The Heiress's Pregnancy Surprise (Heirs to an Empire 2)

He turned around and his eyes widened, then a grin blossomed on his face. “Well. Not a bit of black in sight. You look great.”

She let out the breath she was holding and smiled back. “My shopping trip yesterday. What you said the other night got me thinking. I like bright colors. And the Aurora color theme is black and white, but that’s not our entire brand. A brand is so much more than a color scheme. So why not change my wardrobe up a little?”

He scooped eggs onto two plates, plopped a piece of toast on each, and gestured to the barstools and counter. “Breakfast is ready.”

“You didn’t have to do that for me.”

“I was making it for me anyway. What’s another egg and slice of bread?”

It was almost a little too domestic, but truthfully when the family was in residence they had a housekeeper come in only a few times a week. They mostly cooked and tidied for themselves. It gave them more privacy. This week, she was barely at the apartment anyway. There was no need for them to have a cook and in-house staff.

“Well, I appreciate it anyway since I know it’s not in your job description.”

He spread an obscene amount of jelly on his toast. “So seriously, you always wear black and white?”

She met his gaze as she speared a piece of egg with her fork. “Not always, but when I’m on Aurora business, yes.”

“But why?”

She thought about it as she ate, and then got up and went to the fridge to get the orange juice. “To be honest,” she answered, turning the cap on the juice, “I think it has been a need to do everything right. To...” She hesitated as a lightbulb seemed to flick on in her mind. “Well, without giving you the fine details, Stephen is the earl and the heir. Bella did something foolish when she was younger that caused my parents a great deal of worry. William, my twin, was a real wild child for a while, and my parents also practically raised my cousin, Christophe, who came with a bit of family drama. So me? I tried to stay under the radar, no extra trouble.” Even if that came at a personal cost.

“I see.” He tapped his chin. “And yet, for someone who wants to be under the radar, you lead the public relations department. You are the face of Aurora in that way.”

“Only as the spokesperson. The idea is for me to focus the light on the company, not me personally.”

“The light’s going to be on you today,” he said, nodding at her. “That, Ms. Pemberton, is a serious plumage color.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked down at her plate, a little embarrassed. Still, she loved the shade of blue and she’d paired it with a favorite pair of neutral heels and her special diamond earrings.

And yet later, when she stepped out of the car and into the venue, she felt just a tiny bit empowered. It was odd how a few yards of bright fabric stitched together could make such a difference. For once, she wasn’t merely an extension of the company. She was her own woman. It seemed unbelievable that it was because a man she barely knew had a keen insight into her behavior.

She changed out of the dress later that afternoon, upon arriving back at the apartment. Jacob was in his room and she’d put on casual trousers and a sweater to think about dinner. Charlotte had had a great day, but the prospect of cooking a dinner only to go out again later seemed too daunting. Tonight’s party was a big deal, a celebrity-studded event at some converted warehouse in Brooklyn. If Jacob had been surprised at the guest list at the previous events, tonight he’d be overwhelmed. She was kind of looking forward to it, actually.

But not making dinner. So she grabbed her phone, found a bookmarked pizza place and put in an order. She’d go easy now, because she had a killer dress to fit into. And then when they got home, cold pizza would be the perfect snack.

She’d just placed the order when her phone rang, and she could see it was her mother. She hurried to hit the little green symbol on the screen. “Maman! Bonjour!”

“Bonjour, ma petite!” Aurora’s charming voice came over the phone. “I saw photos of you already today... I absolutely loved your dress.”

“Really? It’s not...me.”

“Oh, I think it is. You’re a beautiful bird, Charlotte, but you hide behind things. I was thrilled to see your colorful feathers today.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before? I was trying to fit with Aurora’s image, you know.”

Her mother’s rusty laugh came through the phone. “My darling, this company was not built by someone trying to fit in or hide. I brought the brazen attitude, and your father brought the class and elegance. You’ve got that same spirit, you know. Especially when it comes to the company. It’s time you stepped into your role here with your own personality. Today was a baby step, yes?”

She blinked back tears, realizing how relieved she was at the praise and support. “Yes, Maman, it was. I went to the store yesterday and bought straight off the rack.”

Again the rusty laugh came over the line. “Of course you did, and bravo. How are things otherwise? We didn’t get a chance to catch up on yesterday’s conference call.”

They chatted for a while until the doorman called up. “I’m sorry, Maman, I need to go. I ordered pizza for dinner. I couldn’t bear to make even a sandwich tonight with another party on the diary.”

“You’re feeding Mr. Wolfe as well, I assume.”

“Yes. I still don’t know why I need him, but he’s not so bad.” She hoped her voice didn’t betray her. She did far too much fantasizing about him and put too much weight in his opinion. It didn’t help that her mother had used the same comparison as he had—that she was a colorful bird.

“You go eat and check in with me soon. I’m missing New York, but you’re doing a fabulous job.”