Page 14 of The Innovator

Finances had a way of unmasking people. Though Mom was Dad’s wife, she wasn’t a true LaRue in terms of bloodline, and therefore didn’t have the power to block Aunt Estelle from selling it. I voiced my thoughts vehemently, but again, the will stated Aunt Estelle would become CEO and oversee the company if something should happen to Dad. She couldn’t make any major decisions without my approval. But she’d been ignoring that statement. I could only take over if Aunt Estelle stepped down, viewed unfit by the members, and so forth. But she couldn’t sell the company unless the Board of Directors approved it. Mom and I were members, and we’d definitely vote against it. The will was outdated, long, and complicated.

Despite all that, Mom and I could influence the Board of Directors and sway the vote. So the battle was now between my family and Aunt Estelle. People usually assumed that glamor and money shielded people from family drama. But the truth was, no family was immune to that.

Had I made a mistake by not going to the authorities when I received my dad’s documents? I wanted to, but intuition had told me not to. What if going to the police would escalate the drama already being played out in the public? The tabloids would twist things to attract as many eyeballs as possible. I didn’t know why, but I knew there was something not right about this entire scenario.

I held the picture of The Prism in my hand. It was a twenty-floor brick building with a lot of windows. There was nothing extraordinary about it. I’d seen more unique buildings.

Why did you buy me this property? Was there something you wanted me to find out? Did you cheat on Mom? Please give me the closure I need. Please show me how I can save House of LaRue from falling into the wrong hands.

It would take a lot of money to buy out Aunt Estelle and all the Board of Directors who had a portion of the stocks. I didn’t consider myself poor by any means, but I was no billionaire. The accumulated assets of House of LaRue barely touched a billion dollars, but we owed a lot to the banks too.

I had thought my ex-fiancé, Rafael Caputo, was the man who could help me, but I was wrong. Caputo Holdings was a group of European banks, and he was the son of the CEO of that company. If I had married him, he promised to finance House of LaRue. But while I was engaged to him, he dated three other women. He didn’t even keep his escapades discreet. His support would have saved my family, but at what cost?

I felt used, dirty, betrayed, and worthless. The relationship had been wrong from the start. I had dismissed those signals that something was wrong. The late hours at work, the long weekend trips alone, the sudden calls at night—these were signs the universe had given me, but I was too blind to see them. Rafael only wanted to be associated with me because it boosted his persona to be with a fashion designer of a luxurious brand. He didn’t love me. At least not the way I wanted or needed to be.

A man who loved variety could never settle for one woman. He’d get bored and move on. But I wasn’t a woman who settled for less than what I deserved. Terrible experiences with men had taught me that, so now I was more careful.

When I admitted to my mom why I’d agreed to marry Rafael, she was furious.

Don’t sell your soul for money. Whether House of LaRue fails or succeeds, it won’t come at the cost of my daughter’s happiness.

As I stared at The Prism, Grayson’s face appeared in my mind, and my heart raced. I didn’t understand this odd reaction to him.

It’s not a reaction, it’s an attraction.

Was it an attraction? Why was I attracted to men who could hurt me? Like Rafael, Grayson preferred variety. Why couldn’t I find a decent man who wanted to be with me and only me? Was that too much to ask?

How did these men juggle so many women, anyway? Women could be demanding—especially women who knew what they wanted—and keeping everyone in check would be difficult.

My reaction to Grayson was a simple aspect of human nature. He was a handsome man, and I enjoyed looking at beautiful things. So that was natural. There couldn’t be anything more between us. How could I be attracted to someone who irritated me? Plus, he probably had a girlfriend, maybe multiple girlfriends. I had to stop this absurd attraction before it got out of hand.

I didn’t have the energy to patch up a broken heart again. My energy was reserved to uncover the truth about my dad.

I searched for other properties near The Prism. There were two buildings for sale. Maybe he’d be interested in those. What was his vision for Three Point Park? Perhaps if I knew, I could help him find a more suitable building as a replacement.

I wasn’t an architect, so I looked at the aesthetic differently—from a fashion perspective. Maybe the interior and the structure of The Prism made it a gem. Maybe I should sneak inside one of these days. Then I’d be breaking another law here in the States. If I had keys, that would solve a lot of problems.

I’d already broken a couple with my fake ID, lying on my resume, so adding another crime would officially make me a criminal.

Shit.

If this came to light in Europe, my career would be over and House of LaRue would be destroyed.

Fear made my stomach cramp.

Don’t fail. Don’t fear. Breathe.

I leaned back on the couch and concentrated on my breathing. When the cramp subsided, I focused on my goal: find out the truth about my dad, restore House of LaRue to financial stability, and work on my own collection. Dad had a great skill for designing novelty trims. Customers had always commented on the unique buttons, belts, and cuff links. I’d learned a lot from him, and I’d do whatever was necessary to protect my family’s legacy.

Though I worked for the City, I hadn’t found any useful information regarding The Prism in the archives, which Grayson had also looked into. All I found were a few papers about electrical and sewer pipe installation misfiled in another cabinet. It was as though someone removed everything regarding the Prism.

Was someone at City Hall hiding information? Had I met this person? It could be any of my coworkers. Was I being paranoid? There were other properties that had missing files too. So maybe the files got damaged or were misplaced by someone. That could happen.

Back at House of LaRue, I’d uncovered missing files in another department’s drawer when the assistant was reorganizing.

My phone pinged with a message from the girls.

Kiera:Wanna go to a fashion show in Boston? It’s for charity. The designers for Marchesa and Valentino are going.

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