Miss White and the Seventh Heir

He gave himself a mental shake. He didn’t want to get caught up in the ghosts of the past. Right now, he had enough problems in the present. When it came to Sage, nothing was easy. And now he had to make amends—no, he wanted to make amends. There was definitely a difference between the two.

He started walking. He didn’t know what he was going to say to her. Was there anything he could say that would convince her that they could still work together until the end of the festival? The fact that she was still at the château had to be a good sign, right? And then he remembered the festival and the lack of accommodations. It worked out for him.

At last, he caught up to her on the patio. “Sage. We need to talk.”

She didn’t even turn to look at him when she said, “We’ve said everything. There’s nothing left to say.”

“You might have said everything, but I didn’t.” He moved to stand in front of her. She averted her gaze, but that wouldn’t deter him. “Sage, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

Her gaze met his. “What did you think was going to happen when you deceived me? That I’d never find out?”

“In the beginning, I didn’t even consider how my plan might hurt others. I was after information and working as your assistant was the best way to gain unbiased information. I never factored in the people I’d be working with.”

He could see the wheels of her mind spinning. “What information?”

“Can we sit down and talk?” He didn’t want to make it easy for her to walk away when she heard something she didn’t like.

Sage hesitated. Then she made her way over to a bench. “I don’t know why I’m doing this.”

“Because you need answers. You want to know why a CEO would go undercover in his own company.”

“I do. So tell me. But don’t think it will change anything between us.” There was a firmness in her voice.

He knew it would take more than this talk in order for Sage to forgive him. But it was a start and that had to be enough...for now.

“Let me start at the beginning. How much do you know about my father and the trouble he got the magazine into?”

She shrugged. “Not a whole lot.”

And so Trey revealed to her how his father had in recent years gone with the easy, sensational headlines and played it loose with the truth. And he’d gotten away with it until he started writing a string of fabricated stories about Deacon Santoro. The movie star had threatened a lawsuit that would put the whole corporation in jeopardy. At last, they settled out of court for a nominal amount and the removal of Trey’s father from the business, but the settlement also included changing the editorial content. And that’s where Sage came into the story.

“That explains the past, but it doesn’t tell me why you entered my life,” Sage said.

“With my father stepping down from the company, I was in line for the CEO position. It was my chance to do what I’d always wanted.”

“What’s that? Run the magazine? And I got in your way?”

Trey shook his head. “No. I never wanted any part of the magazine.”

“But why?”

“Because it’s all my father ever cared about. It wasn’t me or my mother. It was QTR. And I just wanted him to know what it’s like to lose something he loved.”

Sage gasped. “You want to destroy QTR to get even with your father. But what about all the history? That magazine has been in your family for generations.”

“Seven generations to be exact. I am the seventh heir. And I thought the last.”

“You thought? You’ve changed your mind?” There was a note of hope in her voice.

He turned to look directly into her eyes. “You are a very passionate woman. When you get excited about something, it shows in your face, your voice—it’s infectious.”

“And that’s how you now feel about the magazine?” Suspicion reflected in her eyes.

“I didn’t at first. I thought you were crazy for wanting to save that dying rag. I couldn’t imagine what you saw in the magazine to drive you to save it.”

“And now?” Though the glint of suspicion still showed in her eyes, there was also the spark of curiosity.

“And then I started working with you. It was then that I saw what the magazine could be—what good it could do.”