The Billionaire Bargain (Millionaire's Club) (11 page)

She remembered her devastation at one day having the security of a family and the structure of a home, and the next day nothing. The floor hadn’t just dropped from underneath her, it disappeared. Wiped out. Nothing.

Had this child ever known the warmth of a loving embrace on a cold morning?

You will
.

“You must be Daniel,” she shouted over the blare of chopper blades whirring.

“Yes.” His brow knitted in confusion. “I thought my father would meet me.”

Thankfully, his English was near-perfect. Then Rae remembered he’d been brought up in Hong Kong. He must look like his mother because she saw nothing of Daegen in the boy. “He will. Let’s get out of this noise, shall we?”

He bowed politely as he nodded his agreement.

When they could speak without shouting, Rae introduced herself. “Your father should be back any minute. He is so very sorry he couldn’t be here to meet you personally.”

On closer inspection, Rae saw the confusion and hope behind Daniel’s serious expression. He seemed to carefully guard his real thoughts and she instantly knew why. Fear and uncertainty were emotions that had to be swallowed in the worlds they grew up in.

Show no fear
had been Rae’s childhood mantra. Fear had consequences. Because frightened kids were taken advantage of. It was a lesson children in their circumstance had to learn early in order to survive. “Would you like to freshen up?”

“No. Thank you. Does he live here?” His gaze darted around.

She nodded. “Not all the time though. This is his vacation villa. You must be hungry. Can I make you something to eat?” She wanted to reach out and hug him. To somehow let him know he was safe now. But she didn’t want to scare him off. He’d been taking care of himself. And his pride was written all over his squared shoulders and stiff chin.

“Yes. Please.”

She directed him to sit at the counter while she dug in the fridge. She found papaya, mango, and star fruit. She pulled a knife from the drawer.

“Can you tell me about him, please?” Daniel asked, and his face was stoic.

Rae’s heart nearly melted at the spark of expectation in his voice he did his level best to hide. It was a familiar hope all father-less children held that their father was special, a modern-day superhero. In Daniel’s case, it was as near to truth as it could be without Daegen actually owning a red cape.

“Sure,” she said, carefully slicing the fruit. She filled a plate and placed it in front of him. “He’s very successful. Self-made.”

He looked up at her wide-eyed, eager, before reining it in as he refocused on the chunks of fruit in front of him. “What does he do?”

“He owns Tan Enterprises, which in turn owns all kinds of companies not to mention a pharmaceutical one. He’s tall and strong. He can come off as harsh sometimes but he cares. He goes on dangerous expeditions to find new herbs to use in medications to help sick people.”

Daniel sat there, contemplative, chewing on a piece of mango.

There was something dignified about him, Rae decided, even though he looked too skinny for his height. She knew that he’d most likely spent his life eating just enough to get by and not much more. And it pained her deeply to think another child had gone through what she had.

I will make sure you get more than enough to eat.

“He sounds important.” The hope in his voice nearly did her in.

Could even a brilliant businessman like Daegen live up to the over-fantasized image held in a young orphan’s mind? “Yes. But he really wanted to be here anyway.”

Daniel didn’t break eye contact. He leaned forward attentively.

“He’s out in the rain forest searching for a life-saving berry.”

Daniel’s eyes grew even wider.

“He’s a very rich man. He doesn’t need to be risking his life in this weather to support himself...” she stopped before the worry she’d tucked away could slip out and overtake her calm facade.

“Why does he go?”

“Not for the money. He cares about finding medicine to save people’s lives. It’s what he lives for. That’s the kind of person he is. And he loves the rain forest. You should see him out there.”

Daniel cracked an eager smile. “You’ve been?”

“Believe it or not, I have.”
I don’t plan to go ever again, but that’s a story for another time
, she mused.

The hope and excitement of fantasies being realized momentarily drained from Daniel’s features.

She knew exactly what he was thinking.

“You know he had no idea about you, right?” she decided now was the time to throw that in, give him the truth to chew on as food for thought.

Daniel shrugged non-committal. His arms folded, and his legs crossed.

