One Month with the Magnate (15 page)

I
sabelle never imagined things could be so wonderful. She and Emilio were going to get married and have a family—even though he hadn't officially asked her yet—and she and her mother weren't going to prison. Her life was as close to perfect as it could be, yet she had this gut feeling that the other shoe was about to drop. That things were a little
too
perfect.

Emilio wasn't helping matters.

He called her from work Thursday morning to warn her that a package would be arriving. But it wasn't one package. It was a couple dozen, all filled with clothes and shoes from department stores and boutiques all over town. It was an entire wardrobe, and it was exactly what she would have picked for herself.

Her first instinct was tell him to send it back, but now that she wasn't going to prison she did need new clothes.

“How did you know what I would like?” she asked Emilio when she called to thank him.

“I had help.”

“What kind of help?”

“A personal shopper, so to speak. I swore her to secrecy.”

Her? Who would know her exact taste, that Emilio knew to contact? There was really only one person. “My
mother?
”

“I knew you wouldn't get the clothes yourself, and who better to know what you like?”

“I talked to her this morning and she didn't say a word.”

“She wanted it to be a surprise. If there's anything that you don't like just put it aside and I'll have it returned.”

“It's all perfect.”

“There should be something coming later this afternoon, too. A few things I picked out.”

Isabelle called her mother to thank her, but she wasn't home so she left a message. After that she waited, very impatiently, until the package with Emilio's purchases arrived later that afternoon. She carried it into the living room where she had been sorting and folding all the other things.

Sitting on the couch, she ripped it open. It was lingerie. The first two items she pulled out were soft silk gowns in pink and white. When she saw what was underneath the gowns she actually blushed. Sexy items of silk and lace that were scandalously revealing. She'd never owned anything so provocative. There had never been any point.

She called Emilio immediately to thank him.

“I wasn't sure if they would be a little too racy,” he said.

“No, I love them!”

“You'll have to try them on for me later.”

“I might just be wearing one when you walk in the door,” she said, and could practically feel his sexy smile right through the phone line.

“In that case I may just have to come home early.”

After they hung up Isabelle was gathering all her new clothes to take upstairs when the doorbell rang again.

More
new clothes?

She walked to the foyer and pulled the door open, expecting another delivery man, but when she saw who was standing there her heart plummeted. “Mrs. Suarez.”

“May I come in?” Emilio's mother asked.

“Of course,” she said, stepping aside so she could come inside. “Emilio isn't here.”

“I came to talk to you.”

The last time she had seen Mrs. Suarez, Isabelle's father had been accusing her of stealing from them. And after threatening to have her arrested, and her younger children taken away by Social Services, he'd fired her.

The phone started to ring. “Let me grab that really fast,” Isabelle said, dashing to the living room where she'd left the cordless phone, answering with a breathless, “Hello?”

It was her mother. “Hi honey, I just got your message. I'm so glad you like the clothes. Wasn't that a sweet thing for Emilio to do?”

“Yes, it was. Mom, can I call you back?”

“Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine.” She glanced over and realized Mrs. Suarez had followed her. She was looking at the piles of clothes strewn over the furniture, specifically the lingerie, and she did not look happy.

Oh, hell.

“I'll call you soon.” She disconnected and turned to Mrs. Suarez. “Sorry about that.”

“How is your mother?”

“Really good.” She gestured to the one chair that wasn't piled with clothes. “Please, sit down. Can I get you something to drink?”

His mother sat. “No, thank you.”

Isabelle moved some of the clothes from the end of the couch and sat down.

“It looks like you've been shopping.” With her son's money her look said. Talk about awkward.

“Actually, Emilio had my mother pick them out and they were delivered a little while ago.”

“He's a very generous man.” Her tone suggested that generosity was wasted on someone like Isabelle. Or maybe Isabelle was being paranoid. Put in his mother's position, she might not trust her, either.

There was an awkward pause, and Isabelle blurted out, “I'm so sorry for what happened with Estefan.”

She looked puzzled. “Why are
you
sorry? Emilio said Estefan forced himself on you. You had every right to defend yourself. I see the bruises are fading.”

