Page 10 of Untamed Billionaire
Chloe sighed heavily. “I know.” She sucked in a breath, trying to control herself, but as she let the breath out, it erupted into a laugh. “I know I shouldn’t find humor in this. I mean, a lot of people lost a lot of money!”
“Yeah, but they shouldn’t have trusted your brother!”
“I know!” she replied, then shook her head again. “It’s just the good old boy’s network. I heard Steven talking about the stock during a dinner party. Steven was slapping his buddies on the back, telling them that he had inside information.”
“Doesn’t he know that’s illegal?”
She snorted, a very inelegant sound. “Yes. Which I mentioned to him. He said I didn’t know what I was talking about.”
“Sounds like the people who trusted your brother’s illegal information got what they deserved.”
Chloe tilted her head slightly, then nodded. “Yes, I’m sure you’re correct.”
“So tell me more about your sister.”
Chloe gripped the back of one of the leather chairs and bowed her head, gathering her thoughts. When she looked at him this time, she had her confidence back. “My sister has some…disabilities.”
“Many people do.”
“Yes, but my parents are all about how things look, about what others will say. So as soon as they realized that Emma had some challenges …” she blinked, shaking her head. “No, that’s not fair. Emma really does need special care. But my parents didn’t want to have anything to do with Emma. You see, Emma has a very rare genetic condition. She has the intelligence of a five-year-old. She tries very hard to please everyone, but she’s…slow.” Chloe gripped the leather harder. “But I love her! I don’t care that she has challenges. I love visiting her! I’d do it every day if I could! Every time I visit Emma, I walk away feeling like the world is a beautiful place again. Emma is so sweet and caring. And I know that she needs this residential place. It’s good for her. Emma truly does need twenty-four hour care. But my father…every time I bring up Emma, he threatens me with taking away visiting privileges. And if he does that, then Emma will have no one other than the staff who care for her. No one in my family ever visits Emma. My parents, they don’t even acknowledge her. In fact, I often wonder if they’ve told their friends that Emma passed away.”
“That’s cruel, Chloe. But if they don’t want her and you do, transferring guardianship should be in everyone’s best interests. You’re certainly capable.”
She nodded, lowering her gaze to her knees. “I’ve offered to take over Emma’s care. But my father, whenever I bring it up, shoots it down. They come up with some sort of horrible threat. Just this morning, he threatened to hide Emma away if I ever ask to take over Emma’s care. You see, they use Emma to control me. If I don’t attend dinner parties, they tell me that Emma can’t see me that week. I tried to attend college and my parents vetoed that, telling me that finishing school was enough. Again, they said if I didn’t go, if I want a job, then I don’t have time for Emma and they’ll have to find some other place that Emma could live.”
“That’s harsh!”
“It’s inhumane! Emma hasn’t ever done anything to anyone other than exclaim about the beauty of the world. If the sun is shining, Emma is happy because the world is sunny. If it’s raining, Emma is happy because there will be more flowers. If it’s cloudy, she says,” Chloe paused to smile, then looked right at Marco, “she says that God wants the flowers to take a nap.”
He smiled at the thought, nodding. “She sounds delightful.”
Chloe laughed, wrapping her arms around herself. “Oh, Emma has some difficult moments. That’s why she needs round the clock care. But if you just spend an hour in Emma’s company, you’ll come away feeling free and wonderful again. She’s a lovely person, Marco.”
“So how will marriage to me help you with Emma?”
Chloe pressed her lips together for a moment, then explained, “I want to petition the courts for emergency custody. If I can just get that, then I would have more time to convince the courts that I should have full legal custody. I can show them that I have the financial capabilities to support Emma.”
“You can do that on your own. You don’t need to marry me to do that.”
She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I’ve tried. The judge said that an unmarried woman shouldn’t tie herself down to a disabled sister.” Her lip trembled for a moment before she pulled herself together. “My parents laughed at me after that court appearance.”
His mouth fell open as he stared at Chloe. “The judge sounds like a sexist pig!” Marco growled. He stood up and came closer. “Okay, so…”
“I wasn’t going to tell you about Emma,” she blurted out, surprising herself by that admission.
Marco’s eyebrows shot up, then shook his head slightly as he sat down next to her. “You weren’t? Why did you?”
She shrugged and looked away. When she looked up at him again, she wanted to be completely honest with him. “Because I get the sense that you’re a good person, Marco. And full disclosure, I need your support to get my sister to a safe place.”
Marco stared at her, wishing that there was more to her desire for him than just his help in saving Emma. He wanted a hell of a lot more!
“Okay.”
Chloe blinked and he almost chuckled at the confusion in her pretty, blue eyes. “What does that mean?”
He looked out the window, then back at her. “I accept your proposal.” he explained. “We’re officially engaged,”
Chloe continued to stare at him, but slowly, as understanding formed in her brain, a smile grew, lightening the worry in her beautiful features. “Seriously?” she whispered, leaning forward ever so slightly.
