Page 125 of Mistaken Intention

“Hmm… our father left us around fifteen million dollars each.”

I cough, unable to help myself and then struggle to regain control… to breathe. “F—Fifteen million?”

“Yeah. Sorry. I probably should have prepared you for that.”

“When Josie said ‘multi-millionaire’, I thought she was exaggerating.”

“No. I don’t think she knows exactly how much you’re worth, not unless you told her when you knew her before, or you told Lexi and Lexi told her. I’ve certainly never mentioned it to her, and it’s not public knowledge as far as I’m aware.”

I shake my head, struggling to take it all in. “In that case, I’m even more confused.”

“About what?”

“Why we’d choose to work.”

“To begin with, for you and me, it was because we wanted to prove a point.”

“To whom?”

“Ourselves mostly. Our father had never given us any support, and we wanted to prove we didn’t need it… that we could make it on our own. Later, once we’d inherited, I think we carried on because we wanted to prove we were worthy of the lives we were suddenly able to live.”

I nod my head. “I see. And are we? Worthy, I mean?”

“We try to be.”

“Did we make it?” I ask, wishing I already knew the answer to that.

“Yes. Dad never saw Ella make a success of her career, but she did.”

“And me?”

He smiles. “You’re a damn talented photographer, with a great reputation, and a bank balance to match.”

“You said I worked in fashion? Or that was what I was doing when I met Lexi?”

“Yeah. It’s what you used to do. You traveled all over the world, photographing some of the most beautiful women on the planet.”

“Please tell me I didn’t sleep with them… at least, not all of them?”

He smiles. “No, you didn’t. In fact, you usually steered well clear. I think the thing with Lexi was born out of boredom.”

I’m not sure that makes me feel any better, but I don’t want to lose track of our conversation.

“Is that what I was doing in Rome? Photographing beautiful women, I mean… not sleeping with them.”

“No. That was a travel shoot, and one you didn’t want to do. After Maisie was born, you started doing more studio work, because you didn’t like being away from her. But a client asked you to go to Rome for them, and you didn’t feel like you couldsay ‘no’. You hated it, though, and you couldn’t wait to come home.”

“I see. And do I have a studio of my own?”

“Yes. It’s in Boston. Close to your apartment.”

“Okay. And what about you?”

“What about me?”

“You said you’re the CEO of our father’s advertising agency. Was that something you chose to do, or did he choose it for you?”

“No. As I said, he didn’t care enough about us to worry what we did. It was my decision to go into advertising, although I haven’t always worked for TBA.”

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