Broken (The Dark Billionaire, #2) (5 page)

Jennifer exhaled loudly and closed her eyes.
My God, I’m going to kill him!

Kenichi smiled at her, strode over the balcony fence and jumped on the slide before joining Bruce in the swimming pool.

A woman approached her and gently patted her back. “Don’t feel embarrassed. He did the same to all of us...”

***

E
verybody was having fun. The grilled beef was juicy and tasty, the wine was flowing and the music was loud. People were chatting in the pool or sunbathing on the deck, and Jennifer was having a great time.

Bruce, sunglasses on and smoking a cigar, sat down next to her. “Everything’s fine?”

Jennifer coughed and swept the air. “You smoke?”

“Only when I have a party like this, which is not very often. So how’s everything?”

”Perfect. Except for your
fake suicide attempt
in the ‘chilling room’ earlier this afternoon...”

Bruce frowned. “Why do you say that? I was just having fun and jumping in my pool. Not your typical jump I’ll admit, but this is how I party...”

Jennifer cleared her throat. “Maria told me what happened after your divorce and your suicide attempt in the middle of a party.”

Bruce started to stand up. “Where is she? She’s fired...”

Jennifer grabbed his wrist and pulled him down. “I asked her, okay? Don’t be mad at her. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me. But listen, you have to understand. You left me the other night with no other choice but to find my own answers.”

Bruce sat down and looked away. “And? You’re satisfied?”

“Not at all.” Jennifer said, playing with her glass of wine. “But what do you want me to do?”

They both kept silent. Jennifer continued. “Where were you really going in the middle of the night the other day?”

“I told you - to see my lawyer.”

“Bruce, you need to let go. I need answers, you understand?” She leaned forward and turned to him, resting her hand on his forearm. “I’m not going to hurt you, okay? But if you want me to be committed to you and to stay by your side, you need to stop acting like that. Stop holding back. Stop keeping secrets from me.”

Bruce slowly reached for the glass ashtray, put his cigar in it and blew the smoke out of his mouth. “It’s my ex-wife.”

Jennifer felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. “What about her?”

“She’s back. She’s here, in New York, and she’s looking for me.”

Jennifer’s heart was about to explode. “Did you see her? Have you met?”

“Not yet.”

“So you intend to see her? When? Is it going to be just the two of you?”

“I don’t think I’m going to see her. This is why I had to consult my lawyer. He’s the one who has been talking to her so far, as my middleman. They’ve been in touch for almost two weeks now.”

“Two weeks? So what happened that night when you had to run away at midnight? You already knew she was here, looking for you, right?”

“Yes, I already knew.”

Bruce kept silent. Jennifer sighed. “Bruce, help me! Talk to me. What does she want? What is she doing here?”

“Child support...”

Jennifer suddenly felt dizzy. “Wha... what? You mean... she wants money for...”

“For the child we had together.”

Jennifer dropped her hand from Bruce’s forearm and started to cry. “How many more secrets and ugly surprises do you have for me? Why are you doing this to me, Bruce?”

“Look, I didn’t know myself, okay? It’s not like I wanted to hide anything from you. I didn’t know until a few days ago. What did you want me to do? To tell you right away, just like that? I needed time to take the news first!”

Jennifer tried to control herself and to calm down. “How old is the child?”

“He’s a boy: Max. He’s seven now. Apparently, she got pregnant just before our divorce.”

“Where has she been all these years? Why come back now?”

“She was back in Seoul, Korea raising the kid with her family. She thought I was broke, which I was back then, and didn’t know I was a billionaire until very recently. She just stumbled upon my name and my photos in a magazine.”

“Wait, you said
back in Seoul
? She is...?”

“Korean, yes. She’s the Asian woman you saw that day getting out of my Rolls... She was meeting with Mr. Schneider, my lawyer.”

Jennifer took her head in her hands.
I knew it! I knew there was something going on with her!

She took a deep breath and laughed nervously. “Okay... well, that’s a lot to digest. I think I need to take a drink!”

Jennifer stood up and went to the bar to refill her glass. As she was drinking, Bruce joined her and took her in his arms. Jennifer stayed cold and didn’t try to hug him back.

