Hollywood's latest sensation, the caption of the magazine read.
The pride that filled him as he stared at the stunning picture of Giselle Leroy was nearly his undoing. She was on the fast track of becoming one of the most successful Hollywood actresses at the young age of twenty-three. There had never been any doubt in his mind that his baby sister will make it to the top. She was armed with the same Leroy single-mindedness and iron-clad determination that had enabled Antoine to expand his father's company into a worldwide multi-billion empire. When his father had been diagnosed with inoperable cancer, the running of their oil company had fallen into his hands. His need for expansion had been insatiable.
He had never been one of those rich kids who took everything they had for granted and used their parents' wealth as an excuse for laziness. At the age of twenty five, he already had his double masters in Finance and Business Administration. His education has served him well. During the course of eight years, he has acquired several companies ranging from Electronics to Pharmaceuticals. The tentacles of his influence and power spread all over the globe.
Before his father had ultimately succumbed to the cancer, his last words had been telling Antoine how proud he was of everything he had accomplished. But he had also told him to take a step back and reflect on his life and whether he was truly happy.
Too filled with restless energy to remain seated, he abruptly stood up from his sofa and shuffled over to the glass wall of his London Penthouse. The sweeping view of the city provided no reprieve from his deeply troubling thoughts.
Happiness? The emotion was completely foreign to him. Guilt, self-disgust and a deep yearning for something that had forever eluded him were the feelings that hovered at the edge of his consciousness ever since Kate died. If he were a man prone to self-reflection, they will be the emotions at the center front of his life. But he wasn't. He had long ago mastered the art of burying his unwanted emotions so deep that he manages to convince himself they weren't there. Until now. Things have changed. The walls he had fortified himself with were crumbling and he was beginning to unravel. He couldn't have that.
It had been necessary to set a plan in motion that would finally give him the peace he craved. The first phase had gone wonderfully well, better than his expectations. His eyes gleamed with triumphant satisfaction at the thought of her imminent surrender. It had taken everything in him not to react to the visceral blast of desire that had gripped him the moment he set eyes on her. A desire that didn't come as a surprise to him and one he had no intention of fighting. Dieu, the woman was utter perfection. Her beauty defied reason. Blessed with a face that could make Aphrodite weep with envy and a body that could drive men insane with lust she was the ultimate temptress.
He vividly recalled the shocked expression on her face when he had made his intentions known, how her mesmerizing violet eyes had turned stormy with rage, cheeks flushing with indignation, looking too irresistibly sexy and alluring for words. His sensual lips curved in a smile. He couldn't have thought of a better trap. There was no way she was going to escape from his clutches.
He fished his i-phone 6 from his trouser pocket and deftly dialed her number. After the third ring, she picked up. His fingers tightened around the phone as the sound of her husky voice sent delicious tingles down his spine.
'Jess, this is Antoine,' He spoke into the phone.
'Where did you get my contact?' Her voice was as hard as brittle.
'That's irrelevant. Have you given any thought to my proposal?'
Her sharp intake of breath indicated her annoyance. 'Yes. And my answer is still no.'
'I'll be at the Saatchi Gallery exhibition tomorrow. If your answer is still no by then, your father had better start looking somewhere else for help.'
The call went dead. Did she just hang up on him? He let the matter drop. Why waste his energy on petty emotions such as anger when victory was so close?
***
Jessica continued to stare at her phone long after she hung up on Antoine, silently fuming. Who did the man think he was? He didn't even ask whether his coming to the exhibition will be alright with her. No, he just presumed he had the right to be there. How did he know about it in the first place? The same way he had gotten her contact of course. He must have gleaned her father for information about her, she concluded with resentment. Why was she even fixating on that when she had bigger things to worry about? What was she going to do? How was she going to help her family without selling her soul to the devil? She rested her chin on her knees, hugging her drawn up legs.
The darkness that shrouded her bedroom marched her frame of mind. Truth be told, she wouldn't be directly affected by her parents' financial predicament. The sale of her paintings provided her with a sizable income. She would be able to live comfortably without the hefty allowance her father had always insisted on giving her even after she started earning for herself. She could tell Antoine that both he and his preposterous proposal could go to hell for all she cared. That's what the Jessica Ashworth of eight years ago would have done.
A shallow and self-centered spoilt princess who thought the world revolved around her. His words reverberated in her head tauntingly, challenging her to prove him wrong.
When they were said to her eight years ago, she had been outraged. But they had been the bitter truth. Antoine had been able to sum her up in a few words within a few days of meeting her. Thinking about the girl she had been felt like staring at a picture of a distant relative. The tragic event of that summer holiday she had spent in the South of France had completely transformed her into a different person.