Isabelle glanced down at her arms. The marks Estefan had left there had faded to a greenish-yellow. “I still feel bad for scratching him.”

“Estefan is part of the reason I'm here. I wanted to apologize on his behalf. I felt it was my duty as his mother.”

“Is he okay?”

“I don't know. He disappeared again. It could be months before I see him.” Isabelle must have looked guilty because Mrs. Suarez added, “This is not your fault.”

Logically she knew that, but she felt responsible.

“I also wanted to talk to you about Emilio.”

She'd assumed as much.

“He says you're innocent.”

“I have a new attorney. He says he thinks I'll be acquitted, or let off with probation.”

“And Emilio is paying for this new lawyer?”

“I didn't want him to, but he insisted. And if he hadn't, I would have spent the next twenty years in prison.”

“Emilio has done you many favors. Now I want you to do him a favor.”

“Of course. Anything.”

“Leave.”

Leave? She didn't know what to say.

“Only until you are found innocent.” Her eyes pleaded with Isabelle. “My son has worked so hard to get where he is, and because he loves you, he would risk throwing it all away. If you love him, you won't allow that to hap pen.”

“And if I'm not acquitted? If I wind up with probation?”

Mrs. Suarez didn't say anything, but it was written all over her face. She wanted Isabelle to leave him for good. And her reasoning was totally logical.

The CFO of a company like Western Oil couldn't be married to a woman out on probation for financial fraud. They would have no choice but to fire him, and he would never find another job like it. At least, not one that would pay him even a fraction of what he was worth. Not to mention that he would lose all his friends.

Because of her, he would be a pariah.

He said he loved her and didn't care what people thought, but with his life in shambles he might feel differently. He would begin to resent her, and they would be right back to where they were before, only this time he would hate her not for leaving, but for staying. She couldn't do that to him.

Just once she had wanted something for herself, she
had wanted to be happy. For the first time in her life she wanted to do something selfish.

But Mrs. Suarez was right. It was time for her to go.

 

“I had an interesting talk with Cassandra,” Adam said from Emilio's office doorway.

He glanced up from his computer screen. He had just a few things he needed to finish up before he went home for the night. “Is there another public relations nightmare on the horizon?”

“You tell me.”

“Meaning what?”

He stepped into his office and shut the door. “Cassandra got a call from a reporter asking if it was true that there was a connection between Isabelle Winthrop-Betts and the CFO of Western Oil.” He sighed.
Here we go.

“What did she tell them?”

“That she knows of no association, then she came and asked me about it. So I'm asking you, what's the status of her case? Someone is digging, and I get the feeling something big is about to break.”

“I hired a new attorney. He wants to take it to trial. He thinks he can get an acquittal.”

“But it will take some time.”

“Probably.”

Adam shook his head.

“If you have something to say, just say it, Adam.”

“If she goes to trial and the story breaks about the two of you… Emilio, the damage will be done. You'll never make CEO. The board would never allow it. I can't guarantee they won't vote to terminate you immediately.”

“Let me ask you something. Suppose Katy was accused
of a crime, and you knew she was innocent. Would you stand behind her, even if it meant making sacrifices?”

Adam took a deep breath and blew it out. “Yes, of course I would.”

“Then why is everyone so surprised that I'm standing behind Isabelle? Do I want to be CEO? Do I think I'm the best man for the job? You're damn right I do. But what kind of CEO, what kind of
man
would I be if didn't stand up for the things I believe in? If I abandoned Isabelle when she needs me most?”

“You're right,” Adam said. “I admire what you're doing, and I'll back you as long as I can.”

“I know you will. And when it comes to the point that you can't help me, don't lose a night's sleep over it. This is my choice.”

His secretary buzzed him. “I'm sorry to interrupt, Mr. Suarez, but your brother is on line one. He says it's important.”

“Which brother?”

“Alejandro.”

“Go ahead and take it,” Adam said. “We'll talk later.”

Adam left, and Emilio hit the button for line one. “Hey, Alejandro, what's up?”

“Hey, big brother, I was wondering if you're going to be home this evening.”

“This was so important you would interrupt a meeting with my boss?”

“Actually, it is. I need to talk to you. In person.”

“What time?”

