Page 27 of A Billionaire's Secret

I froze in my seat as if stung by a bee. Of course, I had expectations of my daughter, and obviously, I wanted her to take over my business eventually. But I had shoved those thoughts away for as long as I could, avoiding the difficult conversations that came with them.

“But I’ve always told you to followyourdreams, do whatyouwant to do,” I argued. “I’ve supported every single project or passion of yours. At what point did you feel like you have to prove me anything?”

“The only reason I change my hobbies so often is because I keep searching for the one that I’m really good at. The one that will make you proud,” Diana teared up again. “And it gets exhausting. And it fucks with my mind so much that I do stupid shit only to feel good about myself. Even if for just a day or two.”

We rode silently for a while, each of us delving deeper into the spoken and unspoken words. Vivid memories of myself at Diana’s age filled the gaps in my mind. As the oldest child, my parents didn’t really see the need to give me options. At least not like they did for my younger sister. From day one, I knew what my place in the world was, and there was no doubt that I’d inherit and run the banks once my father either passed or retired.

Maybe it was the lack of options that prevented any form of anxiety from entering my thought process. Perhaps if I had options, I would have felt exactly like Diana was feeling.

My sister Jackie had options. And while she hasn’t accomplished much in her forty years of life, she is much less grumpy and stressed. Life seems to flow easily for her while she jumps from boat to boat and boards plane after plane, diminishing our family’s hard-earned money.

I had hoped to see Diana as free and happy as Jackie. But I never considered that Diana also had the burden of being an only child. And with that came unspoken responsibilities. And yes—expectations.

“Diana, listen,” I broke the long, thick silence. “I took care of the situation at Barrington Downs, but I tell you, I don’t sleep as well as I used to. Even so, let’s put it behind us and keep having these conversations. Deal?”

She looked at me with red, teary eyes. “Deal. I’m sorry, Dad.”

***

My house in Nashville felt empty and cold. I had dropped Diana at Amelia’s house, and instead of reveling in my solitude like I used to before, I had now come to despise it. Suddenly, my hometown, with all the familiar restaurants, bars, and shops I frequented, felt foreign to me. It was as if my body was in Nashville, but my soul had stayed behind in Louisville. I wondered how long a man could survive without his soul.

The answer to that question would have to wait. With Diana’s dangerous actions still haunting every corner of my mind, I decided to have lunch with my attorney and let him in on my secret.

“Christian, what’s going on, buddy!” William Boyd got up and patted my back with his stern hand.

I had met Will in court about seven years ago during a hearing I attended as a witness for a friend of mine. I had been so impressed with Will’s work that I immediately hired him and dropped my long-term lawyer. Having handled my divorce shortly after, he knew my life and business inside-out.

“What’s going on is that I keep creating more business for you,” I joked, watching his face light up with laughter.

“You keep getting in trouble, huh?” He made sure he understood me correctly.

“I wish it was me this time,” I paused, debating one last time whether to tell another soul or not. “It’s Diana. She pulled a good one on me.”

Will and I sat at an end table on the outside patio of a quiet café we always frequented. He ordered his usual green tea, and I opted for my typical black espresso.

“What did your lovely girl do?” Will asked eagerly.

“First off, I don’t know much about this stuff, so I need you to look into it,” I began and leaned closer to him, hushing my next words. “She gave her horse performance-enhancing drugs before a race and won it.”

I paused to look at Will’s face. Besides his pupils slightly diluting, he looked calm and unmoved to the naked eye.

“Who else knows about it?” Like a true professional, he asked the most relevant questions.

“Besides her, me and you, as far as I know, just one more person—a vet at the stables,” I explained, holding back the next words for as long as I could afford.

“Did you talk to the vet? Did she pay him anything?” Will examined me.

“She did, twenty grand,” I swallowed. “And here’s the kicker—I didn’t just talk to him. I may have threatened him and bribed him as well. Another twenty grand.”

I bit my lip in anticipation of Will’s reaction.

“Buddy—” he looked at me scornfully. “Have I taught you nothing? You should have seen me before doing all that.”

I sank into my chair, knowing very well that I had messed up. But I had to act quickly before the vet told anyone.

“I had to stop the fucker, Will.” I tried to justify my sloppy actions. “Every minute that I didn’t confront him was an opportunity for him to tell someone or worse—blackmail Diana.”

“I get it, you felt the need to shut him up,” Will agreed. “Now we have to hope he doesn’t spend the money and come running back.”

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