Page 97 of The Wrong Billionaire
“No, he’s on his way back.”
“With Caesar?”
“No, on his own. He can fly the heli too.”
“Oh!” I didn’t know that.
“He asked me to call and tell you he’ll be about an hour. And I wanted to call, because…” She hesitates. “Wren, I’m so sorry. It’s my fault the news broke.”
My eyebrows rise. “Oh…”
“Well, partly,” she continues. “I was talking to Caroline Bennett a few days ago. She’s one of the independent board members, and she’s been a friend of the family since I was a little girl. Anyway, she brought up Dad’s ultimatum, and she remarked that Marcus’s marriage had happened very quickly after that, kind of joking. I’d had a glass or two of wine, and I admitted what had happened—that you’d asked Caesar for a baby, and Marcus had always liked you, and so he made the counteroffer of marriage. I thought I was talking to a friend. But she admitted today that she mentioned it to a friend of hers without knowing that the friend’s husband works in media, and he ran the story when he found out.”
“Oh…”
“Yeah, she was very apologetic, but it’s my fault for telling her in the first place. I’m so sorry, I feel absolutely awful.”
“It’s okay,” I say softly. “I understand. You didn’t know she’d tell someone else.”
“Even so, I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“It’s okay, Aurelia, I don’t blame you. Neither of you said anything that wasn’t true. What happened?”
“The board members expressed their fear that the news was going to have a detrimental effect on the company. And then Dad told us he’d had a call from Tom Rutherford. He knew about the article, and he said it was going to cause us problems, and that to help us out, he was offering to buy the company immediately, at ten percent less than the price he’d offered previously.”
“Jesus.”
“The board told us that if we didn’t want that to happen, Marcus needed to end the farce, apply for a divorce, and leave you immediately, or they were going to ask for a vote to accept Rutherford’s offer. Sir Malcolm stated that Dad was considering voting with them, and Dad hesitated, so he obviously was.”
My jaw drops. “So what happened?”
“Marcus stood up and said, ‘Wren is my wife, and the love of my life. I’m not leaving her.’ And he said he’d hand in his resignation and walk away, if it meant they didn’t sell to Rutherford. He said Caesar could run the company on his own when Dad retires.”
My hand rises to cover my mouth. “What did they say?” I whisper.
“There was a lot of discussion, and some hot tempers,” she says, “as I’m sure you can imagine. But in the end, Dad called for quiet, and he gave a big speech. He said Marcus’s sacrifice was shocking and touching, and it proved to him that your marriage was real. Because of that, he said he wasn’t going to give up his children’s legacy. He stated he wouldn’t vote with the board to sell to Rutherford, and he wouldn’t accept Marcus’s resignation. He said we were going to stick together and make it work, and everyone else could go fuck themselves. He actually used thosewords, by the way. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him swear in the boardroom before.”
My fingers begin to tremble. “What happened then?”
“We voted, and we all agreed with Dad. Marcus stays, and we’re going to stand by him and fight.”
Tears trickle down my cheeks. “What did Marcus say?”
“He was quiet. He didn’t say much else. As soon as the meeting was over, he said he needed to get back to the farm. He and Dad had a big hug, and then he hugged me and Caesar and left. He practically sprinted out of the door.”
“Oh, Aurelia…”
“Are you crying? Because I think you need to dry those tears. Your husband is going to be home pretty soon.”
I laugh. She apologizes profusely again, we exchange a goodbye, and then she ends the call.
I put down the phone slowly and sit back on the swing seat. My chest is heaving with emotion, and I can’t quite believe it.
Marcus was going to give up his beloved business, his job, and his family’s legacy. For me.
Love might not come with a guarantee. But if I wanted a sign that he truly loved me, I think this might be it.
Chapter Twenty-Two
