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She still couldn’t believe that she was going to attend one of the biggest, most upscale benefits of the year. The one she’d always read about in the New York Post’s Page Six the day after while dreaming wistfully of what it would be like to dress up in a gorgeous ball gown and pretend she was a princess for a night. So, after years of imagining herself at a Wilder Way charity benefit, she’d been shocked when she’d come across the gold-embossed invitation on her father’s desk at home over a month ago when he’d never received one before.
She had no idea how he’d managed to score an invitation to the ball, but the theme of the event—fairy tales and happily ever afters—spoke to the romantic, fanciful girl inside her. The one who was still waiting for her own chivalrous Prince Charming to come along and sweep her off of her feet.
It had been in that moment as she’d touched the gold lettering that Arabella finally knew exactly what she wanted for her twenty-fifth birthday, which her father had been asking about. She didn’t want more jewelry or designer purses or outrageously expensive and impractical gifts that she’d never use. Her father would have found a way to give her the moon and stars if she’d ever asked for them, and while she knew she was incredibly fortunate to have a parent who doted on her, it wasn’t tangible, extravagant things she wanted in her life.
No, she wanted more independence and the kind of free rein that didn’t include checking in with her father on a regular basis so he was aware of her whereabouts all the time. But she had to admit that a part of her felt guilty for those selfish thoughts because her dad had always been so good to her and she worried about him, too, since he’d recently been diagnosed with angina, a symptom of coronary heart disease. While he was currently stable, she knew any upset could possibly trigger an episode.
Arabella had been so sheltered and
protected growing up after her mother passed away, and she was itching to explore the world on a grander scale instead of existing in the padded bubble her father had created around her. She knew her father would never grant that kind of request—he was too protective for that—so she asked for the one thing she’d always desired. She’d asked to go to the ball.
And she swore tonight would be the beginning of a new, adventurous side to Arabella Cole. How could a theme like fairy tales and happily ever afters be anything but a magical, enchanting experience?
Unfortunately, the one thing putting a major damper on the evening was the man sitting beside her, Gavin Scott, who’d been her father’s right-hand man in business for years and who Theodore Cole had insisted accompany her to the ball. That had been the one caveat to her dad granting her request, and because her father had been oddly reluctant about allowing her to attend the ball in the first place, she’d agreed to his stipulation, even knowing it was her father’s way of forcing Arabella to acknowledge Gavin’s interest in her.
She tried not to let that thought ruin her excitement. Her dad had already tried the gentle nudging method to push her toward Gavin romantically, and while she’d given in to a few dates with the man, there had been no spark between them for her, even when she’d kissed him. What turned her off the most was that he was too conceited, too aggressive, and too egotistical for her taste . . . not that her disinterest dissuaded him in any way. It was as though he took her cool, aloof disposition toward him as a challenge, instead of accepting that she disliked him despite her father’s attempts at matchmaking.
Gavin was undeniably good-looking, with sandy-blond hair and green eyes, but that outward appearance didn’t make up for his narcissistic tendencies, along with the fact that he already acted as though Arabella belonged to him. That in itself irritated her immensely because she was not his property. But for tonight, for the sake of being civil and enjoying her evening, she’d smile and pretend that she wasn’t coming to despise Gavin and his unpleasant personality, the too familiar way he touched her, and his overbearingly possessive ways.
Still gazing out the window, she shook off those troublesome thoughts so they didn’t ruin her good mood, but she knew at some point she would need to address the situation with her dad and tell him exactly how she felt about Gavin. It wouldn’t be an easy conversation since her father considered Gavin very much like the son he’d never had and had high hopes of them being the perfect couple.
In the limousine, her father and Gavin spoke in hushed tones, and for the most part, she’d shut out their conversation, as she normally did when she was in their presence, because it usually pertained to business she had no inkling about or interest in. But it was a comment that her father made beneath his breath that caught her attention. She listened a bit more intently while she continued to pretend as though she was riveted by the passing scenery.
“After all these years, I still have no idea how I ended up on the invite list for tonight’s ball,” he muttered, sounding oddly uneasy, which wasn’t a word Arabella would ever use to describe her normally confident and direct father.
