Chapter 50

fifty

DANIEL

I looked across the table at my grandfather and frowned. I didn't know where Ben had gone, but I'd promised I wouldn't leave him on his own.

For most of the night, he'd stayed at the table, talking to the guests who came to congratulate him. But fifteen minutes ago, he'd left and hadn't returned.

"…and then the police were called. Well, you can imagine my surprise when a detective knocked on my front door." Mrs. Parker, looking regal in her Cartier diamond and pearl necklace, was telling me about the latest drama in her apartment building. "The detective was so nice. He gave me his business card and told me to call him if I remember seeing anyone."

"Mr. Nelson?" The ma?tre d' stood beside me. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have an urgent matter that needs your attention."

I glanced across the table at my brother. Had he noticed my desperation to get away from Mrs. Parker, or was there really something I needed to fix?

But Owen was busy talking to our grandfather, not watching me.

With an apologetic smile, I turned to Mrs. Parker. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"No need to rush. I want to chat with your grandfather, anyway."

As I followed the ma?tre d' out of the Rainbow Room, I almost felt sorry for my granddad. Mrs. Parker was a lovely lady, even if she was the most eccentric person I knew.

"This way, sir." The ma?tre d' wove between the guests, heading toward the opposite side of the building.

I'd been to the top of the Rockefeller Center before, so I knew where we were going. Bar SixtyFive was a popular venue for tourists and locals. Apart from an award-winning restaurant and bar, it overlooked some of the most famous landmarks of New York City.

We walked through the seating area and into a semi-enclosed terrace. Ben stood down one end, staring across the Manhattan skyline.

"Mr. Harper would like to speak to you. If there's anything else you need, please don't hesitate to ask."

I nodded and studied the rigid line of Ben's body. Something had happened and it wasn't good. Cautiously, I moved forward, not wanting to make matters worse by startling him. "Hi, Ben. Is everything all right?"

He turned toward me and my heart sank. His eyes were filled with so much sadness that I thought something must have happened to his dad.

"Why didn't you tell me about Emanuel Ricardo?"

For a brief moment, my mind went blank. Then I remembered who he was talking about. Deep, dark fear rose inside of me, making it hard to breathe. "The person who accused your father of copying his design?"

Ben nodded.

The hurt expression on his face made me feel ashamed. If I could have traveled back in time, I would have told him everything when I first met him.

"Why didn't you tell me he was working for you?"

"I didn't know you were Tony Harper's son until Owen completed your background check."

"Your company believed Emanuel. You paid his legal fees."

I ran my hand around the back of my neck. "We had no reason not to believe him. Emanuel worked with other high-profile companies. No one had a bad word to say about him."

"You spread lies about my father." Ben's voice shook. "You didn't have any proof that copyright had been infringed, but you still went ahead with the trial. Your attorneys must have told you the chance of winning was low, but you didn't care. All you wanted was to blame my dad for something he didn't do."

"It wasn't as straightforward as that."

"It should have been. Do you know how difficult it was for my family? My mom was struggling with her chemotherapy. Dad lost his job and no one wanted to employ him."

"I'm sorry. I should have?—"

"You should have listened to your attorneys." Ben wiped tears off his face. "You could have stopped the case from going to trial, but you didn't. Your attorneys kept pushing and pushing until Dad had nothing left to give."

I stepped toward him. "We had to go to court. There was more at stake than your father's guilt or innocence. Regardless of whether we were right or wrong, we needed clarification on who owns the copyright on a design before it's been manufactured."

Ben's mouth dropped open. "Do you know how terrible that sounds? You left my father penniless and ruined his career to prove a point. Is that all another person's life means to you?"

"You know me better than that." My voice shook as I tried to control the panic racing through me. I loved Ben, but our relationship was falling apart and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

"I thought I knew you." Ben wrapped his arms around his waist. "Before we met, I didn't want to accept your award. I thought your customers would boycott your company if they discovered I was Tony Harper's son. I was willing to give up everything to protect my dad and your company."

I wanted so badly to hold Ben in my arms, to tell him I loved him and that everything would be okay. But right at this moment, that was the worst thing I could do. "You don't need to protect anyone. My PR team will stop the media from making false accusations about you or your dad."

"It's too late."

My heart pounded. "What do you mean?"

" The New York Times is publishing an article about Dad, the award, and Emanuel Ricardo. The reporter asked me questions about your company and how I feel about what happened."

No wonder Ben was upset. If the reporter was like the other journalists who'd covered the story, they would have been ruthless. "When did you talk to the reporter?"

"A few minutes ago. Her name is Amanda Cooke." With a trembling hand, he gave me a business card. "Her contact details are on here."

"Ben—"

"She said the only reason you asked me to work for you was because the board of directors wants to fire you. Is that true?"

I swallowed the knot in my throat. "I wanted to rebrand our prestige store. The board of directors didn't want to invest the amount of money it would take to reach a new audience. I wanted you and your jewelry to be the new face of Wilson Enterprises."

"I told you I don't like being the center of attention. I only let Andrew take my photo because you wanted an up-to-date image for tonight."

It broke my heart to see Ben so upset. "I did what I had to do."

His jaw clenched tight. "What would have happened if I'd decided I didn't want to work with you?"

"The money my company has invested in getting ready for the rebrand would be wasted."

"And your contract as chief executive?"

"It wouldn't be renewed."

Ben's eyes widened. "So what the reporter said was true?"

"I wasn't using you to keep my job. Not in the way you mean. I love you, Ben. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

He took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. "I'm not sure you know what love is." His softly spoken words brought tears to my eyes. "I'm flying back to Colorado tonight. I'll take a taxi to your apartment and collect my suitcase. Before I go, I'll leave the spare key on the kitchen counter."

"Don't go. We need to talk about what's happened."

His bottom lip trembled. "I need time to think. I'll work on your jewelry collection from Sunrise Bay."

I held Ben's hand. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Emanuel."

"So am I." He pulled his hand away. "I'll call you in a couple of weeks."

As he walked across the terrace, my heart began to break. And I didn't know if it would ever be whole again.