"I don't give a flying fuck if he's the King of England," my father said. "He's disloyal and he's a drain on my wallet. He's out. I'm done."
"Well, I'm not," my mother said with an icy stare. "I'm not writing my own son off, not like this. And certainly not because you are unable to temper your more basic impulses. You're a hard, cruel man, Gordon. I've put up with it for as long as I could because I knew what you were striving to achieve, but this is over the top. I won't have it."
"Disloyal bitch," my father spat. "You can get out, too."
My parents stood staring hatefully at one another as the event planner stepped in and told us that the guests were waiting. My father looked at both of us and said, "Play your parts tonight, and we'll all go our separate ways after it's over."
My mother grabbed my hand and squeezed tightly as she looked up at me with worried eyes.
"It's going to be okay, Mother," I whispered as I squeezed her hand and followed my father out to the waiting crowd. As he began his speech, I scanned the crowd wondering who'd been invited to witness this ostentatious display of wealth and power. I saw many of the people my father had worked with through the years, and others who I didn't recognize. I noticed Mike Killian, the man who was responsible for meeting all my father's IT needs as he'd acquired company after company, and to Mike's left was a beautiful, blonde woman in a dress unlike any I'd ever seen. She looked like a goddess encased in silver and jewels, and as I wondered where Mike had met her, she turned and I caught a glimpse of her face.
"...All of this wouldn't be possible without the love and support of my wife, Felice, and my son, Adam," my father was saying. I saw the look on Grace's face as she recognized me. Confusion followed shock. I tried to signal to her that I'd explain, but she'd already looked away.
"...Here's to the new foundation that will be laid as Mija and WalCo merge our resources and look toward the future," my father said as he raised the glass in his hand, then brought it to his lips and drank deeply from it.
"Victor would like to say a few words," my father said once the toast had been completed.
Victor Vasquez stepped up, shook my father's hand, and began speaking, "It's my honor and pleasure to be here with you tonight, and I am grateful to Gordon for all he's done to make me feel so at home in your lovely city. We are far from our home in Venezuela, but tonight, we are happy not only because Gordon and I are starting a new venture that will allow us to share resources and bring new technology to the people of Venezuela, but also because I am pleased to announce the engagement of my daughter, Veronica, to Gordon's son, Adam! Salud!"
Grace's head snapped up and she looked at me helplessly as a look of pain crossed her face. Then she leaned over and said something to Mike before picking up her skirt and briskly walking out of the room. I turned and looked at my mother and shook my head, but she was staring at my father in a way that told me she'd had enough, so I left the two of them to fight their own battle.
I quickly apologized to Veronica then shook Victor's hand and said, "Sorry, I can't marry your daughter. She deserves better than this family," as I gestured toward my parents who were now arguing in hushed voices.
The crowd watched the proceedings for a few moments until Victor tapped on his glass and said, "It appears we have a bit of a misunderstanding here. Please have another drink and enjoy the music and food as we sort it all out!"
I was half way out the door when Mike yelled across the room, "She said she was going to the ladies’ room!" I nodded and ran down the long, black, marble hallway until I got to the door of the ladies’ room. I tapped on it and called, "Grace?" as I pushed the door open just a crack.
"Grace, are you
in here?" I asked as I woman emerged from the toilets and gasped. I let the door close a little as I said, "Sorry, I'm looking for someone. She's wearing a silver dress. Blonde hair. Very pretty. Have you seen her in there?"
"She was leaving when I came in," the woman said. "I think she was calling a cab."
I ran back to the elevator and repeatedly punched the down button as I muttered under my breath, "C'mon, hurry up!"
When I finally reached the ground floor, I ran through the lobby and out onto the sidewalk where I anxiously scanned the line of cars waiting to carry guests home.
"Are you looking for someone, sir?" the doorman asked as he held the door for an expensively dressed couple.
"A blonde woman in a silver dress," I said hopefully. "Have you seen her?"
"If it's the woman you're asking about, she got into a cab a few minutes ago," he said.
"Thanks," I nodded as I ran a hand through my hair and thought about what to do next. I had no idea where Grace lived, and I was pretty sure that, at this point, a phone call wasn't the best idea.
I knew I would be a persona non grata upstairs, so I went back up to my room to figure out how to fix the damage that had been done.
Chapter Forty-One
Grace
I held back the tears until I arrived home, and then I let it all go. I sunk to the floor in front of my couch and sobbed until my eyes were nearly swollen shut. The discovery that Adam was the son of Gordon Wallace, and that he was now engaged to a Venezuelan socialite was almost more than I could bear, and the realization that I'd fallen for a man who was a lying manipulator made me feel ashamed of my impulsiveness. Mamm had warned me about my tendency to see the world through rose-colored glasses and leap before I looked, but no matter how many times I'd make mistakes, she'd always been there to comfort me and remind me that it would all be okay.
Except this time. Mamm wasn't here, and my family had been split apart because I hadn't told Adam to leave when I'd first had the chance. The whole mess was my fault and I had no idea how to fix it.
When I was finally cried out, I pushed myself up off the floor and went down the hall to my bedroom where I left my beautiful dress in a silver puddle on the floor and climbed into bed. I tossed and turned for hours until I finally fell into a fitful sleep that lasted only until the sun began to rise.
Exhausted, I hauled myself out of bed and headed into the kitchen to make coffee and a list of things I needed to do at the office before I headed back home to try and fix my family's problems. Around nine, Mike called.