Chapter 27

twenty-seven

DANIEL

Sitting behind my desk in Manhattan, I re-read the same report for the third time. I rubbed my eyes, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. For the last ten days I'd buried myself in work, pushing even harder than usual. But nothing I said or did could erase Ben from my mind. I wasn't sleeping, wasn't eating, and wasn't getting much of anything done.

My office door shot open and my brother strode into the room. He didn't usually look so stressed. "What's wrong?"

Owen dropped a folder onto my desk. "You had a lucky escape."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ben didn't tell you the entire story about why he won't accept the award. His father is Tony Harper."

I stared at my brother. Four years ago, Wilson Enterprises had asked a high-profile jewelry designer to create an exclusive collection for our company. After missing two crucial deadlines, Emanuel Ricardo had accused Tony Harper of stealing his designs. With Wilson Enterprises' financial backing, Emanuel had filed a lawsuit against Tony. The media coverage before and after the trial had been brutal.

Everything Ben had said about a friend being accused of stealing someone's jewelry designs, and the need to distance himself from my company, now made sense.

Slowly, I opened the folder. Even before the trial started, television, newspaper, and social media personalities had decided Tony Harper was guilty. At its worst, it seemed as though every artistic prima donna had found their way in front of a camera, tearing Tony to shreds.

"What happened to Ben's family after the trial?"

"You won't like it."

I lifted my gaze to my brother's worried face.

"The cost of fighting the case made his family bankrupt. After the trial, they sold their house in Los Angeles and moved to San Francisco. Tony eventually found another job." Owen hesitated. "There's something else you should know. Ben's mom was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer before the trial. She died a few months after their family moved to San Francisco."

I closed my eyes and groaned. "I've made a huge mistake."

"You did the right thing. If we'd sold Ben's jewelry, his father's reputation could have negatively impacted our corporate image."

I nearly told my brother what he could do with our corporate image. But Owen hadn't met Ben, hadn't seen how hard he worked to raise money for the people who needed help. He hadn't stood in his studio, enthralled by his creativity. And my brother hadn't fallen a little in love with a man who had more secrets than either of us.

"Why didn't Ben tell me?"

Owen shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. What I do know is that he saved our company from a PR disaster."

"Forget the company. Ben must hate me for what I did."

Owen frowned. "You went to trial because it was the only thing you could do. Knockoff jewelry was flooding the Internet. If we didn't protect the intellectual property of our designers, who would?"

"Ben's father was innocent. Emanuel should be in prison for the lies he told." When the issue of who held copyright over a jewelry design raised its ugly head, I'd done everything I could to get a clear legal judgment. It wasn't until the trial was nearly over that the attorneys discovered the level of Emanuel's deceit.

My decision to prosecute Tony Harper would haunt me for the rest of my life. "How am I going to apologize to Ben?"

"His father won the case. You don't need to apologize."

"When did you become so hard-nosed? His family became bankrupt because of me."

"You did what you had to do."

I shook my head. "I've done more than that."

"What do you mean?"

"The church in Sunrise Bay wants to build a village made from tiny homes. I told Ben our trust would purchase the land and gift it back to the church—as long as he agreed to work exclusively with us."

Owen sunk into a chair. "Are you crazy?"

"I was desperate."

"What you offered was not only illegal, it was stupid. If you thought Tony Harper's trial was a circus, this could be worse."

"Ben won't take it any farther."

"Don't be too sure. You should call your legal team."

"That won't help." I needed to apologize to Ben, but I couldn't do it from Manhattan. Quickly, I slid the folder Owen had given me into my briefcase and unplugged my laptop. "I'm going to Sunrise Bay."

"What for?"

"To talk to Ben."

Owen crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Have you heard of the telephone?"

"You don't think I should go?"

"Granddad's getting involved in things he shouldn't and the board of directors is after blood—and it isn't mine. You can't afford to leave."

"If I fly out tonight, I'll be back by Sunday." I pulled on my jacket and looked at the work sitting on my desk. As long as I had my laptop, I could work through the electronic copies of the reports from anywhere.

Owen's eyes narrowed. "This is the second time you've dropped everything to travel to Sunrise Bay. What's going on?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." I picked up my phone and asked Charlotte to book a flight to Boulder. The meetings I couldn't miss would have to be held by teleconference because, regardless of what my brother thought, some things couldn't wait. And one of them was fixing the worst mistake of my life.