Right. That might not have been what his relatives had told him. “As soon as he learned about you, he got on a plane to see for himself.”

“Do I have a mother?” he asked, a shadow of doubt coloring his brown eyes a shade darker.

Rae gritted her teeth to hold in the biting words she wanted to spit out.

His expression turned and it looked to be occurring to him that somewhere along the line he hadn’t been told the truth. He reined in his doubts by setting his chin.

Rae burned with anger. How could his uncle lie to him? How could he have not told him about his own mother?

Every child had a right to know what happened to his parents. She dropped her gaze and shook her head. “I’m sorry. You weren’t told of your parents’ circumstances, were you?”

“My uncle said no one wanted me. He couldn’t afford to care for me so he gave me up to the government to save me.”

Rae swallowed her anger—an anger that ran so deeply, so bitterly that she wanted nothing more than to scratch out this uncle’s eyeballs.
What kind of a monster could keep a child from his only living parent?

But Daniel didn’t know any different and it would do no good to scare him by freaking out right now. Rae hoped a day would come when she would meet the monster though. She’d have a few choice words for that man. “Your uncle was nice to you? He visited you?”

“Sometimes. He couldn’t visit much or the government would make him take me back he said. And we’d both starve.”

Rae swallowed another lump of disdain. Wasn’t that nice of the monster to convince Daniel he was doing the boy a favor? His uncle most likely saw him as insurance to be carefully tucked away.

Rae knew that Daegen had built his fortune from nothing and Daniel’s uncle couldn’t have known how rich Daegen would become. Still why would he wait until now?

Forbes.

“Your father would never have allowed you to be away from him, to grow up without a parent.” She needed to clarify that point. It was what every orphaned child wanted to hear, and in this one case, it was actually true.

A knock at the door startled Rae, and for one lone moment, she feared the worst had happened to Daegen. He was lost in the rain forest, and Daniel would be twice orphaned.

Her protective instincts hit def-con five.

Oh, she could never, ever allow that to happen. She would take Daniel home with her.

Hello? Where the hell did that come from?

Chapter Ten

Rae opened the door to find Steve ringing out his hat. He was drenched and shivering. “Come in.”

“My flight was delayed due to the storm front. Is he gone already?” he asked, water pouring from his hair, his eyelashes, and spilling down his cheeks.

“Yes. Come in. Water’s dripping from everywhere on you.” She registered her own very real fear at Daegen being out in this...this monsoon.

Steve’s wet clothes hung from his lean shoulders.

“Let’s get you inside and warm.” Rae had become so lost in the moment with Daniel, it barely registered how hard the rain came down outside. She stood at the door for a moment, leaving it open, saying a silent prayer Daegen would come bounding out of the nearby thicket. Of course, she couldn’t see the trees since visibility was next to nothing. Was he out there just as blind?

Daegen was a skilled naturalist. And he knew that rain forest like the back of his hand.
He will survive
, she told herself. Then repeated the phrase.

A flicker of worry crossed Daniel’s features as he moved to the door. “Is my father still out there?”

Rae nodded, and then introduced him to Steve. “I know he’d rather be here. I’m sure the rain has stalled his expedition.”

Daniel’s arm came around her shoulder. Support? He was giving
her
support.

Smiling through her concern, she said, “Let’s get Steve warm and dry, shall we?”

She located a change of clothes while he warmed up in the shower. They were Daegen’s and, as such, would hang off Steve’s lighter frame but they were dry at least.

The driving rain subsided and droplets started coming down in a regular beat. When he emerged, changed and dry, Rae handed him a steaming cup of coffee.

“Thanks,” Steve said as his arm wrapped around her shoulder and gave a quick squeeze.

Daegen burst through the door, soaked and covered in mud. His gaze zeroed in on Steve’s arm. “What the hell’s going on?”

****

Slashing a look toward Steve that would freeze hell, Daegen bit back the flash of rage he felt at seeing another man touch Rae. He refused to lose his temper in front of Daniel.

“Nothing,” Rae said. Her shoulders stiffened defensively.

Damn. Daegen hadn’t meant to upset her. He moved to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I saw the three of you together and it tripped a wire inside me. Forgive me?” he whispered into her mass of curls.

