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“It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it.” He meant it. Even though he was curious, he had never seen Sage so upset. It was best to let the subject rest.
“You’re right. I don’t want to talk about her.” Sage glanced at him. Determination reflected in her gaze. “But I have to.”
“Okay. I’m listening.”
She took a sip of her coffee. “Elsa is my stepmother. My mother died when I was young. And for many years, my father and I were alone. Then one day my father tells me that he met someone. I was genuinely happy for him. I knew how lonely he was without my mother.”
“It couldn’t have been easy for either of you.”
“His relationship with Elsa could only be described as a whirlwind romance. At first, Elsa was friendly. It wasn’t until much later that I realized it was all a show—at least where I was concerned. I never figured out if she cared about my father or if he only constituted a ticket to a better life. I hope she truly loved him because he must have loved her.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because growing up, he used to take me to the office of White Publishing and he’d tell me that one day it would be all mine. He said it was my legacy. And then when he unexpectedly died of a heart attack, the will was read and the company and house...” She paused as though to rein in her emotions. “It all went to Elsa. I was gutted. I... I felt so betrayed.”
“How old were you?”
“I was sixteen. I went from private schools to public. I lost all my friends. And when I wasn’t in school, I was cleaning the house. Elsa got rid of the staff, saying that we had to tighten the purse strings as the business was in trouble.” Sage turned to him with sadness reflected in her eyes. “You don’t want to hear all of this.”
“I do, if you want me to.”
“For my eighteenth birthday, Elsa kicked me out. At the time, my shares of White Publishing were worth pennies per share. Not having a cent to my name, I was forced to sell her my shares in order to eat. To this day, I regret that decision. When I signed those shares over, I handed over any right to my legacy. But at the time, I was so young and scared. I didn’t know how to take care of myself. I learned really fast.”
“I wish I had known you then.”
“Why?” She eyed him suspiciously. “Would you have ridden up on your white horse to save me?”
He shrugged. “I don’t ride horses, but maybe a white car.”
She didn’t laugh at his attempt to lighten the mood. “I didn’t need someone to save me. I needed to save myself. I needed to learn that even without my father’s money, I would be all right. I learned a lot about myself in those years.”
“But you shouldn’t have had to.”
Sage turned to face the sea. “Maybe I did. I’ll be the first to admit that my father spoiled me. I had no idea how much so until I had to feed myself and put a roof over my head. In that manner, Elsa did me a favor.”
“Don’t go giving that woman any compliments. She’s pure evil.”
“Maybe. But I learned that I’m stronger than I ever thought. I worked for a maid service throughout college. With a full-time job, it took me five years to earn my degree, including taking summer classes. It wasn’t easy, but I did it. Now, I won’t give up until I have White Publishing back.”
He had a feeling that his smiling, beautiful boss was plotting something and it worried him. He’d heard Elsa was not a person to be crossed. “Sage, what are you up to?”
She shook her head. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. Everything is going according to plan. By the way, I just landed an exclusive interview with Starr. Isn’t that great?”
“Yes, but don’t underestimate Elsa.”
Sage’s eyes widened. “How do you know about my stepmother?”
“Everyone has heard the rumors of Elsa White. She’s notorious in the business and not in a good way.” He stared deep into Sage’s eyes, imploring her to heed his warning. He’d dealt with his own share of powerful enemies. “Just keep your eyes open.”
“Trey?” a male voice called out behind him. “Trey? Is that you?”
With the greatest regret, he pulled back from Sage. He knew by coming to the festival that he would likely run into someone he knew. But with his quiet social calendar, he didn’t think there would be many people that would recognize him.
He mouthed, I’m sorry, to Sage.
Her normally bright eyes dimmed. “I... I need to get back to the festival and circulate.” She glanced over his shoulder at the person approaching. “Don’t rush on my account.”
He turned to find his childhood friend. They’d been roommates one year at boarding school, but then Sam had moved away. Trey had always wondered what had happened to him.
