The Unknown Billionaire (Captured by Love Book 6) (17 page)

“What were his previous texts about?” Natasha asked.

“They’re mostly the same thing—pleading with me to give him the chance to explain everything. I have to say I’m surprised that he hasn’t contacted any of you. I was assuming that he’d also approached you to justify himself.”

Natasha shook her head. “Like the others, the only communication Gavin and I got from him since Christmas Eve was the text where he asked us to give him time to sort things out. He did plead with us to make sure you were okay, and in his text to me, he’d added that it was the only thing that mattered.”

Marilyn stared at Natasha. “What’s the only thing that mattered?”

“That we make sure you’re okay,” her friend said softly.

Tears rushed to her eyes again.

“What was he like when you saw him at the café?” Jade asked.

“Well, he looked tired... sad... miserable...” She let out another sob. “I’m so confused. Part of me wants to hear his explanation, and another part of me keeps saying that I’d be the world’s biggest idiot if I entertained his request.”

Cassie squeezed her shoulder, placing a big bowl of ice cream in front of her.

She took a spoonful of it, trying to clear her muddled head.

Muddled.

Hadn’t Jarryd used that same word to explain why he’d broken up with her before?

She sniffed. “So did he lie to me simply because he was trying to respect his birth mother’s wishes? He told me that the reason he didn’t tell me about being Margaret O’Neill’s son was because Margaret had wanted to keep their relationship a secret to avoid negative publicity against Greeves Minerals while sensitive negotiations were happening. He insisted he hadn’t lied about his feelings for me. But how can I believe him when the case against him is so strong?”

“Let’s think about this,” Natasha urged. “Why exactly is the case against him strong?”

Marilyn frowned in thought. “Well, Margaret had only known him for a year and then she made a new will to leave him billions of dollars in assets.”

“He
is
her son,” Lexie said. “Her other son had already died, and I can understand why she felt especially close to Jarryd after that.”

“Who was supposed to inherit her estate before she changed her will?” Cassie asked.

“Patrick,” Marilyn answered. “Apparently, Margaret had made a previous will naming him as the beneficiary.”

“Maybe Margaret changed her mind after she met Jarryd, who is her
son
,” Natasha said. “And she just didn’t know how to tell Patrick.”

“Yeah,” Lexie said. “And she’d probably thought she had plenty of time to tell Patrick about it later.”

Marilyn looked at her friends, her heart beating fast. “Are you girls saying that Jarryd never meant to lie to me?”

“It’s a
possibility
,” Erin said. “My first reaction to what happened at your parents’ on Christmas Eve was disbelief, then anger at Jarryd. How could he not tell us who he was? On the face of it, he lied to all of us, especially you. But what if Jarryd
is
telling the truth? Remember that even though Patrick is alleging that Jarryd coerced Margaret, there is no proof. What if the only mistake Jarryd made was to hide this from all of us?”

Jade nodded her head excitedly. “Lucas and I have been discussing this, because Lucas has been hurting too. We’ve wondered if our reaction to Patrick’s serious accusations was exactly what Jarryd was afraid of—that everyone would believe Patrick and not him. What if he was keeping it a secret until he had proof that Margaret
did
want to leave him all that wealth? But how he’s gonna prove that, I don’t know. Margaret’s gone, and she doesn’t seem to have told anyone about him.”

Marilyn stilled. What if Jarryd was telling the truth but just had no proof to back him up?

If that was the case, Jarryd would have been so crushed that no one believed him over Patrick, least of all the woman who’d professed love for him. “Oh, God,” she whispered, burying her face in her hands.

“Hey,” Jade said, giving her a sympathetic back rub. “Jarryd could be telling the truth, or Patrick could be right about him. We simply don’t know at this point. None of us have known Jarryd for more than a year. Lucas is his oldest friend in our circle, but at the time they first met, Jarryd had already been reunited with Margaret. So who really knows what the truth is? But I vote for finding out what it is. Maybe we could start communicating with Jarryd, interrogate him separately, and then let’s try to figure out if he’s being honest or not.”

“And don’t forget the guys—especially Carter and Gavin,” Cassie said. “Those two alone can probably crack this case open.”