“The earlier the better. Alana doesn't like it when I come home too late.”

Emilio thought about Isabelle's promise to model the new lingerie. If he met with Alejandro early, then he and Isabelle would have the rest of the evening.

“Why don't you meet me at my house in an hour?”

“Sounds good. Will Isabelle be there?”

“Of course. Is that a problem?”

“No, I'll see you in an hour.”

A
s his driver took him home, Emilio got to thinking about what Alejandro could possibly need to discuss that was so urgent. It couldn't have anything to do with Isabelle's case, because he wasn't allowed to question her without her lawyer present.

His driver dropped him at the front door and Emilio let himself inside—and nearly tripped over the suitcases sitting there. “What the hell?”

Isabelle appeared at the top of the stairs, and she was clearly surprised to see him. She was dressed in what he was guessing were her new clothes. She looked young and hip and classy. So different from the scrawny, desperate woman who had come to see him in his office.

“You're home early,” she said, her tone suggesting that wasn't a good thing.

“Yeah, I'm home.” He set his briefcase on the floor next to the open door. “What the hell is going on?”

She walked down the stairs, met him in foyer. “I was going to leave you a note.”

“You're going somewhere?”

“I'm moving out.”

“Why?”

“Because I have to. I can't let you risk your career for me.”

“Isabelle—”

“I'm not talking forever. As soon as I'm acquitted we can be together again. But until then, we can't see each other. Not at all. If your career was ruined because of me, your family would never forgive me, and I would never forgive myself.”

“And what if you aren't acquitted? David said you might possibly get probation.”

She bit her lip, and he could guess the answer.

“I'm not losing you again, Isabelle.”

“Hopefully you won't have to. I'm going to fight it Emilio. I will do anything I have to for an acquittal. But if I don't get it…I'm not sure how, but I'll pay you back for the lawyer's fee.”

“I don't give a damn about the lawyer's fees. And I'm not letting you do this.”

“You don't have a choice.”

He could see by her expression that she meant it. She was really leaving, whether he liked it or not. His heart started to race and suddenly he couldn't pull in enough air. The thought of losing her again filled him with a sense of panic that seemed to well up from the center of his being.

This could not be happening. Not again.

“Knock, knock,” someone said, and they both turned to see Alejandro standing on the porch at the open door. He stepped inside, saw the suitcases and asked Isabelle, “Going somewhere?”

“Nowhere out of your jurisdiction, if that's what you're worried about. I'm going to stay at my mother's for a while.”

“No, she isn't,” Emilio said.

She cut her eyes to him. “
Yes,
I am.”

“Can I ask why?” Alejandro said.

“She's worried that her being here is going to damage my career, despite the fact that I keep telling her I don't give a
damn
about my career.”

“I think you both need to listen to what I have to say.”

“If has to do with my case, I can't talk to you without my lawyer present,” Isabelle said.

“Trust me, you're going to want to hear this.”

“I won't answer any questions.”

“You won't have to.” He handed her a white 6x9 envelope Emilio hadn't even noticed he was holding. “Open it.”

She did and dropped the contents into her hand, looking confused. “My passport?”

“I don't get it,” Emilio said. “Are you suggesting she should leave the country?”

Alejandro laughed. “I thought she might like it back, now that all the charges against her have been formally dropped.”

Emilio was certain he misheard him. “Say again?”

“All the charges against Isabelle have been dropped.”

Emilio looked over at Isabelle and realized she was practically hyperventilating.

“And my mother?” she asked.

“Your mother, too.”

“You're serious?” she said. “This isn't just some twisted joke?”

“It's no joke.”

She pressed her hand over her heart and tears welled in her eyes. She turned to Emilio. “Oh, my God, it's over.”

He held out his arms and she walked into them, hugging him hard, saying, “I can't believe it's really over.”

“What the hell happened?” Emilio asked his brother.

Isabelle turned in his arms and said, “Yeah, what the hell happened?”

Alejandro grinned. “You want the full story, or the condensed version?”

“Maybe we should go for the condensed version,” she said. “Since you'll have to explain it all to me again when my head stops spinning.”

“It was your husband's lawyer, Clifton Stone. He had the missing money.”

