Stunned silence. The woman gaped. I gave a tentative smile and then she grinned, rushing around the large reception desk and flinging her arms around me as I stiffened slightly.
“How lovely to meet you” she gushed “Grayson had mentioned getting married but hadn’t said you were so lovely” she added, pulling back as I blushed “Oh, I’m so happy for you both.”
“Thank you,” I said as she strode back around the desk.
“If you need anything, anything at all,” Sarah said sincerely, eyeing me “you call me okay. I will get you whatever you need,” she said sternly.
Grayson chuckled “Well we’re going up to my office now, but maybe you could arrange for some lunch to be brought up later?” he asked Sarah who nodded eagerly “oh,” Grayson said as we turned “Flair is vegan so make sure it’s suitable for her please.”
“You got it” Sarah yelled as we began to head up the nearby stairs, causing me to giggle.
“She seems lovely,” I said sincerely.
I liked her. Grayson nodded, leading me down a long corridor and to a huge office that had his name on the front door, a smiling Timothy waving as we walked inside.
“Sarah has been with us from the start. We started off as just one office and then expanded. Now we own the entire building” he commented with satisfaction “and I didn’t have to rely on family money or the name to do it” he added pleased.
“That’s impressive Grayson,” I told him as he pulled out a seat for me to sit in “you have every right to be proud of yourself.”
“Yeah, but Johnathon did the same thing, did he not?” he pointed out a little grumpily “and he has no family name to use as a backup.”
I shifted on the seat “Johnathon had the help of a foreign investor, so it’s hardly the same thing” I said awkwardly “they contributed a lot of money to his firm which allowed him to grow it quicker than if he’d had to do it all on his own.”
“He still managed to find somebody to invest though,” Grayson said heavily “without using my family name, I was out of luck when it came to finding any. Although I prefer to own it outright without the messiness of investors involved.”
Except that the foreign investor had been myself I thought embarrassed. Johnathon had harped on and on about needing to get his firm up and running and been so depressed that he was struggling to get it up and running that I, as a good wife or feeling like I should, had produced the money and covered my tracks in such a way that it could never be tracked back to me. I regretted it now, but it was too late to take it back. Johnathon would never realize who had been the person responsible for the cashflow that had enabled him to finally reach his dream.
Timothy got off the phone. “Mrs Oakes,” he said jovially, extending his hand to me “such a pleasure to see you here today. Welcome,” he said “is there anything I can get you?”
“No thank you” I said with a cock of my head “I’m here to give my husband some company and maybe see how you run things around here.”
Timothy chuckled “well it’s not that fascinating, I’m sure, but you’ll be a welcome distraction” he teased as Grayson scowled at him “as it is sir, you have an important client coming in, in about ten minutes, so it’s lucky you came in.”
“I told you to cancel meetings until this afternoon” Grayson said moodily “why didn’t you cancel this one?”
Timothy bit his lip “Ordinarily I would not have hesitated to do so, but given the status of this particular client, I could not without serious offense. You would have been severely angry with me if I had canceled the meeting with this client, given their social standing.”
Grayson frowned “Well what kind of client is this? Don’t tell me Charlotte or grandfather is coming this morning” he added looking gloomy.
I stiffened. I did not want to see either Charlotte Deluca or the infamous grandfather. But Timothy was already shaking his head frantically and my body relaxed. Slightly. Perhaps a little too quickly, because Timothy’s lips flattened and his face went slightly pale.
“No it’s not Charlotte Deluca or your Grandfather Sir,” he said respectfully, bowing his head and looking apprehensive “actually it’s, well it’s Mr Grant that is attending today. So you see how I couldn’t cancel it” he blurted out as Grayson looked at him in shock.
“What Grant is it?” Grayson demanded as my face went ashen “Ian? Knox? Or the father?” he asked beginning to put his laptop on the table in preparation.
“The father” Timothy confirmed “he wants to speak about important business but would not clarify what that was.”
Shit. My father was coming to the office. I glanced towards the doorway. He was going to be here any moment and then I was a goner. I bit my lip. Was it too late to dive out the window? A rather desperate reaction, but one that was almost appropriate.
“I believe that Mr Ian Grant is accompanying him today by his account” Timothy added, glancing at Grayson meaningfully.
Shit. I was a goner. There was nothing I could do to prevent what was about to happen. Any minute now, I was going to be face to face with my family and nothing was going to stop the inevitable. My secret identity was about to be let slip. Unless my brother could persuade my father to stay mum about it. I heard the sound of footsteps in the hall and my stomach began to clench as nerves got the best of me. We all stood, our gazes looking in the direction of the doorway.
Flair POV
My father, Maxwell Grant, is the first to enter, looking impressive in a designer business suit, his hair immaculately groomed, his role watch glinting on his wrist, my brother Ian following in his wake and several bodyguards keeping a careful distance. I swallow hard with nervous apprehension, even as I see my husband out of the corner of my eye, carefully straightening his tie and smoothing back his hair, Timothy looking as though he’s about to faint where he stood.
My father has that impression on people. They are always awed by the power of the Grant family and what that amount of money can accomplish. The business connections that we’ve established through the years and the ruthless way we’ve taken down our enemies whenever we’ve been even remotely slighted. It can cause even the most wealthiest of families to turn into a basket case when they hear we are present in their midst. Unfortunately, it also meant that you never knew who was really your true friend and who wasn’t. Ian had learned that growing up, as had Knox. I had been spared that, but only because my identity had been kept out of the press or I would have had the same issues.
“Welcome to my firm Mr Grant, Ian” Grayson said warmly, holding out his hand to shake my father’s first and then Ian’s.
Ian’s eyes, amused, met mine while my father also stared directly at me. Grayson cleared his throat. “You haven’t met my wife yet,” he said hoarsely “it’s my pleasure to introduce you to my wife Flair Oakes” he introduced.
My father’s eyes twinkled “why thank you for the introduction, but I hardly need an introduction to know my own daughter” he said gravely.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.