“But where will be the fun in that?” Erin said teasingly. “Seriously, though, if Jarryd is a scammer, he’d be more than suspicious if Carter and Gavin suddenly started asking him questions. If he has something to hide, he’d be more careful answering two detectives. I say we use our women’s intuition first before getting any of the guys involved.”

“Good point,” Cassie conceded.

Marilyn stared at her friends, hope creeping out from somewhere deep inside her. But she reluctantly pushed it back down. She’d have to wait until her girlfriends found out something more substantial regarding Jarryd’s innocence before she considered exposing her heart to further hurt. Simply, she didn’t think it would survive another hit if her friends decided Jarryd was a liar and a con artist.

J
arryd stared at the text he’d received. What a total surprise. Erin was asking how he was.

It had been more than a month since he’d had communication with any one of his and Marilyn’s mutual friends. While the ball was still firmly in his court in terms of explaining what had happened, he was glad that one of them was reaching out to him. But, damn, what timing.

Sighing, he poised his thumb over the keypad, debating what he should say. Well, the question was short and sweet, so hopefully a quick answer should suffice.

*Hi, Erin. I’m okay, thanks. Hope you and Brad are well.*

Erin’s response was swift.

*I’ve just come out of a meeting with a client close to your office. Want to go for a quick drink?*

He let out a harsh sigh. How should he handle this? Pressing his lips together, he texted back.

*Sorry, I’m not in the office. I’m at a work site. Next time, maybe?*

There. He’d just have to make sure he didn’t go out of the office until much later. Erin might see him and discover he’d been lying. The phone vibrated in his hand.

*Sure. I’ll be back at my client’s tomorrow and on Wednesday. Any chance then?*

Argh.

*Unfortunately, I won’t be coming to the office at all this week. Maybe I’ll let you know when?*

*Okay, definitely let me know. We’re worried about you and want to see how you’re doing.*

*Thanks, Erin. I appreciate that.*

And he did appreciate it. Big time. Someone was finally willing to give him the benefit of the doubt regarding this debacle. It wasn’t Marilyn, but would Erin have approached him like this without Marilyn’s blessing? He’d like to think she was aware. That would mean she still cared a little bit, right?

He shook his head. What good could come out of endless hoping? It kept him in an emotional roller coaster that zapped him of vitality.

So no more hoping, just like no more pleading with Marilyn. It would be much better to focus his time and energy on things that were likely to give him results.

*****

J
arryd entered his office building and stopped as if he just hit a brick wall.

“Hi!” Erin said, standing up from the waiting room couch.

“Hi,” he answered, dazed.

Erin smiled tentatively before walking up to him and kissing him on the cheek. “I know you said you wouldn’t be in, but I took the chance since I was around already. Your receptionist said you’d be back at two thirty and didn’t have any appointments booked for the rest of the day, so I thought I’d wait.”

His brain scrambled for an excuse. “I did have something else on, but it got cancelled. I was going to let you know, but I have other work that I need to get done. Glad you’re here, though.”

“I should have called first. Do you have time for a quick drink? Or a scoop of gelato?”

He smiled. Could he really turn down a friend who was reaching out to him? “Sure. Gelato sounds nice.”

They strolled to the café down the street, making small talk about Erin and Brad’s upcoming wedding. The invitations hadn’t gone out yet, and he wondered if he was still going to be invited. He didn’t want to ask right now, though.

He’d never felt this uneasy talking to a good friend, and he wasn’t looking forward to getting to the nitty-gritty. Surely Erin hadn’t popped by for only a light catch-up.

They ordered their treats and sat at an available table.

“So how have you been?” Erin asked.

“Like crap,” he said honestly. “I haven’t exactly been having fun since Christmas Eve.”

Erin let out a sigh. “You said you’d be contacting us to explain your side of the story. How come you haven’t yet?”

His lips tugged up mirthlessly. “I still don’t know how to prove that Patrick’s allegations are untrue. There’s nothing new for me to say and, frankly, I’m afraid that no one would believe my word against Patrick.”

“But you’ve been asking Marilyn to listen to you.”

