The Millionaire's Agenda

‘The worst ever.’

There was silence for a moment. Steven stared into the fire reflectively. ‘One of the reasons we bought this house was that we thought it was a fine family home. It has five bedrooms and we planned to fill them. Stephanie was from a big family and so am I. We both liked that and wanted the same…’

‘I’m so sorry, Steven.’

The gentle sympathy of her voice jerked him from his contemplation of the past. He shrugged. ‘Life goes on, Chloe. I’ve learnt to deal with it.’

Despite the calm tone, she knew that he had found his wife’s death very difficult to come to terms with. Chloe had joined the company almost twelve months after the tragedy and she was used to a rather stern and very intense boss who could be more than a little aloof on occasion, but other members of staff had told her that before his wife had died he had been a different man, that her death had made him withdraw into himself.

Sitting here next to the fire with him, she realised that she was seeing more of that real Steven Cavendish than she had in two whole years in the office. Underneath that enigmatic cloak that he wore so well, he was a nice guy. A nice guy who just happened to be very handsome as well…she thought as she studied his rather aristocratic profile, the chiselled features, square jaw-line and the sensual curve of his lips.

He glanced over and caught her staring at him. ‘What are you thinking about?’ he asked lazily.

‘Just…just how awful it must have been to lose someone you loved so much.’

‘Yes, it was.’ As he looked over at her Steven was thinking how right Chloe was—it was kind of strange to sit here talking to her like this. But the funny thing was, she was so easy to talk to. He hadn’t meant to open up to her like that; in fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he had talked to someone about Stephanie. He leaned over and topped up her wine glass. ‘Anyway, let’s not get maudlin,’ he said. ‘It’s Friday night, reason to be celebrating.’

Realising that he might not want to talk about his wife any further, Chloe took the hint and changed the subject. ‘And if this weather keeps up you might not have to go to Manchester tomorrow.’ She raised her glass.

‘Even if the weather improves I might find it difficult to go anyway…because by the looks of things Gina won’t be back tomorrow.’

‘Well, if by some miracle the weather does improve I’ll stay on tomorrow and look after Beth,’ Chloe offered.

‘Thanks, Chloe.’

‘That’s OK. Beth and I get on very well together,’ she said lightly. ‘It would be no hardship.’

Steven smiled at her. ‘Well, that’s very nice of you, but what about Nile—won’t he mind?’ The quietly asked question made her nerves jump. ‘Where’s he tonight, anyway?’

‘I don’t know.’ She smiled a trifle over-brightly. ‘Probably out drinking with his mates…’ She was aware of his dark gaze moving towards her hands, to the finger that had worn Nile’s ring. ‘We called our engagement off almost four weeks ago,’ she admitted huskily.

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ He frowned. ‘You’ve never said a word about it.’

‘I suppose I’m still trying to get used to the idea myself. ‘And we don’t really talk about our personal lives, do we?’ she said. ‘In fact, I had a hard time even trying to talk to you about work today.’

He grimaced. ‘Sorry, Chloe; hopefully things are going to settle down soon.’

She smiled. ‘We’ve been saying that for ages. Actually, I don’t mind how busy it is—at least the days go quickly.’

‘So your break-up with Nile was very sudden, was it?’ He went back to the subject, his voice gently probing. ‘You two have been together for a long time.’

‘Yes; I met him just before I came to work for you, two years ago. But we were probably just not meant for each other. These things happen.’ With massive determination she tried hard to sound as if she was very together about the whole thing, and she tilted her face up and smiled.

Steven wasn’t fooled by the brave front for a minute. He noted the pallor of her skin and the bright glitter of her blue eyes. ‘Just as well to find you’re not suited now instead of after you married.’

‘Yes…that’s what I keep telling myself. But we were living together for over a year…and I did think…well, obviously I thought he was the guy for me. We’d even booked the registry office…’

‘So…if it’s not too personal a question…what happened? Was it another woman?’

She noted with grim amusement that his first surmise was that Nile had dumped her. ‘Well, not exactly, although it turns out that there is another woman in the background now…’ Maybe that other woman had been there all along and he had just picked that argument with her as an excuse to leave…and take their money, she thought grimly.

