Stephan shook his head, stealing another hardened glance at Fabian, which was quickly replaced by disbelief. "You can"t be Pallis"s wh.o.r.e anymore. You"re going to be my wife. This has to end now."
He couldn"t stop himself. Resentment burned through him, activating his muscles. He lunged at Stephan, taking a fistful of his lapels. Toni"s yelp couldn"t stop him. "Don"t ever call her that again."
Stephan shoved Fabian, making him stumble back. Bad move. It only served to fuel Fabian"s near-br.i.m.m.i.n.g anger. He lunged again and tossed Stephan on the conference table, sending papers flying about.
Stephan growled, "To think she"s been slumming it with the likes of you! G.o.d knows how many s.l.u.ts you"ve banged before her. Like father, like son!"
Fabian couldn"t stop himself from slamming his fist into Stephan"s face. Blood coursed loud between his ears. He could barely hear Toni scream "Stop!" over the sound. But he couldn"t stop. He felt like he was underwater, moving in slow motion and disconnected from earth. When Stephan rose, he took a swing at Fabian, catching his chin. The sharp sounds of the office came back to him.
"Ah, h.e.l.l!" Fabian, stumbled away, but he recovered fast enough to see Stephan shove Toni to the floor.
"You can"t stop it, you little s.l.u.t. I"m going to be CEO." He stood over Toni.
Fabian advanced again, pushing Stephan onto the conference table a second time.
"Do you three have no respect for my property?" Helene"s voice boomed over the commotion with some G.o.d-sent energy that would seem impossible coming from her. "And you..." She pointed at Stephan. "You will never be CEO of my company. In fact, if you ever touch my daughter or speak to her in that manner again, I promise it will be the last time you walk free."
"Mom." Toni struggled to get up. Her mother glanced at her, though emotionless as she always was, her blue eyes were darker.
She didn"t acknowledge her. Still focused on Stephan, she motioned Ms. Keller to roll her closer. "Mr. Bradley, you are no longer needed at Robuchon Investments. You can leave peacefully if you choose, which I recommend. After what has transpired here today, my family is no longer in alignment with yours."
"Mrs. Robuchon-" Fabian began to speak and Toni"s heart swelled.
"I haven"t given you permission to address me, Mr. Pallis. Step aside." Eyes still on Stephan, she spoke, "Mr. Bradley, is there any confusion?"
Toni glanced to Stephan, taking in his defeated stance. The pained expression said it all. "I am the only suitable CEO for Robuchon Investments, Helene. Your execs were grooming me."
"What?" Toni stood, despite her legs threatening to buckle beneath her. "You were grooming him behind my back this whole time?"
She ignored Toni. "Do I need to call security?"
"No." Stephan wiped his face. Luckily neither man had bled much during the altercation. More sweat than anything else. He glanced at Toni and then to Fabian who stood guarding her. "This isn"t finished."
"I"m quite certain it is, Mr. Bradley." Her mother"s voice had weakened again, exerted to capacity. Silence buzzed through the office as Stephan strode to the door, glancing back to her before the door closed. Only the three of them were left in the room.
"How could you, Mom?" A lump formed in Toni"s throat to think of what her mother did. It was a betrayal. It was further evidence that her mother never thought she was capable of anything. "You lied to me. You hurt me."
"Please, Antonia. Stop the production."
"With all due respect, Mrs. Robuchon, listen to what Toni has to say." Fabian slid his arm around her waist. He held her, and it was the most comfort she"d ever felt. Tears fell down Toni"s cheeks, and before she realized it, she found herself smashed up against his side, seeking refuge.
"Are you my daughter"s mouthpiece?" Her voice grew stronger as she continued. "You know I should have fired you myself for sending me that email. Don"t you know you can"t email me so casually? You have no respect for hierarchy."
"I do, ma"am, I just wanted you to know."
"I did know, Mr. Pallis. That is what you fail to understand. You think I"m a fool? Do you think I"ve only been a CEO in t.i.tle but not in action the last ten years since my dear husband pa.s.sed?"
"No, I don"t think that."
"Stop, Mom," Toni said, finding her strength and driving it forward as she approached her mother. "You didn"t listen to me about NeuRx and you didn"t listen to me about Stephan. Not that it matters, you were still wrong about both of those. I love you, Mom, and I respect you in a way I don"t think you know. But I would have never deliberately hurt you this way, and it"s enough, plotting behind my back and lying to my face. I"m here. Acting CEO or not. I"m capable of making my own decisions and you have to trust me. For whatever time you have left, Mom. Can"t you trust me?"
Her mother didn"t respond for what seemed an eternity. Finally, she said, "Mr. Pallis, leave me with my daughter."
Fabian wrapped his arms around Toni"s waist, giving her the support she needed after purging herself of what poisoned her life. She was free. Still, that freedom left her winded. She nodded to him because he wouldn"t let her go if she didn"t force him to. He glanced behind her to her mother who hadn"t said another word.
"I"ll be in the lobby." He kissed her, his lips pressing full on hers. When they parted, he whispered in her ear, "I"m not leaving here without you." He left the room.
Toni turned to face her mother full on. "I was worried about betraying your secret, but you were betraying me."
"How did I betray you, Antonia? I was only protecting my company."
"Our company. Am I not a Robuchon?" Toni was furious at that point. "Mom! d.a.m.n it! It"s like you don"t even like me."
