Page 41 of A Billionaire Gentleman

“And you’re regretting it?”

I shook my head. “Not exactly. I mean, everyone was right that I wasn’t being fair to Aurelia, marrying her without loving her.”

“Everyone?”

“You, Damon…Sofi.”

“Ah.” He set down his mug, his expression serious. “You talked to Aurelia yesterday?”

“I did.” I sighed. “She was great about it, actually. She didn’t cry or yell at me. If anything, she almost seemed…relieved.”

“Are you worried about complications from Sofi being my assistant? We can move her to another position where it won’t cause any conflict.”

I hadn’t even thought of that in any detail. Wonderful. One more thing to add to the work issue I was already stressing over. “I’m worried about what Dad’s going to say.”

“My son needs to learn that he doesn’t always know what’s best for you boys.” Grandad carefully folded his newspaper. “And he needs to keep in mind that one does not sacrifice the happiness of the family simply because he thinks it’ll be good for the business. Family comes first. Always.”

Some of the tension eased from me. The phone rang, making me smile. Grandad was extremely tech-savvy, especially for someone pushing eighty, but he refused to give up his landline. My smile only lasted until Grandad spoke to the person on the other end.

“Yes, Walter, he’s here. Just a moment.” He handed me the phone and returned to his seat. “Your father couldn’t reach you on your cell.”

I winced. “Morning, Dad. Sorry about that. My battery must’ve died yesterday.”

“I’m sure your conversation with Aurelia used up the last of it, am I right? Because I can’t think of another reason why you’d make such a huge decision without consulting me first.”

My grip on the phone tightened. At least I didn’t need to figure out when and how best to tell him about the broken engagement. “I planned on telling you, but yes, I ended things with Aurelia yesterday.”

“Why would you do that?” He sounded like he was trying to keep from yelling. “I told you that Ronall wanted someone to protect and care for his daughter, and I told him that you were the man for the job. Do you realize what that looks like?”

“Iamcaring for her and protecting her,” I said. “We’re not right for each other, and we don’t feel the way two people should if they’re going to get married. It wouldn’t have been fair to either of us to go into a marriage like this.”

“Fair? Life isn’tfair, Deklin,” he snapped. “You were supposed to do this for the family, and you couldn’t do it. Do you know what it does to our reputation if we can’t keep our word?”

“I don’t think anyone’s going to think a broken engagement is a big deal, Dad. Not when Aurelia and I only knew each other for a couple months–”

“Let youryesbeyes,and yournobeno,” he almost shouted, cutting me off. “Do you even remember anything I taught you growing up? The Bible verses you had to learn?”

“Yeah, Dad. From the book of Matthew. I remember.” I got up and went to the fridge, needing to move. “But–”

“This isn’t acceptable.”

I didn’t hear what Dad said next because Grandad was suddenly next to me, taking the phone from my hand. I handed it over, wondering what was going to happen next.

“Walter.” After a beat, he repeated, “Walter. Stop.” The word was sharp. Hard. “Your son and I have business to discuss. Real business that has nothing to do with your son’s personal life. Real business that he excelled at this past week, if you’d bothered to ask. We’ll be in on Monday to talk about it, but we’ll see you Sunday for Cynthia’s birthday.”

And then he hung up.

On my dad.

I stared at him. “Um…”

“Take the day,” he said. “Spend time with Sofi.”

“I thought you said you and I needed to talk.”

He shrugged. “Not really. I know how well you did in Vegas. I don’t need to talk to you to prove it.”

“Okay.” I blinked as he went back to the table. This was not how I saw this morning going.

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