Page 62 of Love in Bloom

“I’m so sorry. I should’ve let you explain and not jumped to conclusions.”

He placed a hand on her arm. “You don’t need to apologize, Camille. You had every right to say what you did.”

“No, I—”

“Let me finish.” He gave her the smallest of smiles. “I’m going to have to ask you to do something incredibly hard, Camille Slade. I’m going to ask you not to talk. To listen and hear me out.”

She nodded, her heart pounding.

Tristan looked out over the city. “I did take the money, but not because I wanted to. Jia gave me no choice. After I was dumped on the steps of the consulate, and recovered enough to join the real world, I couldn’t get a job. Jia’s family saw to that. You can’t make a difference in the world without money. I drifted, wandered. Money appeared in my bank account. I knew where it had come from without asking. I left the money untouched and closed the account. I opened new accounts under different names with different banks. Within forty-eight hours, the money would reappear. Each time the amount increased. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore. I emailed Jia to make it stop. She replied that the money would stop when I accepted it. She told me she wanted to know how much I could be bought for, how much my soul was worth. And when I accepted the money, I would know that she owned me no matter where I went or what I did. My future depended on her generosity. So, yes, Camille, I took the money to get closure with Jia and move on with my life. My soul is worthless as far as I’m concerned.” He dropped his hand.

Camille’s heart ached for all the torment Jia had put Tristan through. No one should have to endure that kind of cruelty. “How much?”

“Thirty million.”

Camille gawked.

“Barely a drop in the bucket as far as her family is concerned.”

She swallowed. “What did you do with it?”

“I started my research company so I could make the world a better place in the best way I know how. But that isn’t all. While I wandered around India, I noticed how many children lived and begged on the streets. It wasn’t pretty. I set up a foundation that helps fund orphanages there and started three of my own. I visit them every week. I know most of the children by name. They don’t know I’m their benefactor. They know me as a volunteer. Their lives are improving. I hope to do more for them as time goes on.”

Camille put her hands over her mouth and looked at Paris. “You took lemons and made lemonade.”

Tristan chuckled. “That is one way to sum it up.”

She turned and threw her arms around him. “I’m sorry I ever doubted the goodness of your heart.”

He pulled back enough to look in her eyes. “I should’ve told you everything from the beginning. Then you wouldn’t have had a reason to doubt. I was scared to share all of me, the good and the bad, with you. I was afraid you might not like me once you knew who I was.”

“How could I not love you knowing who you are?”

“And who am I?”

“My Tristan, who has a heart bigger than the moon and who shines as bright as the sun.” She kissed him, tasted him, let her feeling for him show through her actions, and pressed her love into his heart. He enthusiastically responded, and she felt his love for her pour into her soul, filling her with light and hope.

When they broke apart, he kissed the tip of her nose.

“We still have one problem,” he said between breaths.

“What’s that?”

“Your work is in London and mine is in India. There’s half a globe between us.”

“Do you really think that can stop two people as brilliant as us from figuring it out?”

“Perhaps it’s time we each considered opening a secondary space?”

“Top notch suggestion. You can buy my plane ticket to India.” She teased her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Don’t you want to buy your own as a CEO and woman of independent means?”

“I rather thought my fake husband should foot the bill.” She trailed her fingers down to play with the top of his T-shirt below his Adam’s apple.

“A situation I’m inclined to rectify, sooner rather than later.” He placed a few kisses along her jaw.

“Are you proposing?”

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