Page 63 of The Billionaire's Temporary Governess (French Conquests 2)

Alex pondered awhile. “Only that her mother seemed incapable of managing the home. It was falling apart, and she rarely did any heavy cleaning. She had a lot of boyfriends, though, who supplemented her income.” His face grew grave. “Sofia told me that she was got molested by one of them, but he was rich and important, and when she went to her mother for help, she reminded her that the man was doing a lot for their family, so it was best not to rock the boat—”

“Oh my God!” Jacyn clapped her hands over her face. “Poor girl.”

Alex nodded. “I know. That’s one of the reasons why I asked our dad to allow her to move in with us.”

Jacyn laid her hand on her husband’s arm. “You’re so caring, my love.”

“And they used it to play me.” Alex responded tritely. Jacyn reached over, whispered something in his ear which caused him to smile and then they kissed.

Naisha smiled at what she saw. Such a beautiful couple, secure in her love. She glanced at William. She couldn’t wait to embark upon the same journey with the man she loved.

William nodded slowly. “Sofia may have had a lot of darkness in her soul, but I guess we need to be compassionate to her memory. Understand where that came from—”

Naisha interrupted, anxiety clawing at her. “Yes, Liam, but we also need to deal with this woman. She’s a nasty piece of work. We need to stop this. We can’t let her have access to Willa!”

“I would die before that happened,” William assured her with a growl. “I would leverage every resource I have to prevent it.”

“And you have many resources. You have money, power, influence! Please, can’t we just pay her off? If she hasn’t tried to have a relationship with Willa before now, then obviously she doesn’t desire to do so. People like her, they’re all about the bottom line!”

Jacyn was nodding vigorously, siding with Naisha, one mama bear to the other. “Pretty sure she can be bought, William,” Jacyn agreed.

William shot to his feet and began pacing. He was so angry that Naisha suspected that if he was a lion, his tail would be swishing. “I’m sure she can. But that’s not the answer. People like this, if you give them money they will come for more. Once they have a threat hanging over you, they will always be back. That’s how blackmail works—”

“But how valid is this threat?” Alex interrupted. “How likely is it that she can take Willa away from us?”

“That’s what I aim to find out,” William said with determination.

A wail so loud that it made them all jump was followed by Willa’s arrival onto the balcony. Shaking and sobbing, she ran in, crashing into William’s arms like a cannonball. “Papa! Papa! Don’t let her take me away!”

Naisha felt her heart sink. Oh, Lord, Willa had heard! She was supposed to be in Madeline’s suite, playing with her little brother. They hadn’t expected her back so soon. They’d hoped to sort it all out without Willa knowing.

William pressed her to his chest and made soothing noises. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. You weren’t supposed to know anything about this. Not yet.”

“I’ve been listening forever! I heard everything. I don’t want a mean new grandmother. I have grandmaman! Please don’t let her take me!”

Willa was visibly shaking. Naisha leaned forward and held out her arms, and Willa left her father and went to her, pressing her forehead into the crook of her neck. She felt a flood of maternal love and protectiveness, and knew in her heart that she would kill for this child if she had to.

“Willa,” Liam said gently but firmly. “I swear to you on my life that nobody is going to take you away from us. On the day you were born I swore that everything I did thereafter would be in your best interest, and I meant it.”

She stared at him, eyes begging for reassurance.

He went on. “We are a powerful family. We own property and businesses all over the world. Hotels, airlines, transportation systems. You know this. Did you really think we got to where we are without employing the best lawyers in the world? This woman, what does she have, maybe one tiny law firm behind her? I promise to employ ten of the best law firms if I have to so that when they walk into that courtroom, they will look like the Fellowship of the Ring marching towards Mordor.”

To Naisha’s relief, Willa actually managed a chuckle at that, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. William always had a way of making her feel better. She loved him all the more for that.

“There’s just one thing about that,” Alex interjected. And what he had to say next made them all wince. “If this goes to court, the world will know. And before it gets out, we will need to talk to our mother. We will need to tell her everything.”

He’s right,Naisha thought with a sinking feeling. How could they tell Madeline that her husband had an affair with a girl who had been the girlfriend of one son and the wife of the other? That he had woven a web of lies that had almost destroyed both her sons?

22

There are things in life that a grown son is never prepared to do, and one of those things is to break his mother’s heart.

William began his offensive by spending more than an hour on the phone on a three-way call with Juneau and a team of his best lawyers to launch a background investigation into Sofia’s mother and mount a legal strategy against this insane and vindictive attack. He had great confidence in these professional, experienced men. He was named as Willa’s legal father, so he knew it was unlikely that the woman would get her hands on his child. His fear was for Willa and what public opinion may do to her self-esteem. He didn’t want his daughter’s life torn apart by vultures when they learned Willa’s true paternity.

After he was done, he began to feel a bit better about the situation. What he’d said to Willa was true, there was literally nothing he would stop at to protect her from the clutches of this spiteful, small-minded witch. And while occasionally his position in society felt irksome, something to be managed with dignity and grace, there were other times when power was a useful tool. And he was using it to maximum effect.

Then, walking shoulder to shoulder, he and his brother marched to their mother’s quarters where, during an afternoon that felt like an eternity, they had one of the most difficult conversations of their lives.

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