“Send me back home. I need to be alone...”

“Okay, I’ll drive you ho...”

“No, no! You’re not going anywhere. You have a party, you have guests, you have a wife, you have a son... You don’t need to drive your assistant anywhere, thank you!”

“Jen, put that glass down, that’s enough now.” Bruce tried to take her glass off her hands, but Jennifer screamed. “Don’t touch me! I’m not drunk, okay? It hurts, you got it? It fucking hurts! But you can’t understand that, right?”

Bruce took off his sunglasses and looked straight in her eyes. “You don’t know what I’ve been through. You don’t know anything about me and my past!” He said, clenching his jaw and his fists.

“Yes, Bruce. You’re perfectly right. I don’t know you... and that’s the problem between us. Look, I don’t even know if there’s any ‘us’ at all actually. Where do I fit? Your life is a mess, Bruce, and you can’t hide behind your parties and your fancy scissor doors cars! Now just send me home. And don’t even try to call me.”

Bruce didn’t try to hold her back. “Fine.”

Jennifer turned her back on him and walked away. Bruce called Gerard.

“Yes, Sir?”

“Tell Jack to send Jennifer home.”

“Certainly, Sir. Which car is the most appropriate? The Maybach maybe?”

“No.”

Bruce slowly put on his sunglasses and took his cigar.

“The minivan...”

J
ennifer was waiting in the hall, arms crossed and looking at the spiral glass staircase wrapped around the impressive aquarium. About a month ago she had been right here, walking into Bruce’s life, far from imagining they would end up having a relationship.

And now here she was, totally confused and overwhelmed by his impossible lifestyle and rocky past, uncertain about the future and what to do next. The contrast was unreal. Jennifer couldn’t imagine how fast she got sucked into his world, completely under his spell and how fast she had let him take her heart.

Things were out of control and Jennifer hated that feeling. In all her previous relationships, she’d always decided how things would go. She had always been leading. But this time, she’d found stronger than her. Way stronger. It was a completely new level.

Jennifer knew it wasn’t about the money. Bruce could certainly do things that many other men couldn’t afford to do, but it wasn’t what made him stand out. No, it was something else: he was just so mysterious, deep, secretive, bossy, strong and at the same time, vulnerable and sensitive.

Broken.

He’s rich, that’s for sure. He’s richer than most people on this planet. But what price did he have to pay to get there? Billionaire? Yes... but a dark one.

In the back of her mind, Jennifer expected to see Bruce coming and trying to hold her back. She knew he had guests to entertain, but she liked the idea that she was much more important, and that Bruce would run after her to make her stay.

It didn’t happen.
He’ll probably call me later
.

Jennifer heard the noise of a loud engine behind her, but it didn’t sound familiar. Bruce’s luxury cars usually sounded strong but much smoother and his sports cars were way more powerful. She couldn’t figure out what it was and went out.

In front of her, Jack - obviously embarrassed - opened the door and invited Jennifer to get into an old rusty green minivan.

That’s a joke, right?

Jack saw Jennifer hesitating and explained. “This is Mr. Wilson’s first car. His
lucky van
, as he likes to call it. He started his first company with it and says he will keep it as long as he’s in business. He insists you try it.”

Jennifer thought about Bruce’s ex-wife.
If it was me leaving him back when he was driving that minivan, I’d never imagine he’d become so successful either.

“Thank you, Jack.” Jennifer said with a forced smile. “I’d like to see my grandmother. Do you remember the way?”

“Absolutely, Ms. Stuart.”

***

J
ennifer spent the night at Margareta’s place and told her everything. She needed to be reassured and guided, and her Grandma was the perfect person to talk to in such a case.

Even though she told Bruce not to call her, she still hoped that he would and she continually checked her cell phone until her grandmother told her to stop.

“Relax, honey. Forget about him for tonight. He’s not going to call you.”

“How do you know?”

“The way I see him... Hum. Very unlikely. I think he’s a very proud man, and he will not call you back that easily.”

“You mean he’s stubborn.”

“Not necessarily, honey. He’s not a needy man. Look at his background, his story, or even his everyday life. I’m sure he deals with a lot of conflicts and rejection - he’s used to it. Don’t expect him to come crawling to your door...”

