The Tycoon's Secret - Baby for the Billionaire - Book Four (Baby for the Billionare) (26 page)

Sierra looked at the men standing along the back of the stage, it was all the Anderson and Titan men, dressed to the nines, looking amazing as they gazed back at her and winked.

Damien joined them, then picked up the guitar. She watched in awe as music started drifting through the room and he stepped up to the microphone and began singing,
I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz.

When he sang the lyrics speaking of sunrises and never giving up on their love, tears began streaming down her face. When the men behind him joined in on the chorus, some of their voices off-key, some singing beautifully, she was sobbing.

At the end of the song, he set the guitar down and walked to her, pulling a small box from his pocket as he knelt on the bed of rose petals.

“I won’t ever give up on our love again. You are my sun, moon, and stars. You’re everything to me. I don’t want to live a life without you beside me. Please, marry me, Sierra, take away my worst regret and let me show you what you mean to me every day for the rest of our lives and beyond.”

There was no doubt what her answer would be. She’d never imagined loving someone so greatly, never thought a man would love her so much. His hands trembled in front of her as he held out the opened velvet box with a simple solitaire surrounded by beautiful diamonds on either side.

“Yes, Damien, oh yes,” she whispered, and he slipped the ring on her finger, a perfect fit.

Sierra didn’t notice the applause from the crowd, or the tears in her new family’s eyes. She noticed nothing but the love in Damien’s beautiful face…and it was all for her.

One Year later

“You realize this wedding killed my uncle a little bit, don’t you?” Bree said as she stood next to Sierra.

“Yes, I know, but it’s what I wanted. I think it turned out perfectly. I did give him free reign on the reception, which I’m thinking wasn’t the wisest idea. I figured I’d be safe seeing as we’re on a secluded island. I should’ve known better.”

“Yes, you should have. He has zero qualms about flying five-hundred people here. You’re lucky it was only a hundred. I have to say I’m very happy they’re all gone and it gets to just be family now. Has Damien told you where you’re going for your honeymoon, yet?”

“Yes, he’s taking me back to where it all began. We fly out tomorrow for Australia.”

“Yea, now that you know, I can tell you that Chad and I are joining you there in a week, along with my brothers, and cousins. Trinity and her family are coming, too,” Bree said with enthusiasm.

“Bree, I don’t know how I ever got so lucky as to have met you, but thank you for being in my life. I will love you forever,” Sierra said, getting choked up for the hundredth time that day.

“I love you
, too.”

“Girl time is over. I’ve got dibs on my wife,” Damien said as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Mmm, claim away,” she told him as she reached up and kissed him. Neither of them noticed Bree slipping away.

“Thank you for inviting Bree and the rest of the family to join us.”

“I knew it would make you happy. I promised you I would bring you nothing but joy the rest of our lives, and I intend to keep that promise,” he said before bending to kiss her again.

“How do you feel about children?”

“I’ve already told you I’ll have a dozen if you’ll let me get away with it,” he said before nuzzling her neck.

“Why don’t we start with just one for now,” she said with a laugh.

“Sounds good to me. Let’s get started right now,” he said as he scooped her into his arms and started heading toward their secluded cabin which Katherine and Esther had stocked up for them.

“I expect you to make love to me all night long, but there’s no need to create a child. I’m four weeks along,” she told him, waiting for it to sink in. When her words registered, Damien’s face grinned with pleasure as he looked into her eyes.

“I love you, Sierra Whitfield, and I will the rest of my life. Thank you for giving me a second chance, and not giving up on me. Thank you for carrying my child. Let’s go start our lives together,” he said quietly.

“Damien, my life started the day you walked into my father’s office.”

Damien carried her inside and showed her many times over how much he loved her. He kept his promise to make her happy and continued expressing his love for many years to come.

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Thank you for reading “The Tycoon’s Secret”

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(Sample chapters below.)

Chapter One

By dying now, his father had won again.
That old bastard.

Dominic Corisi slammed the door of his black Bugatti Veyron and stepped onto the sun baked Boston sidewalk without giving the million dollar vehicle a backwards glance. The joy of owning it was dead along with his desire to answer the incessant ring of the cell phone he’d ignored since yesterday.  Rather than turning it off, he’d muffled the noise by burying the device deep within a coat pocket; maintaining the connection to his life like a distant beacon.   

Despite the oppressive heat, he paused at the bottom stair of his old brownstone.  There was nothing spectacular about it, outside of its location near the upbeat Newbury Street.  If he remembered correctly, its rooms were small and the main staircase had a creak that he never did get around to fixing.  It was nothing like the sprawling mansions he now owned in various countries around the world.

But it was the closest thing he had to a home.

His phone rang with a tone he couldn’t ignore. 
Jake
.  His second in command would simply call again, killing whatever chance Dominic had of finding a moment of peace inside those brick walls. “Corisi,” he barked into the phone.

“Dominic, glad I caught you,” Jake Walton said smoothly, as if he hadn't unsuccessfully rung twenty times in the last two days.  That was Jake, calm and professional, even in the storm of hostile takeovers.  Nothing fazed the man.

