She was a physical fraud.
And an even bigger emotional one.
Angelique hadn’t been in touch with her emotions since the day she had stumbled across her mother’s unconscious body wh
en she was ten years old. She could still see the glass of water with the faint trace of her mother’s lipstick around the rim.
The pill bottle that had been empty.
The silence.
Not even a heartbeat.
No pulse.
No mother.
Angelique had locked down her emotions and acted like a puppet ever since.
‘I want to launch my own swim and leisurewear label. I’ve wanted to do it for a while. I want more control over my life and my career.’
‘You’ll need money to do that.’
‘I know. I have some savings put aside, but it’s not quite enough. I have do it properly or it will fold before it gets off the ground.’
‘Is anyone offering to back you?’
‘I’ve approached a couple of people but they were a little gun-shy.’ She let out a little sigh. ‘I think my reputation as a bit of a hell-raiser put them off.’
‘How much of it is true?’
Angelique looked at him. ‘The gun-shy people?’
‘The hell-raising.’
Her shoulders went down in a little slump. ‘I’m no angel...I’ve never tried to be. It’s just the press make it out to be a hundred times worse than it is. I only have to be standing next to someone at a party or a nightclub or social gathering to be linked to them in some sort of salacious scandal.’
‘You never defend yourself.’ His expression was inscrutable, as if he was still making up his mind about her, whether to believe her or not. ‘You’ve never asked for a retraction of any of the statements made about you.’
‘What would be the point? Defensiveness only makes it worse.’ She let out another sign. ‘Anyway, to begin with I welcomed the gossip. I figured any publicity is good publicity. Some of the most famous models in the world are known for their behaviour as much as their looks.’
He rubbed a hand over his jaw. The raspy sound was loud in the silence. ‘I have a couple of contacts who might be able to help you with launching your designs. I’d have to look at what you’ve got on the table first. I’m not going to recommend anything that hasn’t got a chance of flying. I prefer to back winners, not losers.’
Angelique felt a little piqued that he didn’t instantly believe in her. She hadn’t realised until now how much she wanted him to have faith in her ability. To believe that she wasn’t just another pretty face without any substance behind it. ‘I wouldn’t dream of putting your precious money at risk.’ Her words were sharp, clipped with resentment.
He gave her a levelling look. ‘I might love a gamble, Angelique, but at the end of the day I’m a businessman. I can’t allow emotions to get in the way of a good business decision.’
She sent him a chilly glare. ‘You didn’t worry too much about your emotions when you tricked my father out of Tarrantloch. That wasn’t a business decision. It was a personal vendetta and I’ll never forgive you for it.’
‘I admit I wanted to pay him back for what he did to my grandfather. We almost lost everything because of what he did.’ His look was darkly scathing. ‘But it wasn’t just about that. I bet he didn’t tell you the details of his underhand behaviour over the Ibiza account I was about to close? He would have put a completely different spin on it for his precious little girl.’
His precious little girl.
Angelique had to choke back a laugh. If only Remy knew how much her father despised her. He never showed it in public. He couldn’t afford to tarnish his reputation as a devoted father. He put on a good show when the need arose but as soon as the doors were closed Henri would revert back to his autocratic, boorish, hyper-critical ways. She had always known her father had wanted a son as his firstborn but her mother had failed to deliver one.
Angelique was a living, daily reminder of that failure.
‘I know my father isn’t a plaster saint but neither is your grandfather,’ she tossed back.