“I know... It’s not what I imagine either. But I don’t know, just a phone call or a text message. Anything to let me know that he cares or thinks about me, even though he’s probably partying like crazy right now...”

“Don’t over think too much. Give him some space...”

“Some
space
? Are you serious, Grandma? I barely see him, and we never meet. If I give him more space, there won’t be anything left!”

“Honey, why are you so scared? I can understand the appeal to be with a man like him but honestly. Don’t you have other options?”

“If you mean other dates, the answer is no. And it’s more than a date with him now. It’s serious...”

“It’s been a month, honey. Just a month. I hate to tell you that, but don’t get too carried away.”

Jennifer sighed. “It’s true. But you know, there’s also the pressure.” Margareta raised her eyebrows in surprise, inviting her to continue. “The social pressure, Grandma. The biological clock. The big 3-0 approaching and everything. I don’t want to screw up and lose him. I don’t want to be that girl who accumulates failures after failures in her love life.”

Jennifer paused. “I want to start a family... or at least find the one who will be the father of my children. Even if we don’t start right away, I want to believe I can have that peace of mind...”

“Do you trust him? Do you think he’s sincere towards you?”

Jennifer took her time to answer. “Yes, I think so. I’m not 100% sure though, but I guess I do. I want to, anyway.”

“So show him your trust and let him deal with his problems. Don’t interfere.”

Jennifer was a bit shocked. It didn’t sound like good advice to her. “But isn’t it dangerous to do that? If I let him get close to his ex-wife again, who knows what can happen. Plus, there’s a child between them now. I’m afraid she’s using the kid as leverage to get him back and...”

Margareta raised her hand. “If you’re right for him, he will let you know. Not the other way around. You have to be patient. You want to be with a big guy, so expect to deal with big problems.”

Jennifer took a deep breath. She knew her Grandma was right. “Thank you, Grandma. You’re so wise.” Jennifer said, hugging her. “You want to go out tomorrow?”

“Yes, let’s go to Central Park and take a walk to clear your confused little mind.”

“Deal.”

The next morning, when Jennifer woke up, she heard a text message. She scrambled to her cell phone to check it: it was Bruce! Her heart was beating. She quickly stood up and read his message: “I won’t be at the office tomorrow. Weekly meeting postponed to Tuesday morning.”

Disappointed, she exhaled loudly and went back to bed. She wanted to reply to ask him if they would meet today, but hesitated. She thought about what her grandmother told her about giving him some space, but she couldn’t resist. “Ok. Can I see you today? I feel bad, I need to talk.”

She waited two minutes. Five minutes. Fifteen minutes. She couldn’t do anything else but wait for his reply. Thirty minutes.
My God! Yes or no?
She was fidgeting with her phone when he finally replied. “Already have a meeting with my lawyer.”

She started to type to ask him how long it would take but changed her mind in the middle of her sentence.
Damn it!
She threw her phone on the bed and sighed. She knew what he would say. Something like, “Possibly the whole day.” It was useless trying to squeeze an unplanned moment with him in his schedule.

It was early morning and Jennifer was already pissed.
What a nice way to start the day!
She felt frustrated and angry at Bruce. Her mind was going crazy.

Margareta was still sleeping so Jennifer couldn’t shout, scream or throw anything. Finally, she decided to meditate to calm down, fifteen or twenty minutes, as she’d learned during her yoga classes.

She set the alarm on her cellphone and sat in a crossed-legged position on the bed. She closed her eyes and rested her hands on her thighs. Then she started to breathe, concentrating on nothing else but her own breathing. Slowly, she was able to clear her mind and relax.

When she opened her eyes, her grandmother was quietly sitting in front of her.

“Good morning, Grandma.”

“Good morning, honey. You didn’t sleep well last night? Or is your mind looking for peace?”

“Something like that.” Jennifer said stretching. “You want to have brunch? I know a good place, but I should call and book a table right now because they’re pretty busy.”

“Alright.”

Jennifer booked a table for two, took a shower, and took Margareta to eat outside. It was a sunny day and after eating, they went to Central Park to take a walk.