Page 15 of The Exposed Heiress

Emma walked into another foyer and living room. On this floor, there was a glassed-in terrace in the distance. A series of photographs caught her eye on the far wall. A younger Leo and his brother, Tyler, stood together wearing Burberry suits at an elaborate dinner party.

Leo stood behind her and said, “That ad campaign started my ad agency.”

Emma turned away from him. “I didn’t know that you modeled.”

He stood still with his feet planted wide. “There were many things I tried early on to bring enough capital in to launch Bloom Advertising.”

Walking across the room, she glanced out at the view of the river. “You have an interesting look. You could still model.”

“I’ll leave that to Tyler. Are you ready for lunch?”

Emma took in a deep breath and nodded. She had avoided all thoughts of Tyler, but seeing his image on the wall didn’t bring back any feelings. At the time of their break-up, she hid her heartbreak, but was it possible that she didn’t have deep feelings for him after all? She had been mortified by the bad press surrounding his infidelity, but maybe that was it.

Following Leo into the kitchen, she helped him unpack the containers from a Thai restaurant.

He placed two plates on the counter and took out silverware. “Let’s eat here, and then we’ll go out to the terrace?”

She served herself spicy noodles with shrimp. “The takeaway place included chopsticks.”

Leo poured them each flat spring water from a glass bottle.

* * *

Leo servedhimself a red curry pork and rice. Taking his plate to the table, he considered the afternoon ahead. Emma would almost certainly resist any change. He could approach the board, but without her agreement, it could take weeks to get a consensus.

Emma took a sip of water, and he attempted to block out her appeal. His brother had fallen madly in love with her, and that in itself was reason enough not to get too close.

She gathered noodles onto her chopsticks and said, “Thank you for lunch,” before delicately placing them in her mouth.

He took a bite of pork. The finances weren’t the only challenge. James Bolles had many enemies. He was known to go after his competitors and not show any mercy. Many people had come to him with insane stories of James buying out material that he knew another house needed or paying off vendors to lose orders.

“Not many people like your father. He’s known to be temperamental and spiteful.”

Emma nodded. “It’s a tough industry. Most people have huge egos and want everything their way. I’ve been able to focus solely on designs because he dealt with the business bits.”

After a few more bites, he left the remaining food on his plate. She didn’t seem to have an inflated sense of herself. If anything, she stayed too much in the background.

She finished her meal in silence, and then he placed their plates on the counter while she closed up the containers of food.

He poured them more water and said, “Let’s talk on the terrace.”

She took her glass and walked through the living room and opened the glass door to go outside. Her graceful walk caught his gaze. She moved effortlessly and reminded him of polish and class. She had grown up in a world opposite of his. He had to be taught how to hold his body and dress impeccably as an adult.

Placing her water on the table, she said, “The sun feels good. I don’t normally leave work during the day.”

He leaned against the low brick wall. “You seem to have gotten over your shock.”

She pulled out a wicker chair and sat down. “I’m not sure it’s settled in yet. Being away from the fashion house allows me to put it aside somewhat.”

Her privilege surrounded her. “Do you often put problems aside instead of facing them head-on?”

She smoothed out her skirt. “Normally I deal with things within my control, but right now given the magnitude of the problems facing the business, I don’t know what to do. I can’t solve it on my own.”

Leo crossed his arms. “Are you waiting for a savior to fall from the sky?”

She stood up and stared at him. “No, I’m trying to survive. My father hasn’t regained consciousness. It wouldn’t be smart to rush into decisions about the future of the business.”

The Bolles family would be devastated if their brand came crashing down. “You’ll survive, Emma. But will your legacy?”

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