“Stone?” Isabelle said, looking genuinely shocked. “I had no idea he was involved. I never even considered it.”

“Is that why he wanted her to take a plea?” Emilio asked. “To take the attention off himself?”

“Yeah. Dumb move on his part. It's what made us suspicious in the first place, but we knew he wouldn't cooperate. We had to flush him out. We figured if we were patient he would do something stupid.”

“So you knew all along that she was innocent?” Emilio asked.

“If I thought she was guilty do you think I would have dropped you all those bread crumbs, Emilio? I wanted you to get curious, to take matters into your own hands. And it worked. When you hired the new defense attorney, Stone panicked. He was going to run, and he led us right to the money.”

“And he told you I wasn't involved?” Isabelle asked.

“He must have been paranoid about being caught because he saved every piece of correspondence between himself and your husband. Phone calls, emails, texts, you
name it. He offered them up in exchange for a plea. He said they would exonerate you and your mother.”

“And they did?” Emilio asked.

“Oh yeah. They were full of interesting information. If Betts hadn't died, I'm sure Stone would have flipped on him to save his own neck.”

“So that's it?” Isabelle asked. “It's done?”

“The case is officially closed.”

Emilio shook his brother's hand. “Thank you, Alejandro.”

“Yes, thank you,” Isabelle said.

“Well, I'm going to get out of here. I get the feeling you two have a lot to talk about.” He started out the door, then stopped and turned back. “How about dinner at my place this weekend? Just the four of us. And the kids, of course.”

That was an olive branch if Emilio had ever seen one.

“I'd like that,” Isabelle said.

“Great. I'll have Alana call you and you can figure out a time.” He shot his brother one last grin then left, shutting the door behind him.

Isabelle turned to Emilio and wrapped her arms around him. “I still can't believe it's really over. It feels like a dream.”

“Does this mean you'll stay now?”

She looked up at him. “Only if you want me to.”

He laughed. “You think? I had only reduced myself to
begging.
”

She smiled up at him. “Then yes, I'll stay.”

“We need to celebrate. We should open some champagne.”

“Definitely.”

“Or we could go out and celebrate.”

She rose up on her toes to kiss him. “I think I'd rather
stay in tonight. I seem to recall a promise to model some lingerie.”

A smile spread across his face. “I think I like the sound of that. But there's something I need to do first. Something I should have done a long time ago.”

“What?”

He had hoped to do this in a more romantic setting, but he couldn't imagine a better time than now. “Isabelle, I never thought we would get a second chance together, and I don't want to spend another day without knowing that you'll be mine forever.” He dropped down on one knee and took her hand. “Would you marry me?”

Tears welled in her eyes. “Of course I'll marry you.”

He rose and pulled the ring box from his jacket pocket. “This is for you.”

She opened it, and her look of surprise, followed by genuine confusion, was understandable.

“At this point you're wondering why a man of my means would give you a 1/4 carat diamond ring of questionable quality.”

She was too polite to say he was right, but he could see it in her face.

“When I asked you to marry me before, I couldn't afford a ring, and you couldn't wear one anyway, because your father would find out. We decided that we would look for one together the day before we eloped. Remember?”

“I remember.”

“Well, I couldn't wait. I saved up for months and bought this for you.”

“And you kept it all this time?”

He shrugged. “I just couldn't let it go. I guess maybe deep down I hoped we'd get a second chance. I know it's small, and if you don't want to wear it I completely
understand. I thought you might want to turn it into a necklace, or—”

“No.”
She took the ring from him, tears rolling down her cheeks, and slipped it on her finger. “You could offer me the Hope Diamond and it would never come close to meaning as much to me as this does.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I'll wear it forever.”

He touched her cheek. “I love you, Isabelle.”

“I love you so much.” She rose up on her toes and kissed him, then she touched his face, as if she couldn't believe it was real. “Is this really happening?”

“Why do you sound so surprised?”

“Because I always thought I wasn't supposed to be this happy, that it just wasn't in the cards for me. That for some reason I didn't deserve it. And suddenly I've got everything I ever hoped for. I keep thinking it has to be a dream.”

“It's very real, and you do deserve it.” And he planned to spend the rest of his life proving it to her.