Page 27 of His Billion-Dollar Takeover Temptation

Adrian might make her feel about as welcome as the plague, but at least there were some people at Casa de Cabrera who were pleasant and welcoming...

Adrian looked up as his mother walked into his study. His shoulders tightened as his chest filled with the resentment he often felt around Isabella Cabrera.

Had it really been thirty-three years since she’d come back from the hospital? The memory of her getting out of the car, with dark circles under her eyes and lines of sorrow etched into the skin around her mouth, and turning away from him as he ran to her with arms outstretched was burned into his mind forever. That and the sight of the empty baby carrier in the backseat.

He never would have guessed that that one moment would lead to years of Isabella barely being able to stand to look at him, let alone try to be his mother.

In the blink of an eye, he shut off the emotions that seethed beneath the surface. Stoicism was his only means of surviving being around his mother.

“Been digging in the gardens, have we?” he asked, with a glance at her dirt-stained jeans.

“Just checking the vines for the new Cabernet Sauvignon.” Isabella walked over to the decanter of ice water Diego had brought in and poured herself a tall glass. “And meeting your new American friend.”

He paused, detesting the slight uptick in his heartbeat at the mention of Everleigh. “Oh?”

“Lovely young woman.”

Isabella casually sipped her water, but Adrian knew that tone. She had latched on to something, and now she was on the hunt for information.

“She is.”

Isabella waltzed over to a green armchair and sat, still trying to look casual and failing miserably. He felt her eyes on him as he walked back to his desk. He sat and turned his attention to his computer. She was up to something, but he was damned if he would give in and ask her what.

The chair squeaked as she stood and meandered over to his desk. “I hear we’re taking her family’s winery.”

His fingers paused over the keyboard, frustration tightening his jaw. “Is that what she told you?”

“No, your father told me.”

He took a deep breath, followed by another, as he forced his muscles to relax. To him, Javier Cabrera was more of a business associate than a father. As a father he’d been distant, focused on growing the Cabrera empire. As a mentor and member of Cabrera Wine’s executive board he was exceptional—a seasoned professional with a brilliant mind who never hesitated to give his sons advice and guidance.

“Did he also tell you that Everleigh’s father is the one who reached out to me? Or that without Cabrera purchasing Fox the winery would most likely go under?”

“He mentioned that, yes.”

“And that I offered to keep all employees on?”

Isabella perched on the edge of the desk. “Yes. It just seems very sad.”

“So the poor, pampered heiress is now left a pauper?” Adrian snapped. “Except that I’m paying top dollar for Fox, I’ve left her and her father the house and land, and I’ve added a twenty-five percent increase to the salaries of everyone who chooses to stay.” He stood, feeling that familiar irritation crawling underneath his skin. “I even agreed to Bradford’s terms that Fox be a sub-brand of Cabrera. Asub-brand. I’ve been more than generous. And, if that weren’t enough, I’m keeping Everleigh on as head of marketing and even considering promoting her to director of Fox. She has no grounds for any complaints.”

Triumph flashed in Isabella’s gaze. Adrian resisted the urge to squirm. He had a sinking feeling he had somehow revealed something his mother had been searching for, although for the life of him he couldn’t imagine what.

“Did you ask her what she wanted?” she asked.

“Of course.”

Did you?

Everleigh had certainly made her intentions clear from the beginning, but had he truly asked her what she wanted?

“I like her, Adrian.”

He rolled his eyes. His mother’s endorsement of anyone’s character meant nothing to him. In fact, it should serve as a warning to stay away from Everleigh.

“Just because you like someone it doesn’t mean I’m going to alter a business deal. I’m considering Everleigh for the position of director. But I will not make a decision on something this important without considering other candidates.”

Isabella hopped off the desk. “I did not ask you to.”

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