His heart felt a telltale pinch. “Yes, because she thought—thinks—that I’ve used her. I’m desperate for her not to believe that, so I’ve been trying to get her to talk to me. Obviously, I’m out of luck in that regard.”

“What is the truth, Jarryd?”

He looked Erin in the eye, grateful for the question and not bothering to hide his emotions. “I didn’t coerce, manipulate, force or intimidate Margaret into writing a new will for my benefit. We didn’t even talk about me inheriting anything from her at all.”

“Why didn’t you tell us who you really are? Didn’t you think we’d have kept your secret if you asked us to?”

“I trust you guys. But from the very beginning, I promised Margaret I’d keep our relationship quiet until she was ready for the world to know. She was a big deal and it was her story to tell. Then a few months after she died, Patrick O’Neill started accusing me of stealing his inheritance. By that time, I just couldn’t come out and say, ‘Hey, I’m having a problem with the famous Patrick O’Neill of
Biz Q&A
thinking I’m a scamming thief.’ Besides, Greeves Minerals was still in negotiations to buy Well of Brilliance, and I’d promised our CEO I’d stay quiet to avoid any unwanted publicity. As for Marilyn, I didn’t expect to fall for her so hard and so fast. But the fact that I did made me even more afraid because I had so much more to lose. I was biding my time, but everything caught up with me.”

Erin stared at him long and hard, and he didn’t flinch.

“I hope you’re telling me the truth, Jarryd, because I want to help you sort things out with Marilyn.”

He smiled sadly. “Thank you. But I’d rather she believes what
I
say to her than what
you
say to her. I’m going to lie low for a while and concentrate on finding ways to convince Patrick he’s wrong about me. Please don’t worry about talking to Marilyn on my behalf. There’s no point when she can’t trust me. And right now, I have no means to earn back her trust.”

Erin was quiet for a long moment until her eyes moistened. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For implying I don’t fully believe you.”

His own eyes stung. “Thank you. That means a lot. But there’s no need to apologise. I’d probably be more suspicious of me if I saw things from your point of view.”

“So what are you gonna do? Do you have a current plan?”

He shook his head. “Nothing that’s guaranteed to improve my situation. Anyway, I better head back. I do have a bit to do. I’ve neglected work for a few weeks and I’m now paying the price.”

“We should catch up again,” Erin said softly.

He stood up and gave Erin a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for listening to me. You take care of yourself, okay?” Then he walked away.

He wasn’t going to make promises he couldn’t keep. He had a role to play and he wasn’t going to do anything that would jeopardise what little chance of success it had. He might come out empty-handed, as it would be a complete stab in the dark, but he was going ahead with it. He couldn’t see any other opportunity to get his life back on track.

*****

J
arryd frowned when the security intercom buzzed. Who’d be calling to see him at nine o’clock on a Friday night without prior notice?

Maybe he should ignore it. He most definitely wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone after watching the latest episode of
Biz Q&A
.

Marilyn had been in it, and she’d been wonderful. She’d mentioned Grant Ace now owning Well of Brilliance without sounding salesy or gimmicky, and she’d given sound, actionable and compassionate advice to the three budding entrepreneurs who’d just ventured into the jungle that was the world of business.

But obviously, fucking Patrick O’Neill had cemented his friendship with the Grants. And it was clear Marilyn had taken Patrick’s side.

His heart writhed some more.

He had no idea what was keeping Patrick from challenging the will. Perhaps holding off was part of his tactic to ensure his success? Who knew what the man planned? In any case, Patrick was already winning. Jarryd was miserable.

The intercom sounded again and curiosity made him answer it.

“Hey, Jarryd. It’s Tash and Cassie. We’ve come to say hi.”

Tash and Cassie?

He raked his hair with his fingers. Why the hell were they here?

“Hey, girls. Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll come down to meet you.”

“Can we come up?”

“Uh, sure.” He buzzed them in and stood by the open door as he waited for them to climb up two flights of stairs. They’d sounded friendly, and he bet Erin had spoken to them and had given her opinion on his situation. Had Erin spoken to Marilyn too?

Well, if she had, Marilyn had clearly not shared Erin’s belief that he was innocent. Otherwise, Marilyn wouldn’t have gone on
Biz Q&A
, would she? He let out a sigh.