Steve set his coffee mug on the counter and backed out of the room. “I’ll just be going.”

“No,” Daegen said. “Stay. I owe you an apology.”

Rae smiled up at him in approval. “I’ll make a snack.”

Kota appeared in the hallway. “I will do it. You. Relax. Enjoy.”

Rae pressed up on her toes and kissed Daegen. “You two should get to know each other. I’ll keep Steve busy in the kitchen.”

Daegen didn’t like the idea of her in another room with any other man, but he needed to keep himself in check. Besides, he already felt like hell for making a big deal out of nothing, and especially in front of Daniel.

Daegen looked at his son and smiled. There was more than a hint of the girl he once loved in Daniel. He had those same expressive eyes. Round face. Smile. Daegen couldn’t bring her back but he would honor her memory by caring for her child. “I especially owe you an apology. I don’t normally lose my cool.”

The smile on Daniel’s face was practically plastered there. “She’s a very pretty woman. I don’t blame you.”

Looks like he had a little crush of his own on Rae. There was another emotion evident on his face too. One Daegen could easily recognize. A healthy dose of curiosity for the unknown adventure that lay ahead.

He winked. “Yes. She is. But this one’s mine, little man.”

Daegen held out his hand.

The vigorous handshake he received made his chest fill with pride.

****

The downpour eased, and Steve excused himself. Rae felt like an intruder in this moment between a father and a son. It was probably best to disappear altogether while the pair got acquainted.

They were already chatting comfortably.

The emotion of their reunion was getting to her. Tears slid down her cheeks.

As she backed out of the room Daegen’s hand closed around her wrist. “Don’t go.”

When she looked up and caught hold of his gaze, she saw something she never expected to see in Daegen Tan’s eyes. Fear.

It was then she realized a father might have the same apprehension as a child about their first meeting. While every child wished to impress his father, the reverse wasn’t always true. Look at her dad for example.

Only a man who truly, deeply loved his child would care enough to be afraid.

She turned to Daegen. “Do you want to get cleaned up while Kota finishes preparing dinner?”

His gaze flicked from Daniel to Rae. “If you two are all right.”

“I’m fine,” Daniel said quickly. He was a tough kid. Proud.

Rae decided she was going to like him very much. “Come on. You can pitch in.”

Daniel moved to her side as she helped set the table. They worked in comfortable silence.

“You can ask me anything you want,” she said as she placed the last fork on a napkin, watching him as he took it all in. “You know that, right?”

He nodded.

“Are you tired?”

“Not really.” His yawn belied his words.

“You must be,” she said. “You can take my room tonight. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Nonsense,” Daegen said. Shirtless, his body still glistened from the shower as he strolled into the room. “My son will sleep in my room. If anyone takes the couch, it’ll be me.”

Daniel yawned again.

“When’s the last time you had a good night’s sleep?” Rae asked.

“It’s been a few days,” he admitted.

“Let’s eat and then we’ll show you to your room,” she said as they all sat.

Kota had prepared a noodle dish, two meat dishes, three vegetables and soup. A feast fit for a king. Or a young prince, to be exact.

Daniel rose to his feet and picked up the teapot. He bowed and turned to Daegen. “Would you like tea, Father?”

Rae’s heart warmed at the show of respect.

Daegen smiled and took his son’s wrist. “Thank you, but no. Sit down and enjoy your meal. We aren’t formal around here.”

Confusion knitted Daniel’s eyebrows as he set the pot down. “The orphanage had strict rules at meal time. They wanted us to know how to show respect in case we were adopted.”

“You’re home now. We’ll leave those rigid customs to the older generation,” Daegen reassured with a nod and a wink. “I’d rather have a real relationship.”

Daniel sat down as Rae held out a meat dish toward him. “Go on. Eat.”

She had to battle against the flood of tears threatening to burst through her walls. Daegen Tan was going to be the exact kind of father she wanted for her own kids some day.

****

When the meal was over, Rae volunteered to take Daniel to his room.

He gasped when he stepped inside the suite.