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“Dammit, Cat, this has nothing to do with anyone else. We can talk later, in private.”
He didn’t want to hash this out here in front of the press. And he sure as hell didn’t want to sound as if he was backpedaling because he’d chosen the worst possible time to blurt out a proposal.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she tipped her chin up just a notch, but enough for him to know she was good and pissed. “Would you have proposed to me if all of these people hadn’t been around? Later tonight when we were alone, would you have asked me to marry you?”
Will gritted his teeth, clenched his fists at his side and honestly had no reply. He had absolutely no idea what to say. He didn’t want to have such an intimate talk in front of the whole country, because that’s exactly what was happening. The press would no doubt splash this all over the headlines.
“That’s what I thought.” Cat’s soft tone was full of hurt. “I’d say it’s officially over between us.”
When she turned, she winced, but just as Will reached to help her, Bella stepped forward and slowly ushered Cat to the car. James moved in next to Will and ordered the press away. Will didn’t hear much, didn’t comprehend what was going on because in the span of just a few minutes, he’d gone from deliriously happy and planning his future, to seeing that future walk away from him after he’d hurt her, called her a mistake, once again.
This time, he knew there would be no winning her back.
Sixteen
“What the hell is this?”
Will turned away from his office view to face his father, who stood on the other side of his desk with a folder in his hand. Will had been waiting for this moment. But he hadn’t expected to feel this enormous pit of emptiness inside.
“I see you received the notice regarding your shares in Rowling Energy.” Will folded his arms across his chest and leveled his father’s gaze. “Your votes in the company are no longer valid. I held an emergency meeting with the other stockholders and we came to the decision.”
Patrick’s face reddened. “How dare you. What kind of son did I raise that he would turn around and treat his father like this?”
“You raised the son who fought for what he wanted.” Will’s blood pressure soared as he thought of all he’d lost and all he was still fighting for. “You raised a son who watched his father put business first, above family, and to hell with the rest of the world. I’m taking Rowling Energy into new territory and I need sole control. I’m done being jerked around by you.”
Patrick rested his palms on the desk and leaned in. “No, you’d rather be jerked around by my maid. You two made quite a scene yesterday—it made headlines. You’re becoming an embarrassment and tarnishing the Rowling name.”
Will laughed. “What I do in my personal life is not your concern. You poked your nose in years ago when you threatened to dismiss Catalina if I didn’t dump her. I won’t be manipulated ever again and you will leave Cat alone. If I even think you’ve tried to—”
“Knock off the threats,” his father shouted as he pushed off the desk. “Your little maid quit on me and has really left me in a bind. If you were smart, you’d stay away from her. You two get cozy and she quits. I don’t believe in coincidences. Those Iberra women are nothing but gold diggers.”
Will stood up straighter, dropped his arms to his sides. “What did you say?”
Patrick waved a hand in the air, shaking his head. “Forget it.”
“No. You said ‘those Iberra women.’ What did you mean?”
Will knew Cat’s mother had worked for Patrick years ago. Maria had been around when James and Will had been young, when their mother was still alive.
“What did Maria do that you would call her a gold digger?” Will asked when his father remained silent.
Still, Patrick said nothing.
Realization dawned on Will. “No. Tell me you didn’t have an affair with Maria.”
“Every man has a moment of weakness,” Patrick stated simply. “I expect this past weekend was yours.”
Rage boiled to the surface. Will clenched his fists. “You slept with Cat’s mother while my mother was still alive? Did Mum know about the affair?”
The thought of his sweet, caring mother being betrayed tore through Will’s heart. Part of him prayed she never knew the ugly acts his father had committed.