‘Well, he’s an idiot to give you up,’ Steven said briskly. ‘A complete idiot.’

The compliment took Chloe aback. She wished now that she hadn’t taken off her glasses so that she could read the darkly impassive features more clearly. ‘Thank you.’ She looked away from him, feeling suddenly embarrassed. She couldn’t really believe that she was talking like this to him; it felt really weird.

‘You’ll meet someone else, fall in love and thank your lucky stars that you didn’t marry him.’

Her lips twisted drily. ‘I didn’t realise you were such a romantic.’

‘Neither did I.’ He smiled. ‘But it sounded good, didn’t it?’

Chloe thought about that for a moment and then shook her head. ‘I don’t know about that…’

‘Why not?’

She shrugged. ‘Well, this business of the earth moving and lightning zinging through you when you kiss someone—it’s all just a big distraction, isn’t it?’

‘Distraction from what?’

‘The reality of whether you really are suited to spend the rest of your life with someone.’

‘You’re a bit young to be so cynical.’

‘I don’t think it’s cynical; I think it’s sensible.’ Chloe stared at the fire as she thought about Nile and their relationship. She had thought she had it all worked out with Nile Flynn…thought they were on exactly the same wavelength. Then came the argument four weeks ago, and she had discovered not only were they not on the same wavelength but they were tuned into entirely different frequencies.

He had accused her of being too interested in her work! It had been a ridiculous thing to say—she’d always been into her career. And, although she hadn’t said it to him, she recalled all too well that he hadn’t complained when he had needed her support for the long period during his own business difficulties. She had been the main breadwinner for well over a year. The strange thing was that now he was getting back on his feet financially again he seemed to hold that against her.

She would never understand men, she thought angrily. She hadn’t minded helping him, had been there for him both emotionally and financially. It hadn’t mattered to her who earned the most money. She had just thought that they were working in unison with the goal of their new house now well in sight.

And she had loved him; OK, there had been no wild sparks between them, there never had been. It had been more a quiet, steady kind of feeling. But Chloe had liked it like that, had liked the fact that they both had their feet on the ground; she had thought Nile felt exactly the same. He’d certainly led her to think he felt the same.

The angry rhetoric of four weeks ago had come as a total shock. It had started innocently enough because she’d been late home from work. He’d said she didn’t have enough time for him. That she had all her priorities all wrong; she put her work ahead of him. She had made one little remark about the fact that she needed her job and had to treat it seriously and he had flown into a complete rage. He had made some very disdainful and derogatory remarks about her work and it was then that she had realised suddenly that he deeply resented the fact that she had been the one to keep things together financially when work hadn’t been going well for him.

When she had suggested quietly that they sit down and discuss things he had arrogantly dismissed the idea and stormed out of the apartment.

It had been such a ridiculous argument that she had thought he might have reflected on the conversation, come back, sat down and discussed things in a more reasonable manner. But Nile hadn’t come back, or at least not while she had been there. She had returned from work the following day and all his belongings had gone, leaving no trace that he had ever shared her life.

‘I thought Nile liked the fact that I had an independent streak,’ she said, turning to look at Steven. ‘But it turned out that he didn’t like that at all.’

For a second Steven had a glimpse of such raw vulnerability in Chloe’s eyes, it was the first time he had ever seen that and it startled him slightly. Chloe was always in control, and together.

She looked away from him hastily and he was left wondering if he had imagined it.

‘Anyway, I reckon the bottom line is he’s seeing someone else. One of my friends saw him out with her not so long ago.’ She looked back sharply at Steven. ‘So much for love,’ she said pointedly. ‘I think the next man I meet I’m going to push that particular emotion even further down on my list of requirements.’

Steven surveyed her through narrowed, thoughtful eyes. ‘So what attributes would you put at the top of your list of requirements?’ he asked curiously.

‘Mutual respect.’ She closed her eyes for a moment as she thought about the question. ‘And he’d have to be someone who is kind and thoughtful.’