Normally, Dominic appreciated his even temper, but today it grated.  Maybe the forty or so hours without sleep were beginning to catch up with him.  He fought an impulse to toss his phone over the metal railing.  The world wasn't the orderly, rational place Jake liked to organize it into.  It was messy.  It was ugly.  And, most recently, it lacked justice.

“How is Boston?” 

The inane question almost sent Dominic over the edge. “How do you think?”

It was probably too much to hope that Jake’s uncharacteristic silence signaled an end to a conversation Dominic wished he had avoided.

“We need to discuss the China contract.  The Minister of Commerce is expecting to meet with you tomorrow to cement the details.  This is your dream, Dominic.  By next week, Corisi Enterprises will be a major global player.  What do you want me to tell the Minister?”

“I don't know,” Dominic said wearily.

Jake made a sound somewhere between a choke and a cough, then was speechless – a revealing response for a man who handled irate international diplomats without missing a step.  He was the fixer and navigated the unexpected with ease. Until now.

Poor Jake. Nothing in their shared history had prepared either of them for Dominic's sudden desire to withdraw from the world.  The creators of financial empires didn't take sudden vacations and they most certainly didn't hide, especially not after having laid the groundwork for the single greatest business venture of the century.  Bill Gates himself had called last week to discuss the ramifications of the negotiations. 

“Jake, I need to drop off the radar for about a week.  Why don't you take over the China contract?”  

“O-o-o-k.” Jake said awkwardly. In another situation, Jake's loss of composure would have been amusing. 

“Can you handle it or not?”  Dominic challenged.  He could barely think past the throbbing of his headache. 

Maybe coming to Boston was a mistake.  It had been here, at seventeen, that he’d walked away from his inheritance and waited tables to fund the search for his mother.  Here, in this very brownstone, that he’d cultivated a hatred for a father who had denied both involvement and interest in the disappearance of his wife.

Jake’s voice slammed Dominic back into the present.  “No problem.  I've followed the progress you've made with the Chinese Investment Promotion Agency.  They’re eager.  I'll clear my schedule and cover yours.  Duhamel will forward all of your calls to me until further notice.”

“Good.” 

“Dom-” Jake hesitated.  “It's normal to need time to grieve.  You just lost your father.”

A harsh laugh escaped Dominic. “Trust me; I'm not grieving his loss.”  He leaned a hip on the metal railing and looked up at the building he had instinctively returned to, searching for the man
he’d once been and hoping to find something there that would shake off the immobilizing apathy he felt for all he had done since; high expectations for brick and antique wallpaper.

Jake said, “That's what worries me.  No matter what your plans were or what he once did to you, he's gone now.  You've got to let it go.”

Jake was asking the impossible.  Of course the past mattered.  Sometimes it was the only thing that did.   “Just do your job, Jake. If you can't handle it, tell me and I'll promote Priestly to help you.”

For the second time since they had met at Harvard, Jake lost his temper. “That's bullshit, Dom.  You want to send Priestly to China?  Send him.  You're absolutely right -- you've made me a very rich man.  I don't need this.  But heed my warning; you won't be a billionaire for long if we both step away from the helm.  A lot is riding on this contract.  The lawsuits alone will freeze your assets if you screw this up.  You invested too much of your own and you're playing with the big boys now.  Governments are not very forgiving when it comes to last minute walk outs.”

The speech should have shaken Dominic, but it barely breached the numbness that had settled in since he'd received the phone call from his father's lawyer.  What did all the money matter anyway?  He'd wasted fifteen years amassing an empire that would allow him to throw down a forced buyout contract on his father’s enormous mahogany desk.  Dominic should have taken action years ago, but no level of prior success had felt like enough.  He’d choreographed the day from both sides, building his company while undermining his father’s; always working toward that one absolute win.  Dominic had counted on his father’s desperation finally forcing him to confess what had actually happened to his mother.

It was that loss that he mourned today.

In its place was a carefully orchestrated set of instructions from his father’s lawyer. No, it wasn’t enough to simply disinherit his only son; Antonio Corisi had also included provisions in his will to ensure that Dominic had to attend the reading.  He’d used Dominic’s one weakness, his one regret, to reaffirm his control, even from the grave.

Jake coughed, reminding Dominic that a response was required.  What could he say?  As usual, Jake was correct in his assessment of the situation. Dominic had used his own wealth as well as that of investors to back this venture.  The risk had seemed worth it. The government contract would crack China's software market wide open for them and their global influence would double exponentially. It was a daring move that if carefully implemented could put Corisi Enterprises on a stratosphere of power few companies ever acquired; a goal that a week ago had seemed imperative.

Jake could handle the negotiations. Dominic had always been the one to charge forward, shaking the situation up and clearing the way. This time would be no different. Jake could merely take over a few documents earlier this time.  Priestly was good at the local level, but he was no Jake. 

“One week, Jake.”  It was the closest to an apology Dominic was able to get out. He hoped it was enough.

Sounding more like an older brother, than a business associate, Jake said, “Take two weeks if you need it. Just get your head together.  I can wrap up the China contract, but it'll need your final signature and your presence.  I’ll do a press release today and ask the media to respect your need to mourn in private; that should give you at least a few days before they descend.”