not some jumped-up secretary who just happens to be good at decorating.’

Bella covered her heart with her hand and gasped as if he had slapped her. But before she could retaliate, there was a loud growl and Isla stormed forward, swung her handbag which connected with Kerr’s cheek with a sonorous thwack, before she proceeded to yell, ‘Don’t you dare speak to my Bella like that, you lavvy-heided walloper!’

There was a split second of astonished silence before Bella’s dad shouted, ‘Yes! Well bloody said, Mum!’ and began to bang his hands together. ‘It’s a good thing she got to you first, you spoilt brat.’ The other staff and Bella’s friends joined in with the applause as several of the models and members of the band turned up to see what the commotion was.

Kerr stood rubbing the fuchsia-coloured patch on his cheek, his eyes widely, psychotically glaring in disbelief at Isla; a silent, raging stunned stupor. ‘I’ll sue! You stupid old hag!’ he shouted, which didn’t seem to help his case.

When the applause had died down, Bella walked towards Olivia and took both of her hands. More tears spilled onto her cheeks, blurring her vision. ‘I’m so, so sorry, Olivia. I know you won’t be able to forgive me, and I can’t say I blame you. But please know I didn’t do any of this intentionally. I was stupid enough to believe him when he said he wanted to help. That he wanted to prove to you he’d changed and wanted to see you succeed. I can’t believe I was ever sucked in by him. And I’ll never forgive myself. He’s a bitter, jealous, twisted man and I honestly don’t know what I ever saw in him.’

Kerr scoffed. ‘What? Because I didn’t send a load of invites to dumb people inviting them to a stupid fashion show in my own home? A home that’s about to be turned into a bloody circus? I’ve been forced to fund myself when I’m the true heir and everyone knows it!’

Bella’s nostrils flared and her eyes widened. ‘Shut up, you pathetic excuse for a man,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘You have funded jack all! You’ve manipulated me and Adaira and it’s gone on long enough. I think I’ll be setting her straight on a few things after what you’ve done and the hurt and pain you’ve caused. I’m angry I ever saw good in you, and I feel so badly for that poor woman, funding your gambling habit while you treated her like a cash cow. I’m done with you. Don’t you ever so much as speak to, look at, or come near me again, do you hear?’

Kerr turned his head slowly, studying every expression staring at him. ‘Don’t worry, I deserve so much better than you. I’m supposed to be laird of this damned castle. Me! And in spite of what you think your stories will do to Adaira, she’ll still love me. She’ll still be loyal. Unlike you.’

‘Oh no, she won’t,’ came a voice from the back of the crowd of people and a composed Adaira, dressed in a classic black Chanel dress, pushed through the bodies to stand before him. Her face crumpled with disgust, and she slapped his other cheek, the smack echoing around the now silent library. She inhaled a deep breath and shut her eyes for a split second before she smoothed down her dress and informed him calmly, ‘I think deep down I’ve known for a very long time you’re a lying, cheating bastard. And the sooner you’re out of my life, the better. You had better tell your tenants at Drumblair Villa they need to leave so you can move back in, because you’re no longer welcome in my home.’ And with that, she turned on her heels and stormed out.

7

Bella couldn’t believe what was happening. Her heart thumped so hard in her chest it was almost painful. After all the – now known to be fake – attempts to make amends, Kerr had actually set out to ruin Olivia once again and had dragged Bella down in the process. How could she have been so utterly stupid? Especially when she knew he’d done his best to cause trouble for Olivia since the will reading. At that precise moment, she hated herself.

‘What does Adaira mean by the tenants at the villa, Kerr?’ Olivia asked.

He swung around and glared at her. Through gritted teeth, he growled, ‘You stopped giving me money, so I had to sublet it to pay my damned way! I had to move in with Adaira when you were back in New York.’

Bella gasped. ‘Well, you kept that from me!’

Olivia shook her head and, as tears of anger and betrayal welled in her eyes, she told him, ‘I suggest you do what Adaira says. Because you’re no longer welcome in this castle either. Get out.’

Kerr’s face contorted with rage. ‘You can’t throw me out of my family home! You have no right!’ he screamed, stamping his foot like a petulant toddler.

Brodie and Dougie stepped forward and Brodie told him, ‘Olivia won’t be the one doing the throwing. You’ve sunk to an all-time low, Kerr. I suggest you leave, right now, pal.’

Kerr gave a low chuckle. ‘Says the man who was beaten up by his own wife.’

Bella watched as Brodie’s jaw clenched and unclenched. Innes placed a hand on his arm to get his attention and shook his head. ‘He’s not worth it.’

Kerr turned to Olivia. ‘You should keep your guard dogs under control, sis.’ He stuck out his bottom lip and feigned sadness as he addressed the crowd of people surrounding him. ‘Such a shame this evening is all completely and utterly ruined, though. I was looking forward to seeing all the confused faces, watching as your skeletons walked up and down in their ridiculous shreds of tartan and lace, wondering what the hell you’d dragged them to.’ He grinned and gave a humourless chuckle before he too walked out of the library, shoulder checking several people as he did so. Brodie, Dougie and Ben followed him, Bella presumed this was to make sure he actually left and did no further damage.

Once Kerr was gone, Olivia crumpled to the floor, sobbing. ‘He’s right, it’s all ruined.’

Mirren rushed to her side and enveloped her in her arms as her body shuddered.

Bella lurched forward. ‘No. It’s not ruined. I have the list of guests. Is anyone willing to help me phone around and see who we can gather together?’