She was suddenly flooded with memories she would rather suppress. Her family had been invited by Antoine's father to spend the summer with them in the holiday mansion he had in Nice. Kate had been ecstatic for it only meant spending more time with her new boyfriend. Kate had been attending the Sorbonne University and that was where she met Antoine. Despite being happy that her sister had found someone who she obviously adored, Jess had been sick with irritation of hearing about how amazing Antoine was. Kate was always going on about his good looks, his intelligence, and his charm.
She hadn't wanted to go. She had already planned a skiing trip with her friends to Aspen. It was the first time that her parents had refused her anything. Her mother had been adamant in her desire for them to have a real family holiday.
In classic Jessica style, she had thrown a princess-sized tantrum and flown to Switzerland without her parents' permission. Her skiing trip had lasted a week before she received a call from her father threatening to cut her allowance if she didn't meet them in Nice. Infuriated that her parents were treating her so unjustly and in a childish attempt to assert her independence, she brought along two boys. Joshua and Ken had been arched rivals in their quest to win her over. She used to enjoy watching the most gorgeous and sought after boys of Ashbourne High School trying to out-smart or out-dress each other for her approval and she reveled in their attention.
The look on her parents' faces had been priceless when she arrived with them on each arm. Kate had been excited to introduce her to Antoine and even though she wouldn't admit it, Jess had been eager to meet the guy she had heard so much about.
One look at him and she knew her sister hadn't been exaggerating. Standing next to Antoine, Joshua and Ken had paled in comparison. She understood why her sister was so crazy about him. Any girl lucky enough to hold his attention for more than five minutes had to be.
For reasons that still baffled her, Antoine had taken an immediate disliking to her. She hadn't been someone who cared about people's opinion of her but for the first time in her life; she had wanted to be liked by someone.
She was used to guys falling at her feet in awe of her beauty. But not Antoine. His eyes had only reflected disapproval and a condescending superiority that had rankled. He only bothered to be polite when Kate was around. They were constantly at each other's throats throughout that vacation.
In spite of the hostility that brewed between her and Antoine, she had enjoyed her stay in Nice thoroughly. Her twin brothers had been little hellions with boundless energy. She recalled how they used to drag her and Kate down to the beach and force them to help build their sandcastles. She had found a great friend in Giselle Leroy and the two of them had so much fun.
Then the accident had happened. And everything had been destroyed. The devastating grief that Kate's death caused was indescribable. She had been the perfect daughter. The best sister anybody could ask for. Everybody loved Kate. She had been Daniel and Eleanor Ashworth's pride and joy. It was no surprise to Jess that her parents fell apart after her death. A single tear slipped down her face. Thinking about her still hurt so much.
She wasn't sure whether it had been the guilt or the grief that made her turned a new leave after Kate's death. Perhaps it had been both. The girl who loved to party and get high transformed into someone who molded herself into a daughter her parents would be proud of. Not that they had noticed or even cared. Their Kate was gone and she was irreplaceable.
In her last year at high school, she stopped cutting classes and concentrated on her studies. Her talent in art had never been something she valued. She had been too engrossed in the life of an IT girl for anything else to matter. Her pain was her primary inspiration and it didn't take long before painting became her life. The perfect outlet for her emotions. She enrolled in the University of the Art London and got her BA (Hons) Painting at Camberwell College. Since her graduation, her paintings have been exhibited and sold in some of the most exclusive galleries in England.
Feeling drained and exhausted, she stretched out on the bed and pulled the covers over her head. If it hadn't been for her, the accident that killed her sister never would have taken place. She realized that she had never been in a dilemma. The decision was already taken for her.
***
Antoine alighted from his rented limousine, his gaze on the impressive if imposing building of the Saatchi Gallery; the many lights glittering around it gave it a surreal look. His hands went automatically to his pockets as his long legs ate up the distance between him and the front entrance. Stepping inside, his eyes scanned the crown looking for one particular blonde with anger issues. Elegantly dressed men and women milled about talking in hushed tones about the various art works on display.
It took him a while to locate Jess standing alone with a glass of champagne in her hand in front of a painting he assumed was hers. His blood heated with desire at the sight of her. Large and expressive, her unbearably magnificent eyes connected with his. They had always served as a mirror for her emotions giving him the advantage to be able to read and gauge her feelings just by looking at her. He always knew what button to push to get a desired reaction from her. Right now, they held a blank look that told him nothing.
An arrow of doubt pierced through his armour of confidence. He ruthlessly squashed the thought away. Defeat had never been a word associated with him and it was never going to.
The dread that enveloped her upon seeing Antoine didn't come as a surprise. What did was the way her pulse quickened with what she could only call an anticipation of the unknown that did. The man's commanding presence was as undeniable as was his captivatingly magnetic beauty. Jess watched fascinated as some of the women around her stared unabashedly at him with appreciative eyes. His devastating dark good looks and deadly charm drew women to him like moths to a flame.