Her mother reached out to grip Toni"s wrist, squeezing her so tight, Toni winced. "No, I don"t like you, Antonia. I love you more than you can ever know. I cry myself to sleep thinking that soon I will leave you and it kills me more than this G.o.dforsaken cancer ever could."
Toni fell to her knees in front of her mother"s wheelchair. A lump rendered Toni speechless as moisture filled her mother"s eyes.
"d.a.m.n me," her mother continued. "There are too many things that I wish I could have done differently. With you. Many things." The tears dried up, leaving the determination Toni always knew. "You are the future. The Robuchon future is in your hands. You are all we have left. I"m sorry I didn"t see you were capable before. I read Fabian"s email and I saw your investment proposal. You"re right, NeuRx is a good investment. That"s why I showed up for this meeting. I wanted to observe. And, though I don"t think it was appropriate, I am glad Fabian contacted me. But if you want to be CEO of Robuchon Investments, you have to earn it, Antonia. You have to work hard. Like your father. Like you grandfather before him. Like me."
Toni nodded, her heart swelling.
"But you"re not ready now." Her mother shook her head, framing Toni"s face with both hands. "I have to observe you, as do the executives. It might be two years. Or it might be five years until you"re ready. I won"t be here when it happens. You know that."
"Mom..." Toni"s voice cracked.
"No," her mother barked, her lips thinning. "Don"t you cry, Antonia. CEOs can"t cry. CEOs push on despite what happens. They have to. You"ll have to. Can you honor this?"
"Yes," she whispered, her voice gaining strength, "I"ll honor this."
Her mother didn"t smile, but Toni knew she was. Maybe the cancer had taken all her strength to do so. But she caressed Toni"s cheek for the longest time she ever had. "I"m sorry, my dear girl. Stephan wasn"t right for you, even though the Bradleys are good for us, and we them. It"s more than that, isn"t it?"
"Yes," she whispered.
A smile did emerge on her mother"s face this time, though small. "I knew that d.a.m.ned Pallis kid would cause trouble for me." She shook her head and soon averted her gaze as if she"d conjured up a buried memory.
"He"s not who I expected to love, Mom. Not even close."
Her mother looked at her square in the face. "The right ones are always unexpected." She straightened in her wheelchair, pulling the blanket around her shoulders. "It only comes once like that. Sweeping and grand, like a tornado has whipped you up and spun you until you"re so dizzy you can only surrender yourself to it. And to you, I say this..."
"What, Mom?"
"If you love him, don"t let him go."
Chapter Twenty-Five.
Fabian waited in the lobby, practically wearing out the soles of his Louboutins. He paced the length of the reception desk, his gaze wandering around. The chair in which he sat that first day caught his attention. He stared at it with such intensity his eyeb.a.l.l.s should have fallen out. After a few curses in his mind, he turned from the chair, running a hand through his hair. Again.
"What happened to you?" Davina asked once she"d made eye contact with Fabian.
"A small incident. Don"t mind me, I"m waiting for Toni."
Davina"s forehead creased. "So it"s true then?"
His heart jerked. "What is?"
"You were terminated."
"Oh," he said. "Yeah, I was. I thought you were going to say something else."
"Like what?" Her head tilted and if Toni hadn"t have come through the doors behind her, he would have heard what Davina said next.
Toni spoke next. "Fabian, please come to my office. I"d like to speak to you."
He shook his head. No way would they continue this behind closed doors. "And I"d like to speak to you. But I can tell you I love you right here. In front of everyone in this lobby. And out there." He pointed to the gla.s.s wall overlooking downtown Houston. "Can you?"
Toni"s large eyes glanced to Davina, whose mouth fell open. Realization set in. Then Toni turned her gaze back to Fabian, who stood as still as he could, waiting for something to let him know what the rest of his life would look like. "Only Davina is in here right now."
"So are you." He advanced toward her. "What about out there? Past those doors. And I don"t just mean to this office."
"But don"t you need doors? Lots of doors?"
Fabian stopped only about two feet from her. "I don"t want doors anymore. I need one door. But it needs to be unlocked. Can you unlock it?" He was in her face now, close enough to feel her warm breath when she whimpered the closer his lips came to hers.
Her eyes closed. "We aren"t talking about doors, Mr. Pallis."
Husky and thick, his voice bounced through the small s.p.a.ce between them. "No, we"re not." Slow and with intent, he placed his hand over her heart, feeling the soft material of her shift dress underneath his fingertips. "But I still want you to unlock this."
Fluttering eyelids opened. Glossy eyes grabbed him. "I"m ... scared. What if you leave?"
"We all have to leave, baby. But as long as I"m breathing, it"s something you"ll never have to worry about." He dipped his head, kissing her full on the mouth. While only partially remembering that there was an audience, he kissed her as if there was none. He wanted everyone to know who he was with. Davina would just be the first to witness.
A scurry of people disrupted the quiet reception, except for the ringing of the phones that went unanswered.
She parted from him. "They"ll see."
He grabbed her again. "I don"t care." Leaning into her, he kissed her with all the desire and love he felt for her. Mouth brushing against hers, he said, "I want you to be mine. Really mine. Like, you"ll need a lawyer to get out of it, mine. But we can talk about that later."
She bit her lip and laughed until their kiss fused their mouths again. "G.o.d, I love you."
"And I f.u.c.king love you."
Clearing her throat, she pulled away from him. "I need you to go to my office immediately, Mr. Pallis. There"s a form I need you to fill out."
"Right away, Miss Robuchon."
The End.