The Billionaire's Secrets (24 page)

Sophia
was not daunted by the prospect of her cat feeling put out. “Cookies would love to have a puppy,” she said confidently. “I asked him, and he said
miaow
,
miaow
. That means yes.”

They all laughed together, and
Gaelan
hoped it would always be this way.

After dinner, Windy told
Sophia
it was time for bed, but Chloe protested. “We promised to read to
Sophia
.
Gaelan
and I can put her to bed and read her a story.” She turned to
Gael
an
a little hesitantly.
“Unless
you have something else to do.
I can read to
Sophia
by myself
.”

“Are you kidding?” he asked happily. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

And so it was going on eight before he and Chloe were finally alone together. He stoked the fire in his office and brought out a bottle of good wine. “I thought we could talk here. It’s cosier. Some of the rooms in this house are great to look at but hardly inviting to sit in.”

Chloe had seen the “drawing room” and agreed. One felt too small in there, too dwarfed by the grand furnishings and massive paintings. She preferred
Gaelan’s
office with its comfortable furniture and
Gaelan’s
nature photographs over the mantle. She sat on the couch across from the fireplace, her feet curled up beneath her.

Gaelan
stood with his back to the fire, its crackling warmth a nice contrast to the water streaming down outside the windows. One of the windows was slightly ajar, letting in a cool breeze
and the smell and sound of rain. He held his glass of wine,
his eyes thoughtful.

“You already know most of the story,” he began. "Some of what Bowen told you
is true. As the e
ldest son, I inherited Widow's Cliff. As far as the rest of the estate went, it was divided equally between us. It was a modest fortune by today’s standards, but I put mine to work. With a bit of luck, it turned into a large fortune. Bowen
,
on the other hand, squandered his. He went to New York to study acting and just kept spending until it was all gone.”
Gaelan
did not elaborate on what, but he suspected that cocaine was one of Bowen’s many expensive tastes. 

“In the meantime, he had met Colleen. She was beautiful and ambitious, and while I do believe she loved him in her own way, she was definitely no
t happy when the well ran dry. So Bowen had the idea to introduce her to me
. It was
all
an elaborate scheme on their part. I didn't know until several months after we were married that they even knew each other.
I know Bowen told you I kept her prisoner here, but I didn’t. She was hardly ever
in Newfoundland
. She said she was going to auditions, but mostly she was seeing Bowen.
”
Gaelan
almost shuddered as he recalled the humiliating discovery. He took a sip of wine to give him courage.

“After I confronted Colleen, she didn’t even bother pretending her interest in me was anything other than mercenary. I decided to cut my losses and throw her out. No amount of money was worth living with such a farce of a marriage. I was about to propose a divorce settlement that I felt she wouldn’t be able to refuse when she announced she was pregnant."
Keeping his voice flat and emotionless, he tried not to show his bitterness. He really had been happy when Colleen told him she was expecting a child. He had even hoped they might start again and have a real marriage. But it was a short-lived hope.

“So I held off on suggesting divorce,” he continued. “Colleen didn’t seem to be in a rush anyway. Now that she had the goose that laid the golden egg, I don’t think she really cared for the idea of a divorce. And as I said, she was ambitious. I think being the wife of
billionaire
businessman
Gaelan
Byrne was much more appealing than
being the
wife of penni
less, failed actor Bowen Byrne.
And given that I was on
to their scheme, she knew she would never get half my fortune as she and Bowen had originally planned on.
”

He took another deep breath and locked his eyes on Chloe's. “Anyway,
Sophia
was born, and for her sake, I tried to negotiate some sort of truce between us. But it was no good. Within weeks of
Sophia
’s birth, Colleen went back to acting, and it was Windy and
myself
who were left with
Sophia
. I don’t think Colleen had one speck of maternal instinct in her.” There was a crack of thunder, and both
Gaelan's
and Chloe’s attentions were momentarily diverted as a flash of lightning lit the windowpanes. The rain came down with a new strength of purpose, and
Gaelan
had to raise his voice a bit to be heard over the sound.

“When Colleen didn’t show up to
Sophia
’s second birthday party, I decided enough was enough. But the very last straw wasn’t until a friend sent me a clipping from
a
tabloid that showed her at a party with none other than Bowen. The capt
ion read something like
Wife of
billionaire
Gaelan
Byrne, Colleen is seen here with her actor brother-in-law, Bowen Byrne, at a Beverly Hill’s
party. Colleen likes to keep things
all in the family.
Anyway, that was what she was doing on her child’s birthday. When she did finally make an appearance here, I told her I wanted a divorce and
Sophia
.” He paused and took a breath. He was coming to the hardest part of the story. The part he hoped Chloe could forgive him for.

“But then she died.” Chloe said gently.

“Not quite. I paid her a very handsom
e sum in exchange for a divorce
and sole custody of
Sophia
. But before she could sign the papers, the accident happened...”

“Bowen thinks you had something to do with her death.”

“I didn’t,”
Gaelan
said firmly. "But there is something Bowen doesn’t know. Near the end, Colleen told me something. I hope it will help explain why I haven’t been a very good father.”
He turned his back to Chloe and
r
esting his elbows on the mantle
buried his face in his hands. “Every time she calls me
Daddy
, I feel like I’m living a lie.” It was so hard to just come out and say it. Except for Marcus, he hadn’t told anyone, and here he was telling Chloe, the person whose opinion of him mattered more than anyone else’s. How would she feel when she learned he was keeping a secret that had such a profound effect on
Sophia
’s life?

“What is it?” Chloe said, knowing
something was terribly wrong. S
he got up from the couch, went over to him, and stroked his hair. “You can tell me,
Gaelan
. I’ll understand, I promise.”

He turned around and looked at her. Her eyes were full of love for him, but still, he wondered if love was going to be enough.

“
Sophia
is not my child. She’s Bowen’s.”

Chapter 7

Chloe stepped back, her eyes wide with disbelief. “
Sophia
is Bowen’s child?” she repeated. “It can’t be true.”

“I’m afraid it is,” he said, and Chloe could hear the anguish in his voice. She longed to put her arms around him and comfort him. But first she needed to think. She thought back to her first night at Widow’s Cliff.

“Is that why you don’t like
Sophia
calling you Daddy?”
             

“Every time she calls me that, I feel like I’m making her tell a lie.”

“Then
Sophia
doesn’t know Bowen is her father.”

He shook his head. “How can I tell her? Suppose she wanted to meet her ‘real’ f
ather. I can’t let that happen.
Bowen can never
find out
Sophia
is his daughter!”
Gaelan
held Chloe’s arms in a firm grip. “You do understand why, don’t you?”

Chloe nodded. “I think so,” she said weakly. She tried to think of what she knew about Bowen. Bowen had wasted his
inheritance
. He then tricked
Gaelan
into marrying Colleen
for his money
while continuing to have an affair with her. She thought back to her own encounter with Bowen. He had lied about the relationship with Colleen, accusing
Gaelan
of having stolen Colleen from him. He then insinuated that
Gaelan
had a role in her death. He vandalised the Jeep, played the hero by offering her and
Sophia
a ride home, then fled the scene of the accident. It did not add up to a very flattering picture, but did it still justify keeping the truth from him? “Are you sure he doesn’t have the right to know?” she asked uncertainly.

“If Bowen knew
Sophia
was his, he would immediately go for custody. I’m sure he’d see it as a way to get more money from me. If he got custody, I could never forgive myself. Bowen is a man who seeks out wealthy women f
or sex. In other words, he's a gigolo.
What sort of an example is that for the child? What kind of things would she learn other than sex is sold to the highest bidder?”