“It doesn’t matter, Theo,” Gavin replied arrogantly from his seat beside her. “Someone probably dropped your name to whoever is coordinating the event, and nobody higher up noticed the . . . mistake,” he said, as if choosing his words carefully because Arabella was with them. “Consider it our good fortune, because there are connections to be made at the ball tonight that we wouldn’t otherwise have access to.”
“It better be worth it,” her father grumbled. “It cost me a goddamn fortune to attend this asinine fairy-tale ball.”
“Just keep your distance from Wilder, which should be easy enough to do, and everything will be fine,” Gavin assured him. “Besides, he’s not going to do anything that will make a scene in front of over three hundred people.”
“Yes, you’re probably right,” her dad agreed with a sigh.
Arabella couldn’t ignore that last part of the conversation considering Gavin had pretty much indicated something bad could happen to her father if he crossed Wilder, not to mention they’d possibly been invited to the affair by mistake. She finally turned her head and glanced across the back of the limo, to the long leather seat where her father sat opposite of her and Gavin.
Her concern increased when she saw the dark frown on her dad’s face, and she finally spoke. “Is there a reason you shouldn’t have been invited to tonight’s event, Father?”
Her dad’s startled gaze snapped to hers. “What?” Her question seemed to make him irritable, and she watched as he managed to shake off his initial agitation while waving a dismissive hand in the air. “No . . . no, of course not.”
It wasn’t often that she didn’t believe something her father told her, but this was one of the few times she had doubts, which was why she persisted. “Then why are you worried about someone making a scene?”
“It’s a business-related issue, Ari,” Gavin cut in, his tone as condescending as the way he patted her hand as if she were a child. “It’s nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about. You just enjoy the ball and let us men handle things that don’t concern you."
Her jaw clenched in annoyance and she sent Gavin a cutting glare, even though she knew it wasn’t a flattering look for her. God, he was such a jerk, and she deliberately yanked her hand from under the heavy weight of his, hating the way he treated her as though she was stupid and had nothing but cotton candy for brains.
While she’d started the evening with an abundance of excitement, she couldn’t deny that something suddenly felt off, despite her father’s reassurances. The fact that Gavin had just suggested that there were possible business concerns that might crop up tonight certainly didn’t relieve her worry.
She couldn’t imagine what kind of contentious situation her father might be involved in. For as long as she’d been alive, he’d worked for Addingwell Financial as a partner, and he’d taken on Gavin as his associate about fourteen years ago, but other than those few details, he’d never shared the technicalities of his job. Her father always kept his business separate from the time he spent with her, and when she’d once asked him why he never talked about his work, he told her he liked to keep his focus on her and their relationship when he was home.
It was an easy enough excuse to believe, even if his vague response did increase her curiosity of what, exactly, her father did in finance. Clearly, it was something that made him a lot of money, because they lived a very comfortable life and cash never seemed to be an issue for anything he wanted to purchase for himself or her.
Her father glanced out his own window and grumbled beneath his breath again. The last two words she heard were Maddux Wilder, and the name was spoken with unmistakable disdain. This time, she kept her mouth shut and didn’t ask questions because she knew Gavin would jump in with another insulting reply, and she was honestly afraid that she’d do something incredibly impulsive and unladylike—like tell him to go screw himself.
So she remained quiet, her hands clasped tightly in her lap on top of the gorgeous champagne-colored tulle and beading that made up her ball gown. She’d heard the name Maddux Wilder before tonight, usually in conjunction with the yearly ball, but there had been a few times when she’d overheard her father mention the other man’s name in conversation with Gavin, but she’d never given another thought about it.
The limousine slowed behind a line of vehicles as they neared what looked to be an older warehouse, pulling Arabella from her thoughts. When they reached the surprisingly ordinary-looking building located in a low-income neighborhood, their driver was directed toward the underground parking structure by the security detail surrounding the place.
“Jesus,” Gavin said, the one word dripping with disgust and ridicule. “Just look at this place.”
